Friday, August 19, 2016

Field Leadership Fund: The Pairs

We’ve reached the halfway mark of The Field Leadership Fund (FLF) Fellowship and the cohort is well on it's way with it’s work. There are 12 Fellows who make up the FLF cohort. 6 Manager Fellows are each paired with an Artist/Arts Organization Fellow for the final 12 months of the 16-month long experience. Here at The Field, we find ourselves reflecting on what is working, what needs work and what should be taken into consideration going forward. While some things are clear, much of the points of discussion fall into a grey area that we will continue to explore in future blog posts. For now, what’s working? The FLF Manager Fellows and Artist / Arts Organization Fellows have achieved a number of clearly established goals together. From press kits to acceptances into film festivals, there have been some noteworthy accomplishments. For more details, check out updates on the FLF pairs below.

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Artist Eric Lockley and Arts Manager Aya Clarke: Since the start of their pairing, Aya and Eric have submitted and been accepted into two (as of now) major film festivals. In August, The Jump will be shown in the Philly BlackStar Film Festival and in the Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival. In addition, Aya co-produced the first screening of The Jump here in New York City at http://www.dctvny.org/. The event was well attended and raised money to help further Eric’s work. Going forward, Aya will continue to support Eric in raising funds and creating a more interactive and authentic social media presence.



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Arts Organization Cumbé Center - Kendra Ross and Arts Manager Jehan Young: Beginning in April 2016 Jehan has been working with the Cumbé Center to further develop Cumbe's latest venture, the Outside Engagement (OE) program. OE aims to further the Cumbé Center's mission, of transmitting the performance traditions of the African Diaspora to contemporary generations and creating a durable legacy, by dispatching Cumbé's roster of Master Artists to various teaching and performance opportunities. Presently, Jehan and Kendra's practical work is comprised of policy and contract development, and continually exploring best practices that will serve the interests and needs of Cumbé's communities while fairly representing Cumbé as a viable art organization. http://www.cumbedance.com/


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Arts Organization Kyoung's Pacific Beat - Kyoung Park and Arts Manager Rachel DeGuzmanKyoung and Rachel are working together to further the mission and vision of Kyoung's Pacific Beat (KPB) and are pursuing new strategies to premiere KPB productions. Since their pairing, there have been a number of firsts. Kyoung’s Pacific Beat held its first company reading of The India Plays in June 2016 at the Ma-Yi rehearsal space. The pair attended their first Theatre Communication Group pre-conference where Kyoung served on a panel and attended his first industry-wide artistic director meetings and where Rachel advocated on Capitol Hill for the field in meetings with the New York State delegation. The two FLF Fellows are also working on a year-long, public art, community engagement project called Creating Peace that will bring together multiple artistic and community partners.
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Arts Organization B3W Performance Group / Emily Berry and Arts Manager Alexis Convento: Since their pairing Emily and Alexis have been working on The FORGIVENESS Project, a three-part, devised intermedia performance. Most recently, B3W premiered FORGIVENESS - Part I: Forgiving the Personal, presented by TriBeCa Performing Arts Center. FORGIVENESS - Part II: How Can Forgiveness Play a Role in Dismantling Systems of Oppression will premiere in the fall of 2017 and FORGIVENESS - Part III: Self-Forgiveness will premiere in the spring of 2019.  Meeting weekly, the pair seeks deeper clarity in voice, activeness in community, and sustainability as a social impact arts organization.


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Artist  Goussy Célestin and Arts Manager Bryan E. GloverGoussy and Bryan have been working hard to create Ayiti Brass - a music and dance performance ensemble which blends Goussy's artistic experience, interests and cultural heritage. This past June, they successfully held their first public performance as a part of Make Music New York. The pair continues to set up administrative structures to sustain this project including researching funding opportunities and the creation of a new website: www.goussycelestin.com.