April 18, 2021—I am delighted to share with the readers of Arts & Culture Connections the launch of a new division of my company, which is focusing on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Access (EDI&A) for the arts. I believe this is absolutely the time for arts administrators, marketers, funders and thought leaders to stand up with conviction and become examples of the necessity for EDI&A … Continue reading The New Division of My Company: EDI&A
April 11, 2021—I am a long-time admirer of Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation. He is a staunch advocate for tackling injustice and inequality, and he is utilizing his authority, position, and the foundation’s $14-billion endowment to help shift the philanthropic community’s focus to address these critical issues.667 Mr. Walker’s efforts and work, along with some aspects of his personal history, were showcased last … Continue reading Focusing Philanthropy on Injustice and Inequality
April 4, 2021—I firmly believe programs that provide youth with opportunities for creative development and expression are more critical than ever. These programs contribute to youth being able to successfully interact, work with and dialogue with others. This makes the arts, as education reformer John Dewey once described, the cornerstone of democracy and civic engagement. As I outline in my forthcoming book, Champions for the … Continue reading Teaching Artists Issue Call to Action
March 28, 2021—I recently had the phenomenal opportunity to see an intimate, virtual interview with one of our nation’s greatest artistic treasures—the playwright, actress, author, NYU professor and scholar Anna Deveare Smith, which was sponsored by the Signature Theatre’s Artistic Director’s Circle and conducted by Artistic Director Paige Evans. Credited with creating a new form of theater in which she combines the journalistic techniques of … Continue reading The Resonance of Twilight, Los Angeles, 1992: An Interview with Anna Deveare Smith
March 21, 2021—This past week, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s Standing in Solidarity Series presented a brilliant program titled “She Did That: Black Women in the Workplace.” The event, which was co-sponsored by Women@NJPAC in celebration of Women’s History Month, was based on the PSEG True Diversity Film Series presentation of the inspiring documentary She Did Thatby Renae Bluitt, and it also featured an … Continue reading Standing in Solidarity with Black Women in the Workplace
March 14, 2021—Like many other cultural institutions around the country, the August Wilson African-American Cultural Center (AWAACC) had to put its 2020 exhibition plans on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, I was delighted to learn that the delay has resulted in the expansion of the center’s vision for an extraordinary exhibition honoring the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, which will now open in fall 2021. … Continue reading Major August Wilson Exhibition Planned
March 7, 2021—When it comes to planning for community engagement or audience development, having access to research and data are critical to making smart, relevant decisions. I firmly believe the arts administration field is quite fortunate to have the work of Zannie Giraud Voss, Ph.D. and her team at SMU DataArts, which offers insightful and analytic research focused on helping arts organizations identify the programmatic … Continue reading The Alchemy of Success: Research Study Offers Key
February 28, 2021—This past week, Georgetown University announced the establishment of its Racial Justice Institute (RJI), and the appointment of co-leaders from the areas of the arts, the law and health and public policy. The mission of the RJI is to bring together scholars, artists, thought leaders, policy makers and activists to provide a cross-disciplinary focus on persistent issues of racial injustice and the structural … Continue reading Georgetown University Taps Anita Gonzalez as Co-Leader for Racial Justice Institute
February 21, 2021—Many of us working in the arts have been supporting social and racial justice initiatives and movements for decades. Now there is a national effort to unite these creative endeavors around a Call for a Cultural New Deal for Cultural and Racial Justice. The Call was spearheaded by ArtChangeUS, the Center for Cultural Power, First Peoples Fund, the National Association of Latino Arts … Continue reading The Call for a Cultural New Deal
February 14, 2021—Valentine’s Day is a great day for me to reaffirm my love of dance—a passion that my mom first stoked when she took my twin sister and me to see the Bolshoi Ballet perform in Chicago when we were five. That’s why I’m excited to share with the readers of Arts & Culture Connections the news that Dance/NYC is holding its 2021 Symposium … Continue reading Dance/NYC 2021 Symposium
