Photo Credit: Aaliytha Stevens March 13, 2022—In celebration of Women’s History Month, seven New York City Black women working in the media, including me, recently were saluted by the producers of MJ the Musical and Aaliytha Stevens, Chief Operating Officer of SpotCo. The event was coordinated by the renowned Irene Gandy, a recipient of 2020 Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre and the only … Continue reading MJ Musical honors 7 Black Women in Media
Photo Credit: Used with permission March 6, 2022—The New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s recent Standing in Solidarity program had the largest number of registrants of any virtual discussion in the program’s 18-month history. More than 800+ people signed up to learn from a distinguished panel about Critical Race Theory (CRT) and the impact of the culture wars swirling around it. The NJPAC panel was … Continue reading Critical Race Theory Panel Draws Record Participation
Image credit is Visual Arts winner by Camilla G. February 27, 2022—One of the ongoing themes of my work in Community Engagement is the promotion of youth and arts education. The vision of the world that youth express through art is insightful and powerful. That’s why I wanted to share with the readers of Arts & Culture Connections the opportunity to virtually visit the multimedia … Continue reading NJ Youth Utilize the Arts to #StopTheHate
Photo credit: Nicole Washington. February 20, 2022—I began writing Arts & Culture Connections exactly five years ago. It was my response to the political disarray; social and racial injustice, as well as the polarity and fear ravaging the country. It also was an absolute necessity for me to step into my power; to speak my truth, and to share my experience and insights about how … Continue reading The 5th Anniversary of Arts & Culture Connections
Photo Credit: Radstone February 6, 2022—Ruben Santiago-Hudson is a consummate artist and brilliant craftsman, who is well known for his hard work, generosity, compassion, and love of family. A Champion of the Arts, Ruben wears many hats very well—director, actor, writer, and musician—and he has two Tony Awards, several Obies, and nearly a score of Broadway credits to prove it. Ruben also has the … Continue reading Champion of the Arts: Ruben Santiago-Hudson
January 23, 2022—I am a longtime admirer of Ford Foundation President Darren Walker for many reasons, including his groundbreaking redirection of the Ford Foundation’s philanthropic philosophy. Today, the foundation’s mission is “guided by a vision of social justice,” which includes Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Access (EDIA), and a commitment to work towards a global society that recognizes the dignity and potential of all people. At … Continue reading How Do We Persevere?
January 16, 2022—When my career propelled me to leap from the world of dance to The Public Theater, the powerful impact and influence of reviews by critics became even more clear to me. Not only do reviews help shape the public’s perception of a theatrical production, they also can determine its future. For the most part, the critics for numerous media organizations are both male … Continue reading BIPOC Critics Lab Launches New Cohort
January 9, 2022— I am both honored and proud to the share news that the Creating Change Network has joined in partnership with the Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) Center at Rutger’s University-Newark to curate a line-up of arts events in support of this year’s National Day of Racial Healing. The National Day of Racial Healing—January 18, 2022—was first launched in 2017 by the … Continue reading NJ Arts Community Unites to Support Day of Racial Healing
January 2, 2022— Happy New Year! By the end of 2021, the lights were flickering back on Broadway, museum doors were open, and dance performances and concerts were being held all over the country, despite still navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. Even with the vaccine mandates and capacity restrictions, arts-lovers would not be deterred from the pleasure and pure joy of experiencing the arts live and … Continue reading My 2022 Goals: Extending the Hand of Welcome and Modeling Belonging
December 19, 2021—I was deeply saddened to learn this past week about the accidental death of my colleague, Nai-Ni Chen, the founder and choreographer of the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company. Nai-Ni was a fierce, artistic voice; a “storm” for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Access. She was a bold, fearless, hard-working warrior, who was dedicated to engaging audiences; building bridges with diverse communities; developing dance education … Continue reading In Tribute to Nai-Ni Chen
