In this Creative Conversation, Emerging Leaders Council Member Todd Trebour will be joined in discussion by Gina Rodríguez-Drix, Cultural Affairs Manager for the City of Providence Department of Art, Culture + Tourism. The two will discuss how the past is shaping the future of the arts and culture in Providence and Rhode Island. As Providence begins its second cultural planning process, Gina will reflect on the progress of the 2009 Creative Providence Plan and on the complexity and opportunity provided by a public plan that expresses values of equity, access and transformation.
About this Creative Conversation
In this Creative Conversation, Emerging Leaders Council Member Todd Trebour will be joined in discussion by Gina Rodríguez-Drix, Cultural Affairs Manager for the City of Providence Department of Art, Culture + Tourism. The two will discuss how the past is shaping the future of the arts and culture in Providence and Rhode Island. As Providence begins its second cultural planning process, Gina will reflect on the progress of the 2009 Creative Providence Plan and on the complexity and opportunity provided by a public plan that expresses values of equity, access and transformation.
Gina Rodríguez-Drix
Cultural Affairs Manager, City of Providence Department of Art, Culture + Tourism
Gina Rodríguez-Drix (she/hers) is the Cultural Affairs
Manager for the City of Providence Department of Art, Culture + Tourism where
she manages ACT Public Art program, develops cultural policy, and facilitates
creative placemaking projects. Most recently Gina managed the planning
process for the Art in City Life Plan, the City’s first master plan for
public art, and is now stewarding the planning process for Creative
Providence 2020, the City’s second cultural plan for the creative
sector. Gina’s professional and
creative practices are rooted in her fervent passion for social, environmental
and reproductive justice and commitment to her hometown. Gina is also a multi-genre writer and birth-doula who raises
her young family in Providence.
Organizations Program Director, Rhode Island State Council on the Arts
Todd Trebour is the Organizations Program Director at the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA). Todd manages and oversees the agency’s support for organizations, including grants, programs, and services. A strong believer the power of partnerships and networks, Todd has piloted several new initiatives in his first year at RISCA, including affinity group convenings of organizations; an Arts and Cultural Advocacy Workshop series with the United Way of Rhode Island, City of Providence Department of Art, Culture + Tourism, and Rhode Island Council for the Humanities; and an Advancing Cultural Equity Workshop and Technical Assistance Program in partnership with the Rhode Island Foundation. He has also seen a 47% increase in applications to the Arts Access project grant program thanks to intensive and continuous outreach to Rhode Island organizations. Todd received his BA in Music Performance from Whitman College, his MM in Voice from Rice University, and his Core Certificate in Arts Management from the UMass Amherst Arts Extension Service. Currently, Todd is in his second term on the Emerging Leaders Advisory Council at Americans for the Arts.
Building a strong artist portfolio is important as it stands as a reflection of work and artistic point of view. Join us for a virtual conversation with Adia Morris Swanger from Springboard for the Arts as we explore what an artist portfolio is and learn what artists should consider when building their own portfolios.
About this Conversation
Americans for the Arts is excited to bring you a monthly series of informal discussions about supporting individual artists. As part of Americans for the Arts ongoing program, Arts Administrators Essentials: Supporting Individual Artists, these monthly "Coffee Chats" are your opportunity to hear from individuals and organizations in the arts and culture field that support individual artists as part of their everyday work. Each month, we will bring you a new topic to support your work with artists. Our topic for this month will be about artist portfolios.
What do artists need to consider when building their portfolios?
Join Adia Morris Swanger, Professional Development and Operations Coordinator at Springboard for the Arts, as she discusses why artists need to have a portfolio, what should be included, and how artists should consider what they will include.
This project is supported in part by the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation.
Adia Morris Swanger
Professional Development & Operations Coordinator, Springboard for the Arts
Adia Morris Swanger is Professional Development and Operations Coordinator at Springboard for the Arts, where she oversees the Artist Career Consultant roster, teaches business skills workshops for artists, and connects artists to funding opportunities with the Incubator Fiscal Sponsorship program. Adia is also a freelance theatre artist, writer, and educator based in St. Paul, MN. She also appears on Twin Cities Public Television's Almanac and was the host of TPT's TV Takeover for Seasons 1 and 2.
The American Express Emerging Leader Award recognizes visionary leadership by an individual who is a new and/or young arts leader who demonstrates an ability to engage and impact his or her community. Stephanie Johnson-Cunningham, museum educator and arts educator was selected as the 2019 American Express Emerging Leader Awardee because of her work around developing pedagogical strategies that include the cultural capital of communities, as well as her work with Museum Hue, which increases public access to the arts and opportunities for artists. Joined by Emerging Leader Council Member, Lindsay So, the two will discuss how the past shaping the future of arts leadership.
2019 American Express Emerging Leader Awardee
Stephanie Johnson-Cunningham
The American Express Emerging Leader Award recognizes visionary leadership by an individual who is a new and/or young arts leader who demonstrates an ability to engage and impact his or her community. Stephanie Johnson-Cunningham, museum educator and arts educator was selected as the 2019 American Express Emerging Leader Awardee because of her work around developing pedagogical strategies that include the cultural capital of communities, as well as her work with Museum Hue, which increases public access to the arts and opportunities for artists. Joined by Emerging Leader Council Member, Lindsay So, the two will discuss how the past is shaping the future of arts leadership.
For 2019 National Arts & Humanities Month we are taking Creative Conversations to a new level. To engage with leaders in the field, this year’s National Arts Awardees will be in conversation with fellow leaders to discuss issues relevant to today’s community-based arts administrators. Responding to this year’s Creative Conversation prompt, “how is the past shaping the future of the arts?.” awardees will give their insight on how their work impacts their community and organization.
Stephanie Johnson-Cunningham
Co-Founder & Creative Director, Museum Hue
Stephanie Johnson-Cunningham is an agent for arts and culture, forever in a state of exploration, investigation, preservation, and creation. She has practiced inquiry-based learning methodologies as a museum educator and has also taught arts education at the tertiary level as a lecturer. Her experience has informed the creation of Museum Hue, an arts organization that she co-founded and serves as Creative Director, advocating for people of color throughout museums in particular and the arts world in general. Stephanie’s endeavors also inspired the creation of the Hueniversal Flag, a melanin infused color spectrum representing, resilience and resistance for people of color. As a recent United Nations Human Rights Fellow, she has incorporated the UN systems and mechanisms in her pedagogy to increase recognition of and protection for people of color’s artistic practices, historical narratives, and cultural contributions. Stephanie utilizes the arts as a catalyst for societal change and racial equity.
Assistant Director, City of Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy
Lindsay So is an arts administrator dedicated to helping arts, culture, and non-arts sectors serve as effective allies for one another. Her experiences in the field have shaped her community-minded approach to developing cultural programs and solutions to benefit Philadelphians. She joined the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE) in 2013 as the Research & Policy Associate, and now serves as the Assistant Director. In this role, she provides oversight and guidance for all OACCE programs, works to integrate arts, culture and creativity into City activities, and leads staff in the implementation of arts education, community arts, and creative industry initiatives. Prior to OACCE, So developed the organizational systems for CultureTrust Greater Philadelphia, the city’s first Comprehensive Fiscal Management Services program for the cultural community. She holds a bachelor’s degree in art history and a master’s in arts administration from New York University and Drexel University, respectively. She is a member of the Americans for the Arts’ Emerging Leaders Council, and the Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation Board of Directors. She has presented at conferences and written on issues facing the non-profit arts sector, including the value of data and evaluation, the role of culture in community development, and cultural equity.
For 2019 National Arts & Humanities Month we are taking Creative Conversations to a new level. To engage with leaders in the field, this year’s National Arts Awardees will be in conversation with fellow leaders to discuss issues relevant to today’s community-based arts administrators. Responding to this year’s Creative Conversation prompt, “how is the past shaping the future of the arts?.” awardees will give their insight on how their work impacts their community and organization.
About this Series
For 2019 National Arts & Humanities Month we are taking Creative Conversations to a new level. To engage with leaders in the field, this year’s National Arts Leadership Awardees will be in conversation with fellow leaders to discuss issues relevant to today’s community-based arts administrators. Responding to this year’s Creative Conversation prompt, “how is the past shaping the future of the arts?.” awardees will give their insight on how their work impacts their community and organization.
The Public Art Network (PAN) Award is given out each year to an individual or organization that demonstrates innovative and creative contributions and/or exemplary commitment and leadership in the field of public art. Roberto Bedoya, Manager, Cultural Affairs, City of Oakland was selected as the 2019 Public Art Network Awardee because of his work and insightfulness of how the arts influence public places. Joined by Public Art Network Councilmember Lucas Antony Cowan, the two will discuss how the past shaping the future of art in the public realm.
About this Creative Conversation
2019 Public Art Network Awardee: Roberto Bedoya
The Public Art Network (PAN) Award is given out each year to an individual or organization that demonstrates innovative and creative contributions and/or exemplary commitment and leadership in the field of public art. Roberto Bedoya, Manager, Cultural Affairs, City of Oakland was selected as the 2019 Public Art Network Awardee because of his work and insightfulness of how the arts influence public places. Joined by Public Art Network Councilmember Lucas Antony Cowan, the two will discuss how the past shaping the future of art in the public realm.
For 2019 National Arts & Humanities Month we are taking Creative Conversations to a new level. To engage with leaders in the field, this year’s National Arts Awardees will be in conversation with fellow leaders to discuss issues relevant to today’s community-based arts administrators. Responding to this year’s Creative Conversation prompt, “how is the past shaping the future of the arts?.” awardees will give their insight on how their work impacts their community and organization.
Roberto Bedoya
Manager, Cultural Affairs, City of Oakland
Roberto Bedoya is the Cultural Affairs Manager for the City of Oakland where he most recently shepherded the City's Cultural Plan. - "Belonging in Oakland: A Cultural Development Plan". Through-out his career he has consistently supported artists-centered cultural practices and advocated for expanded definitions of inclusion and belonging in cultural sector. His essays ““Creative Placemaking and the Politics of Belonging and Dis-Belonging” ; “ Spatial Justice: Rasquachification, Race and the City” and “ "Poetics and Praxis of a City in Relation" has reframed the discussion on cultural policy to shed light on exclusionary practices in cultural policy decision making. He is a Creative Placemaking Fellow at Arizona State University.
Public Art Curator, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy
Lucas became the Conservancy’s first Public Art Curator in 2014. Previously he directed the Public Art Program for the Maryland State Arts Council, where he spearheaded the passage of legislation requiring all state-funded capital project to include public art in their construction, and was the Senior Curator of Exhibits for Millennium Park and the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture in Chicago, IL. He has curated and managed dozens of public art commissions and exhibitions of work by artists such as: Mark di Suvero, Jun Kaneko, Thomas Sayre, Shinique Smith, Sui Jianguo and Lawrence Weiner. Cowan has served on juries and panels across the United States, and has consulted on cultural park planning for cities such as San Francisco and Chicago. Cowan previously served on the board of trustees for the International Sculpture Center, publishers of Sculpture magazine, and is a founding member of the Advisory Council for Cold Hollow Sculpture Park in Vermont. Cowan holds degrees from the Maryland Institute College of Art and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Conservators have unique skills and knowledge that help public art administrators in caring for public art collections. For this live, online event attendees will have the opportunity to connect with two public art conservation experts to ask questions regarding the care and maintenance of public art collections. Participants will gain insight into what conservators do, how to find and work with conservators, ways they can help maintain their collection, and more!
About this Conversation
Conservators have unique skills and knowledge that help public art administrators in caring for public art collections. For this live, online event attendees will have the opportunity to connect with two public art conservation experts to ask questions regarding the care and maintenance of public art collections. Participants will gain insight into what conservators do, how to find and work with conservators, ways they can help maintain their collection, and more!
Learning Objectives
Hear from experts on how to conserve and maintain a public art collection
Learn about resources available for conservation and maintenance of public art collection
Rosa Lowinger
Chief Conservator and CEO, Rosa Lowinger & Associates DBA RLA Conservation of Art + Architecture
Rosa Lowinger is Chief Conservator and CEO of RLA Conservation of Art + Architecture, a firm with offices in Miami and Los Angeles that serves the conservation needs of several dozen public art agencies nationwide. She is a Fellow of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, and the 2008-09 Rome Prize Fellow in Conservation at the American Academy in Rome where she conducted a pilot project researching the history of vandalism to public art and public space. Rosa’s career in public art conservation began in 1988 with the treatment of works at Philadelphia’s Independence Hall and continued with the first survey of public art for the City of Los Angeles in 1995. She presently serves as a consultant to over two-dozen public art agencies and the Getty Conservation Institute’s Outdoor Painted Sculpture Initiative, a forum that aims to codify the aesthetics and conservation protocols for care of painted sculpture. She is the author of Tropicana Nights: The Life and Times of the Legendary Cuban Nightclub (Harcourt, 2005).
Bob holds a graduate degree in conservation and has been a conservator in Oberlin, Ohio for the past 36 years. He founded his company 31 years ago and now with a staff of 11 full-time employees is largely engaged in the conservation of outdoor sculpture and public art of diverse media. Because media is so diverse, many of the 7 conservator employees, including himself, has a material specialty, such as metals; casting; stone, mortars and cements; mosaics; electronics, electronic lighting and computers; FRP; industrial coatings; shop and location painting; and automotive finishes. The company operates The Ohio Conservation Center, a complex of three dedicated buildings and grounds with spaces and equipment necessary for rigging, craning, moving and working on the most monumental of artworks.
Bob’s specialties have been industrial coatings on metals (specifications and inspections/failure analyses); relocation of endangered mosaics; and collection condition information management.
For the past 22 years he and his company have been continuously in contract with the U.S. General Services Administration for the nation-wide conservation of government public sculptural fine art and significant architectural ornamentations (commissions dating back into the 19th century) as well as the public art commissions of the GSA Art-in-Architecture program.
In this interactive session participants will join a lively conversation between teaching artist, Jeannette Rodriguez Pineda, and researcher-writer, Dennie Palmer Wolf. Referencing Animating Democracy’s Aesthetic Perspectives framework, these two thinkers and activists will discuss key points from the Teaching Artist Companion to the framework, which they co-authored. In the Companion, they explore how teaching artists introduce young people to the many ways in which the arts build identity, reclaim life narratives, raise questions, and speak out for social change. The session will feature visual arts work done with young women who are court involved and middle school classrooms where theater is a forum for out-loud empathy.
About this Webinar
In this interactive session, participants will join a lively conversation between teaching artist, Jeannette Rodriguez Pineda, and researcher-writer, Dennie Palmer Wolf. Referencing Animating Democracy’s Aesthetic Perspectivesframework, these two thinkers and activists will discuss key points from the Teaching Artist Companion to the framework, which they co-authored. In the Companion, they explore how teaching artists introduce young people to the many ways in which the arts build identity, reclaim life narratives, raise questions, and speak out for social change. The session will feature visual arts work done with young women who are court involved and middle school classrooms where theater is a forum for out-loud empathy.
Learning Objectives:
Get an introduction to the framework, Aesthetic Perspectives: Attributes of Excellence in Arts for Change
Learn how the framework provides a powerful language for capturing and communicating the work of teaching artists
Experience how the framework can inform teaching artistry in fields as different as visual arts and theater
Dennie Palmer Wolf
Principal Researcher, WolfBrown
Dennie Palmer Wolf is a lead researcher at WolfBrown, an international firm specializing in arts and cultural research and planning. She trained at Harvard Project Zero and has taught at Harvard and Brown Universities. Currently, her work focuses on the design, implementation, evaluation, and research on projects that help young people and their families’ gain equitable access to learning, culture, and creativity, in and outside of formal institutions. Most recently, Wolf has worked as a thought partner with organizations that work at the intersection of the arts, social justice, and community development, with the aim of ensuring that every child can learn, imagine, and contribute.
Jeannette Rodriguez Pineda is a mixed media artist and art educator living and working between Queens and Santo Domingo . She is an active book and zine artist and uses those media to explore urban communities ranging from honoring peoples’ everyday artistry to community development. She teaches for many youth-serving arts programs, including Groundswell, Queens Museum, Studio Museum of Harlem, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. She founded MOVIMIENTO, a free bilingual hiking initiative that fosters inclusion and equity in the outdoors. Look for her on trails, mountains, and in streambeds any time.
This session will explore tactics to increase engagement with students through social media, strategic partnerships, and data collection. Discover which channels college students are actually using and the benefits of campus influencers to increase reach and engagement. Also, explore tips and tricks on how to engage and grow your Instagram following on a college campus in a way that also feeds the algorithm. Even more powerful than the student to student connection, is when an arts event or opportunity is directly connected to an academic course as a mandatory experience or for extra credit. Learn a variety of approaches to engage professors and how to partner with campus-wide initiatives to incentivize attendance. Finally, take an inside look at “The Opinion Party,” a re-imagined focus group for students that was successfully piloted last year on the Western Carolina University campus. “The Opinion Party” specifically sought out students that self-identified as not participating in the arts to have an open discussion on how we can reach them better both through our programming and marketing. Please note that this webinar will be most beneficial for arts organizations that are part of a university or those that are located near a college campus and are looking to increase engagement.
About this Webinar
This session will explore tactics to increase engagement with students through social media, strategic partnerships, and data collection. Discover which channels college students are actually using and the benefits of campus influencers to increase reach and engagement. Also, explore tips and tricks on how to engage and grow your Instagram following on a college campus in a way that also feeds the algorithm. Even more powerful than the student to student connection, is when an arts event or opportunity is directly connected to an academic course as a mandatory experience or for extra credit. Learn a variety of approaches to engage professors and how to partner with campus-wide initiatives to incentivize attendance. Finally, take an inside look at “The Opinion Party,” a re-imagined focus group for students that was successfully piloted last year on the Western Carolina University campus. “The Opinion Party” specifically sought out students that self-identified as not participating in the arts to have an open discussion on how we can reach them better both through our programming and marketing. Please note that this webinar will be most beneficial for arts organizations that are part of a university or those that are located near a college campus and are looking to increase engagement.
Learning Objectives
Explore how to best use targeted social media on college campuses to increase engagement.
Figure out the best way to work with individual students than can act as influencers in the campus and in the community.
Learn how to establish cross-curricular connections and partnerships with campus groups/faculty members, increasing marketing reach to students.
Discover how old school marketing tactics can still work to reach the digital generation.
Jill Jacobs
Marketing Manager, Western Carolina University, Bardo Arts Center
Jill Jacobs serves as the Marketing Manager for the Western Carolina University (WCU) Bardo Arts Center outside of Asheville, North Carolina. Bardo Arts Center features a 1,000 seat performance hall, black box theatre, and the WCU Fine Art Museum - an exhibiting and collecting institution with a 2500+ object collection. Jill is responsible for leading all marketing efforts of the arts center including all strategic planning, branding, design, social media, partnerships, paid advertising, community engagement, and sponsorships. In addition to her role at Bardo Arts Center, which began in July 2016, Jill serves as the Marketing Advisor to the WCU College of Fine and Performing Arts. Outside of full-time commitments, Jill is a budding environmentalist and co-owns a nature education and habitat restoration business with her husband called Spriggly’s Beescaping, where she leads marketing efforts including an informational website, educational videos, social media, and design.
Jill's background is in performance, having earned her BFA in Acting with a Music Minor from Arcadia University in 2009. In 2013, Jill accepted a merit-based scholarship to Villanova University receiving her MA in Theatre and Certification in Non-Profit Management. Her professional career includes positions with fundraising companies, numerous performing arts organizations, and Please Touch Museum (The Children’s Museum of Philadelphia.)
Arts and community development requires a variety of partnerships and collaborations, often with individuals and groups from non-arts sectors. Understanding how socioeconomic, political and cultural values intersect is crucial to moving development forward; additionally, ambitious artistic endeavors can be stymied by a lack of funding and knowledge of local ordinances or public policies, and the inability to connect with valuable community stakeholders. Resourcing (beyond “money”) is foundational to the work of community-engaged development.
Using real-world examples and Love Bank Park in St. Louis, MO as a case study, this webinar will explore how to identify assets, be proactive about potential challenges, and work with a variety of individuals to grow sustainable development through art-based projects and initiatives.
About this Webinar
Arts and community development requires a variety of
partnerships and collaborations, often with individuals and groups from
non-arts sectors. Understanding how socioeconomic, political and cultural
values intersect is crucial to moving development forward; additionally,
ambitious artistic endeavors can be stymied by a lack of funding and knowledge
of local ordinances or public policies, and the inability to connect with
valuable community stakeholders. Resourcing (beyond “money”) is foundational to
the work of community-engaged development.
Using real-world examples and Love Bank Park in St. Louis, MO as
a case study, this webinar will explore how to identify assets, be proactive
about potential challenges, and work with a variety of individuals to grow
sustainable development through art-based projects and initiatives.
Learning Objectives:
Exploration of arts-based development projects that work with (and benefit) both artists and non-artists alike.
Utilize inquiry processes to identify community needs and challenges.
Understand how to cultivate multilevel partnerships that can grow community-engaged, cross-sector collaborations.
The arts make more things possible, from better education to greater health outcomes to a more civically-engaged citizenry—but people don’t always see the connection to the arts when change happens. From education and job security to housing, public safety, the military, and more, demonstrating the social impact of the arts and other sectors is increasingly important. In this series, we will examine the social impact of the arts and other sectors. Join us each month for a new webinar and topic.
Pacia Elaine Anderson
Spoken Word Artist
Pacia Elaine (Anderson) is a St. Louis-based written, spoken, visual, and teaching Word Artist. She is a graduate of the Community Arts Training Institute, an Urban Bushwomen SLI Alumnus, a founding member of the art-based youth initiative Cherokee Street Reach, and serves as a Dean in the Zakatu Madrasa. Pacia is chair of the St. Louis Brick City Poetry Festival and a Missouri Regional Coordinator for the NEA-sponsored Poetry Out Loud youth recitation competition. Liaison for the Great Rivers Greenway Artists of Color Council, Pacia is also a consulting artist and facilitator with Americans for the Arts’ Artists at the Community Development Table initiative. Pacia is a Steering Committee member for the Gravois-Jefferson Historic Neighborhoods Plan and does extensive community work in the Cherokee Street Community Improvement District. She has served as Curation Assistant to Inaugural St. Louis Poet Laureate Dr. Michael Castro, is a past Springboard to Learning Professional Development Facilitator for teaching artists, and has collaborated as a teaching artist and consultant with numerous schools, non-profit, and community-based organizations, both locally and nationally. In 2016, Pacia released her first spoken word poetry album titled circa.ep. Her work has been published in collections, anthologies, and media such as Drumvoices Revue, Crossing the Divide, and All the Art. Her first collection of poetry and writing is forthcoming.
The Selina Roberts Ottum Award for Arts Leadership recognizes an individual working in arts management who has made a meaningful contribution to his or her local community and who exemplifies extraordinary leadership qualities. Margie Johnson Reese, museum educator and arts educator was selected as the 2019 Selina Roberts Ottum Awardee. In addition to her work in Wichita Falls, Margie continues to touch lives and influence cultural policy in cities across the country and around the world, creating a network of proselytes who pay it forward by following her approach to service. She is most proud of those she has mentored over the years – the young leaders who because of Margie’s guidance have learned to think boldly about their role in public service. Joined by Arts and Culture Leaders of Color Steering Committee Member, Phil Chan, the two will discuss how the past is shaping the future of arts leadership and learn more about Margie and her journey in the arts and culture field.
About this Creative Conversation
2019 Selina Roberts Ottum Award for Arts Leadership
Margie Johnson Reese
The Selina Roberts Ottum Award for Arts Leadership recognizes an individual working in arts management who has made a meaningful contribution to his or her local community and who exemplifies extraordinary leadership qualities. Margie Johnson Reese, museum educator and arts educator was selected as the 2019 Selina Roberts Ottum Awardee. In addition to her work in Wichita Falls, Margie continues to touch lives and influence cultural policy in cities across the country and around the world, creating a network of proselytes who pay it forward by following her approach to service. She is most proud of those she has mentored over the years – the young leaders who because of Margie’s guidance have learned to think boldly about their role in public service. Joined by Arts and Culture Leaders of Color Steering Committee Member, Phil Chan, the two will discuss how the past is shaping the future of arts leadership and learn more about Margie and her journey in the arts and culture field.
For 2019 National Arts & Humanities Month we are taking Creative Conversations to a new level. To engage with leaders in the field, this year’s National Arts Awardees will be in conversation with fellow leaders to discuss issues relevant to today’s community-based arts administrators. Responding to this year’s Creative Conversation prompt, “how is the past shaping the future of the arts?.” awardees will give their insight on how their work impacts their community and organization.
Margie Johnson Reese
Executive Director, Wichita Falls Alliance for Arts and Culture
Margie Johnson Reese is an educator and life-long advocate for children and the arts. She has over 40 years’ experience in the field of arts administration, more than 17 of those heading a local arts agency. Margie received a BA from Washington State University in Pullman, Washington and an MFA in Theater from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, grounding her education in the arts.
Margie’s career in arts administration and reputation as a leader was established within some of the field’s largest public institutions, including service as Director of the Office of Cultural Affairs for the City of Dallas and General Manager for the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs where she held her position under three Mayoral administrations. Her expertise as a grantmaker was tapped by the Ford Foundation to advance cultural projects in West Africa. Based in Lagos, Nigeria, her three-year appointment centered on cultural policy development and the conservation of West Africa’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
Following her service in West Africa, Margie returned to Dallas and took the position of Vice President for Programs at Big Thought, a renowned arts learning organization she helped create 30 years ago.
Today, she is leading a new venture to establish the Wichita Falls Alliance for Arts and Culture, a burgeoning local arts agency in Texas, as its executive director. She also manages MJR Partners, a private consulting firm focused on coaching and advising arts leaders and organizations in all areas of cultural management and policy development. Her firm has served a wide range of clients including the Houston Arts Alliance, One Columbia or Arts and History, the Asante Children’s Theater in Indianapolis and is currently conducting a Cultural Equity Audit of the grant making functions for the City of Sacramento.
Margie shares her expertise in arts administration as a faculty member for leadership programs organized by the National Guild for Community Arts Education and the Western States Arts Federation. She is a sought-after presenter, moderator and keynote speaker for meetings and arts conferences around the globe where she shares best practices and trends in the field. In addition, she has been an adjunct professor at the University of North Texas and continues as an adjunct professor at Goucher College in their graduate school of arts administration.
Over the years, Margie has contributed her time and talent to the boards of numerous nonprofit organizations, most notably as a member of the International Music Council in Paris; as an advisor to the International Council of African Museums; as a Fellow at the Salzburg Global Institute; Mid America Arts Alliance; and, as a 25-year member of the board of Americans for the Arts, where she chaired the Board’s Diversity Committee which authored the organization’s first Cultural Equity Statement.
Margie is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana and has two adult children, a cherished grandson and a new one on the way.
Phil Chan
Director of Programming, IVY
Phil Chan is the co-founder of Final Bow for Yellowface, and currently serves as the Director of Programming for IVY, connecting young professionals with leading American museums and performing arts institutions. He is a graduate of Carleton College and an alumnus of the Ailey School. As a writer, he served as the Executive Editor for FLATT Magazine and contributed to Dance Europe Magazine and the Huffington Post. He was the founding General Manager of the Buck Hill Skytop Music Festival, and was the General Manager for Armitage Gone! Dance and Youth America Grand Prix. He served multiple years on the National Endowment for the Arts dance panel and the Jadin Wong Award panel presented by the Asian American Arts Alliance, and is on the advisory committee for the Parsons Dance Company. He also serves on the Leaders of Color steering committee at Americans for the Arts.
