Our Creating Change Conversation Series is back for our 5th season! These conversations really are the heart of what we do here, because each group of panelists helps all of us to think through: HOW DO WE MAKE THE ARTS MORE EQUITABLE, MORE ACCESSIBLE, MORE RELEVANT, AND MORE IMPACTFUL IN OUR COMMUNITIES?
Join us all summer long for the Creating Change Conversation Series . We start May 22nd at 7pm ET with “Race & Representation in the Arts”. Panelists (full bios and headshots coming soon):
Christina Alexander- Director of Social Responsibility for Wicked - she/her
Christina Alexander (she/her) is a leader living at the intersection of education, and the arts. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Music from Barry University and a Master's in Musicology from University of Miami and is in the midst of PhD studies in Conflict Analysis and Resolution. With over 20 years of professional experience and training (in) EDIAB and Antiracism, Arts (Administration, Performance, Education, Production), Organizational Development/Management, Curriculum Development, and Nonprofit, she brings these pieces, and more, into every room. Her passion for justice is the driving force behind her commitment to encouraging and empowering all who seek to speak true, live fairly, understand how we all have something to add to our global landscape. Currently she serves as Director of Social Responsibility for Wicked the Musical and her consulting firm, Alexander Consulting Group has been appointed to build the 3-level suite of anti-racism trainings to be used by Broadway and the entire Commercial Theatre Industry.
She founded the South Florida Kids Choir and is a founding member of Diversity in Arts Collective. She has worked within communities and correctional institutions alike providing opportunities for artistic expression and development. As a radio personality, she spent years as the voice providing insight, humor, and calm for your ride home (with a bit of rock music playing also).
Renée Almatierra- Drummer, Dancer, Visual Artist, and Educator- she/ella
Renée lives on Duwamish land in Tukwila, Washington. She is a bicultural, bilingual Indigenous Anáhuac/P'urhépecha and European CurArtista- drumming, dancing and singing to open a vibrational connection to her ancestors, painting with light and wax to call forth the visions in her dreams. Using voice, hands, feet and heart, Renée’s offerings invite the creation of communal healing and transformation through CurArte. Current practices include Azteca Danza (huehuetlaca, danzante), Puerto Rican Bomba (drummer, dancer, singer), Conga drumming, photography and videography, encaustic wax painting, and other visual arts. Contact Renee: almatierrarte@gmail.com
Jen Shook- Director, Dramaturg, Educator- (she/her)
Jen teaches in Theatre, Dance, & Performance Studies teacher at Grinnell College, on Meskwaki and Ioway lands. Her practice lives at the intersections of performance, literature, cultural memory, Indigenous studies, community engagement, and digital liberal arts. As a dramaturg, director, and theatre producer in Chicago, she founded Caffeine Theatre—a company that mined the poetic tradition to explore social questions (2002-2012). Her in-process book manuscript, Unghosting Tribalographies: Performing Oklahoma-as-Indian-Territory examines transcultural collaborations and Native American artists’ reworkings of historical commemorations in the microcosm of her home state. She also makes art with large rocks and small shadow puppets, creating rituals to make good relations in place and across time. More at https://www.jenshook.com/. Jen would love to see donations directed to the general fund of the First Americans Museum https://famok.org/
Shaun Patrick Tubbs- Theatre and Opera Director, Actor- he/him
Shaun Patrick Tubbs is a New York based director and actor. Selected directing credits include Defacing Michael Jackson (Miami New Drama), The Tempest (Powerhouse Theatre), Troilus and Cressida (Juilliard), Sweat (Wright State), Life Is A Dream (Juilliard), In The Blood (Juilliard), BLACK DICK (NYTW), Lost in the Stars (Union Avenue Opera), Independence Eve (Signature Theatre DC), Well-Intentioned White People (Orlando Shakespeare), hop tha A (Ars Nova), Artney Jackson (The Lark/New Black Festival), Don Giovanni (The Tank), and Disgraced (Asolo Repertory Theatre). Selected acting credits include STAINED (New Ohio Theater), Terminus (NYTW), The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged (Human Race Theatre), My Mañana Comes (Marin Theatre Company), The Book of Grace (Zach Scott Theatre), Crossing America (Kirk Douglas Theatre), Lobby Hero (Ensemble Theatre of Santa Barbara), and Jitney (Human Race Theatre). Shaun has received numerous awards and fellowships. He holds an MFA from The University of Texas at Austin and a BFA from Wright State University. Shaun is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers (SDC), Actors Equity Association (AEA), and SAG-AFTRA. http://www.shaunpatricktubbs.com Venmo: @shaun-tubbs
The rest of our Creating Change Conversation Series schedule is:
Monday June 26 at 7pm ET: LGBTQIA2+ Artists
Monday July 24 at 7pm ET: Neurodiversity and Disabiity in the Arts
Monday August 28 at 7pm ET: Educators’ Edition
We do pay our panelists for their time and sharing. Please consider your privilege and their lived experiences when donating. All funds support our mission, and to help us continue to make our resources for artists and arts educators free and/or affordable, using sliding scale and donation-based pricing models.