Photo credit: Used with permission and Kennedy Center
June 26, 2022—This week I am sharing another Arts Engines videocast—this time with Marc Bamuthi Joseph.
Bamuthi is not only the Executive Vice President and Artistic Director of Social Impact Initiatives at the John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center, he also is a multi-hyphenated artist and a 2017 TED Global Fellow.
Bamuthi is one of the innovators behind the Kennedy Center’s pledge to make anti-racism a key institutional priority through its Social Impact Initiative. The program addresses the issues of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Access beyond building audiences. It recognizes the importance of providing a platform for voices that are rarely heard, and will engage artists from all 50 states More than community engagement, it is instead community empowerment. It leverages the arts to influence and impact an even broader range of issues—from healthcare to community development.
By backing up its commitment with an investment of more than $1-million annually for the next three to five years, I believe this initiative acknowledges the responsibility of cultural institutions to put a stake in the ground to utilize the transformative power of the arts to help develop and heal historically marginalized and stigmatized communities, along with the artists who have served them.
You can find Bamuthi’s Arts Engines interview with Aaron Dworkin at this link. It is just over 20 minutes in length. I encourage you to watch it. But I hope it will inspire you to learn more about Bamuthi and his work. I believe he is one of the most innovative and brilliant young minds in arts management; he also is a powerful and inspirational artist.
And consider subscribing to Arts Engines’ videocasts on YouTube to hear the perspectives of thought leaders who are having significant impact on the field of the arts. Arts Engines is conducted in partnership with Detroit Public Television, Ovation TV, The Violin Channel and American Public Media.
As always, I want to know what you think. I invite you to share your thoughts and comments below.