January 8, 2023—The 2023 National Day of Racial Healing is being commemorated in New Jersey with a week of free, in-person and online activities sponsored by the Creating Change Network(CCN), in cooperation with the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Center at Rutgers University-Newark (TRHT Center). The 2023 theme of the New Jersey-sponsored events is “Redefining and Rebuilding Community.” Information about the full schedule and tickets … Continue reading 2023 National Day of Racial Healing NJ Arts Community Offers Week of Events

January 2, 2023—Happy New Year! From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your continued support of Arts & Culture Connections!   I am encouraged by the growing momentum for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Access that occurred last year in the performing arts and other cultural institutions. I especially applaud the innovative pathways being blazed by organizations such as Black Theatre United (BTU) and … Continue reading Blazing Brave, Bold New Trails in 2023!

December 25, 2022—As a life-long Champion for the Arts, I am optimistic about the profound visionary and transformational powers of the arts. That’s why I want to share with the readers of Arts & Culture Connections an inspiring story I recently heard about a group of artists in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Diatribe is a nonprofit creative collective, which was established about eight years ago … Continue reading Reimagining the Power of the Arts

  December 18, 2022—It’s time for my annual celebration of the 2022 Champions for the Arts, who have spent the past year working to advance Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Access (EDI&A). The 2022 Champions for Arts are: Nataki Garrett, Vy Higginsen, John Haworth, HARLEM WEEK, Asian American Arts Alliance (A4), and the “Diversity United” program of Congregation Ahavas Sholom of Newark. They have all managed … Continue reading Meet My 2022 Champions for the Arts

December 11, 2022—I am excited to share with the readers of Arts & Culture Connections about the new opportunities available for producing and investing in Broadway productions that feature the underrepresented narratives of people of color and members of marginalized communities. This diversity and inclusion initiative was launched earlier this month by The Industry Standard Group (TISG), and it is called Second Act Theatrical Capital … Continue reading TISG Launches Investment Fund

December 2, 2022—I recently had the honor and fabulous opportunity to discuss the evolution of my work to expand Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Access in the arts on the podcast, Barsha Barsha Barsha!, with the award-winning composer, pianist and singer Debra Barsha. The conversation ranged from the pioneering community engagement work I did with Dance Theatre of Harlem to the EDI&A trainings I am currently … Continue reading The Opportunity to Share the Evolution of My Work

November 27, 2022— I believe it’s very important to help youth develop a vision for their lives by exposing them to information about the bold and daring work of others. That’s why I am urging the readers of Arts & Culture Connections to share widely Black Inventors Got Game, a film and lively panel discussion featuring pioneering Black inventors. Sponsored by the New Jersey Performing … Continue reading How Black Inventors Have Made Life Better

November 20, 2022—November is Native American and Alaska Native Heritage month, and I have asked my long-time friend and colleague, John Haworth, to share his view on the state of arts and culture for Indigenous artists and cultural organizations. John is the Senior Executive Emeritus of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. Most recently, he received the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award, Guardians of … Continue reading Native American and Alaska Native Heritage Month

November 13, 2022 — I am honored to be a member of a group of African-American arts leaders and administrators who are organizing virtual discussions to showcase and leverage our collective cultural and philanthropic power to sustain and expand Black cultural life. At the Table, whose launch I wrote about last year, recently held its second virtual roundtable. Our goal is to offer dynamic and … Continue reading Thriving in the Business of Arts

Image credit: Christopher Briscoe   November 6, 2022—Nataki Garrett is a trailblazer. The nationally recognized director and sixth Artistic Director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) is the first woman to artistically lead a $44-million theater company and OSF’s first Black female in this role. Born and raised in Oakland amid a family of educators, artists and community organizers, Ms. Garrett developed a deep appreciation … Continue reading Part 2: OSF’s Nataki Garrett Targeted with Threats