I met Vernon Araujo through the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, where we both serve on its Board of Directors. During a recent meeting, Mr. Araujo shared an update on the status of the arts community in St. Thomas and the Virgin Islands in the wake of the two hurricanes those islands experienced in 2017. Mr. Araujo is the development director for the Family Resource Center, … Continue reading Vernon Araujo: Helping Artists and Communities Respond to Climate Change

  I recently have had the pleasure of working with the fabulous Mikki Taylor, the author, international speaker and editor-at-large for Essence Magazine. Ms. Taylor is the leading authority on “inner and outer beauty” for women of color and a compelling empowerment speaker. She also is the author of several books, including Commander-in-Chic: Every Woman’s Guide to Managing Her Style Like a First Lady and … Continue reading Mikki Taylor: We Each Have the Power to Choose Our Path

Your Arts & Culture Connection for Nov. 23, 2019 The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) recently announced that it is hoping to provide a musical instrument to every single Detroit student—any K-12 student in public, private and charter school—who wants to play one. In addition, the DSO envisions that this program will create jobs for city residents by also providing children with access to music education … Continue reading Detroit Symphony Orchestra Seeking to Guarantee Music Education for Any Child Who Wants it

Photo credit courtesy of Ginny Louloudes I recently had the opportunity to interview Virginia (Ginny) Louloudes for Arts & Culture Connections. Ginny is the Executive Director of the Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York (A.R.T./New York), which is the service and advocacy organization for New York City’s 400-plus nonprofit theatres. I met Ginny more than 20 years ago and was immediately impressed with her commitment to … Continue reading Champion of the Arts: Ginny Louloudes Working to Advance DE&I in New York’s Theatre World

I was thrilled to read in ArtNews and Culture Type that Sandra Jackson-Dumont, the Chairman of Education for the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET), has been chosen after an international search to be the Director and CEO of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. The Lucas Museum is currently under construction in LA. Ms. Jackson-Dumont will begin her new post in January 2020. Readers of … Continue reading Champion of the Arts: Sandra Jackson-Dumont to Lead Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) re-opened October 21, 2019, and among its exhibitions is the work of 93 year-old artist Betye Saar, who is known for her assemblage and collage works that encompass African-American identity, female empowerment, global culture, mysticism, personal history and racism. This is MoMA’s first exhibition of Ms. Saar’s work, which has spanned more than six decades. It … Continue reading Champion of the Arts: First-time MoMA exhibition for 93 year-old Betye Saar

I have received numerous inquiries from leaders of the classical music field to support their efforts to cultivate and develop audiences of color. My first response is to encourage them to think about their programming–until they begin to diversify their offerings, everything else is a gesture. That is why I was thrilled to read recent published reports about the breaking down of century-old barriers by … Continue reading Black Classical Composers Making News; Now Activate the Audiences

                    Many arts councils throughout the nation are examining how best to connect with their respective communities, especially when their budgets are modest or non-existent. I believe we can all learn a lot from the success of Newark Arts, the 37 year-old, nonprofit organization at the center of the massive and innovative Newark Arts Festival, which … Continue reading Newark Arts Festival Partnerships Help “Power the Arts to Transform Lives”

Photo credit – tripadvisor.com A lot has been going on in the Boston arts community in the months since a group of seventh grade students from Dorchester’s Helen Y. Davis Leadership Academy experienced the “weep and sting” of racism and harassment from museum patrons and staff during a class trip to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. As I previously shared in an Arts & … Continue reading Museum of Fine Arts-Boston to Hire Director of Inclusion and Launch New Program to Welcome Students