February 2020 Meet Our Artists: Reenah Golden

Our Members, Fiscally Sponsored Artists, and other program participants represent a wide range of career stages and disciplines. We love them - and, as fellow artists, we're always inspired by them. With this monthly feature, we hope you'll feel the same way!

Name, Pronouns: Reenah Golden, she/her/hers

What do you do?
I am Founder and Managing Artistic Director of an intimate urban space where we produce collaborative works and traditional plays with a special focus on the stories and interests of BIPOC, urban youth, LGBTQ+ and non-binary folk, and other marginalized voices and art forms.

What inspires you?
Others like me hell-bent on elevating voices from the margins, art for social justice, disrupting disrespectful narratives against POC, reclaiming our narratives, introducing young hearts to the light.

Photo Descriptions: 1. Youth improv participant for Interactive Storytime. 2. Teen actor rehearses with Equity actor Angela Polite. 3. Teen Fellows celebrate two years with The Avenue. 4. Youth Fellow beautifying sidewalks with safe space message.  Photos by The Avenue community members.

What are you proud of? 

Raising my child as a single mom (even while married) to become an empowered, boundary- pushing artist in their own right. Remaining self-employed in the arts through it all and not losing my house (came close). Providing a safe, bold, creative space for youth and emerging artists who have not yet found their tribe to grow, create, and just be.

What are your goals? 

To use the power of art and storytelling to transform a very deserving but underserved art desert in Rochester by providing access to performing arts and other community-centered events for us, by us.

Do you have any advice for your fellow artists? 

Keep allowing your passion to direct your path; sacrificing it will not get you farther ahead in the long run, and this path will ultimately lead you to magic!

How does The Field help you? 

I came here for a more specialized approach to fiscal sponsorship that would not interfere with my ability to raise money locally or nationally, the Field has not disappointed. They really know what they are doing and their advice is invaluable.

Photo Descriptions: 1. Black AF Emerging Artist Showcase. 2. Black Women and Femme Artist Panel on Kujichagulia-Self Determination. 3. Community Reader Anderson Allen Improv Participation for Storytime. Photos by The Avenue community members.

©2020 Reenah Golden / Avenue Children's Theatre Project (A.C.T.) @ The Avenue Blackbox Theatre

January 2020 Meet Our Artists: Shannon Reynolds/eSKay Arts Collective

Our Members, Fiscally Sponsored Artists, and other program participants represent a wide range of career stages and disciplines. We love them - and, as fellow artists, we're always inspired by them. With this monthly feature, we hope you'll feel the same way!

Name & Pronouns: Shannon Reynolds, she/her/hers

What inspires you?
Humans. How can our everyday events, social interactions, and life stories be transformed into art? How can art influence our everyday events, social interactions, and alter our life stories?

What are you proud of?

eSKay Arts Collective! Six years ago, my Co-Director Kelly and I said, "One day we will have our own company,” and then chuckled at the idea, which we’d always thought would be only a dream. (Follow eSKay Arts Collective on Facebook to learn more about upcoming events and watch videos of previous performances.)

Dance studio photo by Shannon Reynolds.

What are your goals?

To engage individuals through art.

Do you have any advice for your fellow artists?
This is a job which includes administrative responsibilities. Treat it as a job and set aside a specific time each week to complete the administrative tasks which will allow your company to grow.

How does The Field help you?
The Field has allowed us to expand the size of our collective and reach an audience outside of New York City.

 

Dancer on a subway platform photo by Rick Perez.

©2020 Shannon Reynolds / eSKay Arts Collective
  

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December 2019 Meet Our Artists: Alicia Foxworth

Our Members, Fiscally Sponsored Artists, and other program participants represent a wide range of career stages and disciplines. We love them - and, as fellow artists, we're always inspired by them. With this monthly feature, we hope you'll feel the same way!

Name, Pronouns:  Alicia Foxworth, she/her/hers

What are you proud of?  I am very grateful for the gift of networking and community. As an artist, I overcome most hurdles through shared resources and in-kind services or donations.

What inspires you?  I love to explore different world cultures and explore where our experiences find common ground and our common humanity.

Pictured: Various productions of Ghost Writer: An Abolitionist’s Tale, written by Alicia Foxworth. Photos by Steven K. Foxworth.

What are your goals?  My goals are to present my original works and to also provide a regular festival for up and coming writers to showcase their work.

Do you have any advice for your fellow artists?  Be brave and do not let anyone tell you that you can't do it and most importantly, have fun!

How does The Field help you?  As a member, I have access to counsel, industry information, and affordable services and materials due to my affiliation with a not-for-profit arts organization. Also, the fiscal sponsorship program allows me to accept donations from supporters of my work. It's an invaluable resource.

All content ©Alicia Foxworth/Brownstone Steps Entertainment
 

Additional Viewing:
Salary negotiation from Ghost Writer, scene 2

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November 2019 Meet Our Artists: Cyndy A. Marion

Our Members, Fiscally Sponsored Artists, and other program participants represent a wide range of career stages and disciplines. We love them - and, as fellow artists, we're always inspired by them. With this monthly feature, we hope you'll feel the same way!

Name, Pronouns:  Cyndy A. Marion, she/her/hers

What inspires you?  Telling brave, bold, stories that reveal human truths. As a director, I write plays that I would want to direct. Plays that I feel are challenging and exciting for both actors and directors to work on. I’m usually inspired by real-life stories that have a sense of mystery or intrigue. My first play, You Are Perfect, was inspired by the story of Manson follower Susan Atkins. My newest play, Broken Story, was inspired by the brutal murder of an LA novelist. I think all plays should have an element of suspense–it moves the story forward and keeps the audience engaged. I love plays that have an “ah-ha” moment.

Photo collage of White Horse Theatre productions. Original photos by John Robert Hoffman and Ruth Albertyn Levan TK

What are you proud of?  Being the Producing Artistic Director of a successful and thriving 16 year-old Off-Off Broadway company that has recently expanded our reach nationally and internationally from New York to LA to Toronto.

What are your goals?  To reach as many people as possible with my new play, Broken Story. Another goal is for the White Horse Theater Company to outlive me.

Do you have any advice for your fellow artists?  Work to live. It does not matter how you make a living, as long as you have the time and money to make your art. Don’t be afraid to ask for money. I think artists today have to be entrepreneurs–meaning we have to find a means to an end–a way to support ourselves and the work.

How does The Field help you?  Allows us to solicit and receive tax deductible donations.

© White Horse Theater Company

Additional Viewing:
Broken Story trailer

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October 2019 Meet Our Artists: Maud Hixson

Our Members, Fiscally Sponsored Artists, and other program participants represent a wide range of career stages and disciplines. We love them - and, as fellow artists, we're always inspired by them. With this monthly feature, we hope you'll feel the same way!

Name, Pronouns:  Maud Hixson, she/her/hers

What inspires you?  Great songs, ranging from the classic Great American Songbook to the often unsung or forgotten compositions awaiting rediscovery.

What are you proud of?  Being a full-time artist!

What are your goals?  To be an ambassador for the wild country of lesser-known songs.

Maud Hixson with Rex Reed and performers at Jazz at Lincoln Center in a tribute to Sylvia Syms. Photo by Ann Hampton Callaway. (Original photo, above, by Olivia Wilcox.)

Do you have any advice for your fellow artists?  Yes, I feel it's important to listen to your instincts, regardless of your experience. Your senses and your own taste will be unique guides. Starting out, I tended to discount these valuable tools, which I now realize was a mistake.

How does The Field help you?  By leveling the fundraising playing field. I have never been in a position to offer my supporters tax-deductible status for their donations before. Working with The Field puts me on the same page with every nonprofit seeking donations.

© Maud Hixson

Additional Viewing:
Early To Bed / Maud Hixson

Darn It, Baby, That's Love / Maud Hixson & Jason Richards

FRENCH 75: La Vie En Rose

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September 2019 Meet Our Artists: Rachel DeGuzman

Our Members, Fiscally Sponsored Artists, and other program participants represent a wide range of career stages and disciplines. We love them - and, as fellow artists, we're always inspired by them. With this monthly feature, we hope you'll feel the same way!

Name & Pronouns:  Rachel DeGuzman, she/her/hers

What do you do?  Arts administrator, producer, curator, convener and artivist

What inspires you?  I am driven by the belief that art and creativity – the most authentic and soulful expression of humanity – can provide the most effective platform to center the marginalized and bring us together. I want to foster more opportunity and equity for women of color (WOC). I seek to center the histories, voices and narratives of women of color. Together, with other women of color, I hope to harness our collective power to effect change in and through the arts.

Rochester City Newspaper "Power Peers"
cover story featuring WOC Art Collaborative

What are you proud of?  I am very proud of establishing At the Crossroads: Activating the Intersection of Art and Justice a year ago, and the 20 events it has produced because they were collaborative, inclusive, relevant, and centered the lives and perspectives of women of color. The At the Crossroads Long Table Conversations/ Installations are very meaningful to attendees, some of whom have attended at least half of them. Arts editor of City Newspaper Rebecca Rafferty has attended most of them – acting, in some ways, as a witness (à la James Baldwin) as well as providing critical feedback – and has deemed them (more than once) as some of the most important arts programming in Rochester, New York. 

More recently, I did found and launch WOC Art Collaborative with 10 other WOC creatives. We do have a headquarters and access to a 2,700-capacity rehearsal, performance, exhibition and event space 240 days per year. See more here and here.

What are your goals?  To continue presenting the Long Table Conversations, to deepen the connection to the 20+ collaborators that I worked with in 2017/18, and to establish new collaborative relationships with artists, higher education, presenting organizations, and the Rochester City School District. To establish a collaborative center for real equity in and through art – comprised of a diverse cohort of WOC artists/creatives. All of the aforementioned are in the planning phases or underway.

Do you have any advice for your fellow artists?  Follow your vision. When you encounter a roadblock, regroup, and then reroute. Trust your instincts and don't waste precious time on dead ends or regret.

How does The Field help you?  The Field provides my work with critical fiscal sponsorship and some exposure through its website and programs.

© Rachel DeGuzman
21st Century Arts & WOC Arts Collaborative

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August 2019 Meet Our Artists: Isabelle Armand

Our Members, Fiscally Sponsored Artists, and other program participants represent a wide range of career stages and disciplines. We love them - and, as fellow artists, we're always inspired by them. With this monthly feature, we hope you'll feel the same way!

What inspires you?
Social issues and the human experience

What are your goals?
To tell stories which need telling and to create a record of anonymous people, who deserve recognition, and whose tales should be preserved for posterity.
My current project takes place in the poorest county of the Mississippi Delta. "Glendora: Sing About Me" is a multimedia project comprising a book of analog photography and in situ interviews, film and community projects. Its aim is twofold: to explore the connection between poverty and memory, and to record a town’s efforts to reclaim its lost heritage.

What are you proud of?
To give visibility, a face and a voice to people mostly vulnerable to silence and oblivion.

Do you have any advice for your fellow artists?
Art is a personal commitment and an inexorable need, it's your work every single day.

How does The Field help you?
More visibility and help to fund the projects I work on.

This selection of images is from my last book, Levon and Kennedy: Mississippi Innocence Project, powerHouse Books. Levon Brooks and Kennedy Brewer were wrongfully convicted of two separate crimes in rural Mississippi, and spent a combined 33 years in prison. They were exonerated with the help of the Innocence Project. This is their story and that of their families.

Cover photo from "Glendora: Sing About Me" 

Thumbnails from Levon and Kennedy: Mississippi Innocence Project

All photographs ©Isabelle Armand
www.isabellearmandphotography.com

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July 2019 Meet Our Artists: Emily Kikta and Peter Walker

Our Members, Fiscally Sponsored Artists, and other program participants represent a wide range of career stages and disciplines. We love them - and, as fellow artists, we're always inspired by them. With this monthly feature, we hope you'll feel the same way!

What inspires you?
We’re inspired by music and what visuals can be created through different sonic qualities or arrangements. We’re also inspired by the potential created by controlling the perspective of the audience through the camera. Dance for camera gives us complete control over the audiences’ experience in a way that nearly impossible in a large theater. We’re excited about what this can inspire us to create.

What are you proud of?
We’re proud of being able to be the sole creators through every step of our work. On most projects we film, direct, choreograph, edit, produce and even sometimes perform in our own videos. We’re proud that even if it’s only us on board for a project, we can still make it happen.

What are your goals?
We hope to expand what ballet can be through video and how video can impact how audiences experience live performance. We also hope to get more collaborators interested in exploring this other side of ballet creation with us.

Do you have any advice for your fellow artists?
Just start making the work. Stop thinking about it and just start figuring out how to make it a reality. Ask all the questions you can of anyone who might be able to answer them.

How does The Field help you?
The Field helps us direct potential donors to a legitimate and reputable site. We find people are more willing to give when they learn we’ve taken the time to set up an established account with The Field.

 ©Emily Kikta and Peter Walker

 Additional Viewing: SPAC Project 2018

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June 2019 Meet Our Artists: Nicky Sunshine

Our Members, Fiscally Sponsored Artists, and other program participants represent a wide range of career stages and disciplines. We love them - and, as fellow artists, we're always inspired by them. With this monthly feature, we hope you'll feel the same way!

What inspires you? I'm inspired by socially and economically challenged communities. My mission in my art and comedy is to uplift others. My current solo work seeks to raise awareness about police harassment, sexual assault, sexual exploitation, and the complexities of sex work.

What are you proud of? Despite the low pay and often unfavorable working conditions, I have been a professional stand-up comic since 2005. I have performed at Caroline's, Gotham Comedy Club, The Apollo, and The Laugh Factory. As an artist I suffered from low self-esteem and low wages. I embarked on a 10-year period of sex work. I went to jail, struggled with bouts of binge drinking, and found myself in a toxic, manipulative relationship with a married man. I was able to emerge from this chapter in my life and start writing a one-woman show, "Confessions of a Massage Parlor Madam." I want to use my show to encourage others to never give up on their hopes and dreams.

As an actor with a security clearance, I helped train government managers and National Institute of Health employees for 15 years. After working through my childhood traumas and emotional blocks on the FYI Network reality show, A Question of Love, my boyfriend and I will wed in June 2019.

What are your goals? To use stand-up comedy, theater, improv, and writing workshops to educate, reduce harm, and spark conversations about issues affecting my community. Low self-esteem, negative child conditioning, abuse, exploitation, homelessness, lack of resources, and lack of familial ties are contributing factors in why someone would engage in commercial sex. It is dangerous work.

My show/true life story "Confessions of a Massage Parlor Madam" addresses these issues. Nobody is perfect. We all make mistakes and it’s never too late for a second chance. Incarcerated individuals, people in recovery, women who have suffered abuse, and the homeless need to hear this positive message: It’s never too late to pursue who you want to be. Never Give Up. My art is a reflection of my life and I won't stop creating despite my setbacks and personal demons.

Do you have any advice for your fellow artists? I wish someone had explained the importance of "attitude." Rejection is inevitable. Rejection shut me down and made me feel bad about myself. It’s a part of the artistic journey. So is criticism. It’s important to have a resilient attitude.

I wish I had understood the power of networking. Entertainment is about relationships. Focus and consistency is important. In my younger years I wasn't focused enough. Professional relationships can mean so much. I wish someone told me that. I isolated myself and should have had a buddy system with a fellow artist. We could've encouraged each other. Instead I operated in darkness choosing fast money over pursuing my art.

I wish someone told me to work on my confidence and self-esteem. I wish someone told me that substances and alcohol would ultimately do more harm than good.

How did you find The Field? I joined Wow Cafe Theater. The community there is very encouraging. We exchange a lot of information. A fellow member told me about The Field.

Note: Since joining The Field, Nicky Sunshine was invited to perform an excerpt of "Confessions of a Massage Parlor Madam" for our Fielday 2019 Work-in-Progress Showcase on June 15. Learn more about this special event.
 

©Nicky Sunshine

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May 2019 Meet Our Artists: Autumn Kioti

Our Members, Fiscally Sponsored Artists, and other program participants represent a wide range of career stages and disciplines. We love them - and, as fellow artists, we're always inspired by them. With this monthly feature, we hope you'll feel the same way!

Name: Autumn Kioti
Interdisciplinary Performance Artist + Fielday 2018 Performer

What inspires you?
My artistic practice is a quest for community. Plugging into my surroundings, to others, across disciplines, across gender, nationality, ethnicity, sexuality, and species. I seek to repurpose mundane items, or use items sustainably harvested from nature to foster a more immediate connection to the earth and tap into the universal spark that binds us all.

I scavenge bits of everything – from history and lore, science and mathematics, to David Attenborough animal documentaries – in the creation of writing, performance, works on homemade paper and Mylar, and installation. I use everything I can get my hands on in an effort to address societal and environmental issues in general, and trafficking in identity and connectivity in particular.

Playing with the notion of craft, conventionally considered "women's work," my work often incorporates weaving, knitting, embroidery, and food preparation, taking it in unexpected directions. In choosing to create moments that are site specific, re-purposing mundane scavenged objects, using urgent movement, mask, and costume; I seek to create a dialogue about our place, about what immobilizes us, tangles us up, throws us forward, and breaks us down. I like the surprises and the accidents, the failures and successes, the story, the connection.

What are you proud of?
Still being alive today to create work despite battling mental illness, and being able to hopefully offer myself and my work a conduit for others to release their pain and trauma, and maybe together we can lead each other out of isolation.


What are your goals?
My goal is to journey, to seek, to experience, to tell stories, to collect stories, to create a web of connection and release for myself and others through my work wherever I go.

Any advice for fellow artists?
You're not doing it wrong if nobody knows what you're doing.

How does The Field help you?
I was brought here by my incredible experience with the 2018 revival of Fielday. I've never been involved with a more supportive collection of artists.

Workshop photos from artist’s Santa Fe Art Institute themed residency, FOOD JUSTICE.

© Autumn Kioti

Additional Viewing:
See Autumn and our other Fielday 2018 artists in this trailer.

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April 2019 Meet Our Artists: Jane Jerardi

Our Members, Fiscally Sponsored Artists, and other program participants represent a wide range of career stages and disciplines. We love them - and, as fellow artists, we're always inspired by them. With this monthly feature, we hope you'll feel the same way!



Name: Jane Jerardi

What do you do?
Dance, Performance, Video, and Installation Artist

What inspires you?
The creative process. And seeing other artists’ work. Seeing artists begin and continue and persevere through the questions of their own work never ceases to amaze me.

What are you proud of?
That we re-started The Field in Chicago. We have 18 people in our current Fieldwork group here! Pretty exciting.

What are your goals?
To keep creating interesting art and to support fellow artists in the process.

Jane Jerardi and Dao Nguyen's Six Acts of Witness (2015) participatory event. Photo by Slaveya Minkova

Any advice for fellow artists?
I find making is a lot about getting out of the way. Convincing the parts of you that want to procrastinate and the part that thinks your ideas aren’t very good – to tell them to just slowly step back. And, you keep going despite them, while they’re there waiting in the background.

Then once you have something – that’s usually kind of terrible – you at least have something which is certainly better than nothing. And then you start to negotiate with it and then get weirdly into it and wonder about it and expand it, change it, or manipulate it and multiply it, or teach it to a friend, and get them to change it into something better. And then, you start having strong opinions about it – that it needs to be a certain way and you’re not really sure why but you’re fairly convinced of it.

And then, the project has somehow become bigger than you and you’re just following its lead. And you’re still not sure if you’re worthy – or your ideas are any good, but you do it anyway for some reason.

And despite it all – you realize that what’s beautiful about this is that you can make something without really much of anything at all. There are dances waiting to be made, photos waiting to be taken with your phone, your dollar-store notebook waiting to be written in, music waiting to inspire. Your art is as worthy as anyone else’s and we certainly need it.

(Excerpted from Jane’s recent essay about studio practice, “on beginnings,” published by The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago. Go read the full piece! We love it!)

Jane Jerardi and Dao Nguyen's Six Acts of Witness (2015) interview photo by Slaveya Minkova

How does The Field help you?
The concrete nature of the (Fieldwork) process really aids so many different kinds of artists, no matter what stage their project or work might be at. It never fails to surprise me how often different artists connect to it.

©Jane Jerardi

Additional Viewing:

excerpts from Nocturne

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March 2019 Meet Our Artists: Michele Carlo

Our Members, Fiscally Sponsored Artists, and other program participants represent a wide range of career stages and disciplines. We love them - and, as fellow artists, we're always inspired by them. With this monthly feature, we hope you'll feel the same way!

Name: Michele Carlo

What do you do? 
Writer, Storyteller, Solo Performer, Podcast Host, Filmmaker

What inspires you?
The hope that through my writing and experiences, someone's life may be made a little easier. And the hope that I will beat the odds and be a fully realized, self-supporting artist—even though most people would think I'm way too old to think it can still happen—so a fellow "shadow artist" who has been living on the periphery their entire life will say, "Pfft, if she could do it, I could do it." And do it better!

What are you proud of?
I'm proud that I achieved my dream of getting into the School of Visual Arts at the age of 20...the age most students choose their final major. That I chose to give my life to art at the age of 35...the age most (arguably sane) people give up. That I had my first book published at the age of 50. That in the years since then, my stories have taken me across the country and have brought much friendship and collaboration in my life.

I'm proud that I never, ever stopped doing some sort of art, even when I was working 50-60 hours a week at a day job. I'm also proud that I'm not taking my recent job layoff with fear, but with the certainty that an opportunity will come my way that I could not accept had I still been working full time.

Michele on the air photo by Ben Taylor

What are your goals?
Overall goals: To be a champion and archivist of my working class Latinx experience from the mid-20th to mid-21st Centuries (should I be as fortunate to live to the mid-21st). To make sure the world has the stories of those of us who have been devalued, dismissed and discarded. To let them know who we are and why we matter. And maybe, in my own small way, help to change the default perception of what it is to be Latinx—and an artist.

Personal goals: Having a run of a solo show at the Public Theater—or any legit off-Broadway house, really, but appearing the Public has always been a special dream of mine. To have my book, "Fish Out Of Agua," be optioned for film and/or television—and made! To be a fully realized self-supporting artist doing interesting, honorable (and well-paid) projects with interesting, honorable people!

One more: I hope that someday this girl from a top-floor tenement walkup in The Bronx will own a bit of comfortable living/studio space where I can hold performer salons, and with a backyard big enough for a small garden and a table for 12. Whoever's there at 7pm, will eat.

Michele as teddy bear photo by David Dyte

Do you have any advice for your fellow artists?
Don't give up! Never give up! We all have a unique voice to offer and if you don't get your art, whatever it is, out into the world, the world will not have it and that would be a great loss for all.

©Michele Carlo

Additional Viewing:

“A Tale of Two Weddings.” From MassMouth Boston’s “Suitcase Stories” series, May 2017
“Spanish On Sunday (part 1)” at Caveat, NYC (02-16-19)

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February 2019 Meet Our Artists: Theresa Ruth Howard

Our Members, Fiscally Sponsored Artists, and other program participants represent a wide range of career stages and disciplines. We love them - and, as fellow artists, we're always inspired by them. With this monthly feature, we hope you'll feel the same way!

Name: Theresa Ruth Howard

What do you do? 
I work as a Diversity Strategist and consultant assisting arts organizations better understand, design and implement DEI programs and initiatives. Pacific Northwest Ballet invited me to curate and facilitate a Townhall gathering entitled Beyond Ballet, a conversation investigating aesthetics, diversity, equity, and the efforts to redesign arts institutions. Presently I serve as a member of the Design and Facilitation Team on The Equity Project: Increasing the Presence of Blacks in Ballet, a three-year partnership program to support the advancement of racial equity in professional ballet companies. The Equity Project brings together a cohort of artistic and executive leaders from 21 large budget, professional ballet organizations for in-person meetings and coaching, with the purpose of increasing the presence of Blacks in ballet in all areas of the industry.

I am also the Founder & Curator of MoBBallet. MoBBallet preserves and presents the contributions of Blacks in ballet globally. MoBBallet’s inaugural project was a partnership with the International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD) organizing of the first annual audition for Black female ballet dancers at their 2015 conference in Denver. I helped facilitate the dialogue on diversity in ballet with the 15 major ballet organizations in participation.

In addition to MoBB’s online initiative to curate the stories of Black Ballet artists internationally, it presents panels, workshops and gatherings dedicated to building bridges of understanding and education between communities and cultures in dance and beyond. MoBBallet’s "DO YOU KNOW..." social media campaign introduces followers to Black ballet dancers and accomplishments that are not widely known in an effort broaden the awareness of the contribution of Blacks in ballet.

Follow @mobballet on Instagram

What inspires you?
We are inspired by the artists we advocate for. Bringing the legacy of Blacks in ballet out of the shadows and shining light on their virtuosity in the form is thrilling!

What are you proud of?
MoBBallet is proud that in the short time we have been in existence we have made an impact. We have forged relationships with large ballet organizations and have a seat at the table in discussions of diversity and inclusion – and we hope to encourage EQUITY.

What are your goals?
MoBBallet is working to bring forth more stories from the artist's mouths. We are working to have artist's pages for EVERY one of the 327 (so far) dancers on our Roll Call from which we aspire to build a mentoring program. There is work to be done!

Do you have any advice for your fellow artists?
We encourage all brown ballet artists to keep making stories for MoBBallet to tell. We are here to support and document your successes and will advocate for you every step of the way.

How does The Field help you?
The Field has been essential to our growth, and has provided guidance and support in our foundational moments. Thank you for your support.

All content © Theresa Ruth Howard / MoBBallet

Additional Viewing:

IABD's First Annual Audition for Women of Color HD

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September 2018 Meet Our Artists: Ranardo-Domeico Grays

Our Members, Fiscally Sponsored Artists, and other program participants represent a wide range of career stages and disciplines. We love them - and, as fellow artists, we're always inspired by them. With this monthly feature, we hope you'll feel the same way!

Name: Ranardo-Domeico Grays

What do you do?
Choreographer, Founder/Artistic Director of VISIONS Contemporary Ballet (VCB), an ethnically diverse company committed to presenting spiritually uplifting contemporary ballet works.

What are you proud of?
I am proud to be a four-year brain cancer survivor...and to be creatively flourishing. After taking two years off for treatment I returned to VCB with even more of a story to share. I have completed past works in progress and I'm presenting new work. I created Roots, a new work presented in 2016 and Through the Valley, presented in 2017 for our 10-year anniversary performance, Healing Works. Currently I am working on our fall 2018 Healing Works II program, which will include the newly completed Dash - Between, and will be presented at The Theatre at The Riverside Church in NYC on November 10.

For the first time since leaving my hometown of Detroit, Michigan to attend The Juilliard School in New York, I will be returning to present my company in a concert dedicated to the "Queen of Soul," Aretha Franklin at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History on December 19 – bringing my company home to share my work with the community that first nurtured dance in my life!

What inspires you?
I feel that The Lord has given me the opportunity to present VISIONS Contemporary Ballet to the community with more focus and even more passion than ever. I choreograph to inspire and motivate people from all walks of life in the local community and beyond. I feel that art can be used for healing. When people see themselves in my work or tell me that they were moved, it motivates me to keep going and creating.

What are your goals?
My goal is to build VISIONS Contemporary Ballet to be a strong contemporary ballet company with a voice of encouragement and inspiration and to embark on a multi-city US and international tour to share my work on a broader spectrum.

Do you have any advice for your fellow artists?
We each have our own path. Continue to persevere, especially when you feel like giving up. As long as you are putting forth your best efforts, everything will fall into place eventually, even if it may not appear that way. Don't be distracted by things that don't seem to come through. They just may not be meant for you at that time.

How does The Field help you?
As an artistic director and choreographer, I am able to take advantage of opportunities that would not be available to me if I was not a Sponsored Artist of The Field. I was recently awarded the 2018-2019 UMEZ Grant as an inaugural recipient. I would not have been able to receive this important grant without the support of The Field.

Click to enlarge images. Photography by Andrew Williams

© Ranardo-Domeico Grays / VISIONS Contemporary Ballet

Additional Viewing: 

VISIONS Contemporary Ballet 10-year Anniversary Performance

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August 2018 Meet Our Artists: Nisha Pradeep

Our Members, Fiscally Sponsored Artists, and other program participants represent a wide range of career stages and disciplines. We love them - and, as fellow artists, we're always inspired by them. With this monthly feature, we hope you'll feel the same way!

 Name: Nisha Pradeep

I am...
Director of Takajum LLC. Our mission is to create dance and drama productions using the principles of Classical art forms of India. Preserving the art forms and, at the same time, finding innovative ways to make it relevant and enjoyable to a diverse set of audiences. Takajum LLC. Our mission is to create dance and drama productions using the principles of Classical art forms of India. Preserving the art forms and, at the same time, finding innovative ways to make it relevant and enjoyable to a diverse set of audiences.

What inspires you?
I am inspired most by the appreciation we get for works that we present. I have always believed that dance and music can break any barriers like language or ethnicity. When I see a very diverse set of audiences feel and understand our work, it makes my belief strong. An artistic work presented with the most sincere and true emotions will evoke the rasa (Sanskrit) or feelings in the audience. When someone tells me, “I cried watching the performance,” or, “it reminded me of those days,” I know I have made them feel something. The connection I make with my audience and the satisfaction I get from that drives me to better myself as an artist and a performer.

What are you proud of?
I am proud of the fact that I never let fame or money dilute my mission. My mission has been to preserve the art form I have learned from my teacher/Guru and find innovative ways to make it more enjoyable and understandable to all. Quality has always been my priority. It has had its downside because it slows my growth. But I am still proud that I did not compromise on quality and I stuck to my roots. My success is not defined by the money I make but by the impact my work has on the audience.

What are your goals?
I try to follow the path as it unfolds. But my ultimate wish is to become a good artist whose work is appreciated and remembered. I am a teacher and I wish that I inspire my students, too, to love and nurture the art form that I teach.

Do you have any advice for your fellow artists?
Don't be disheartened if something does not happen the way you envisioned. Sometimes things fail so you are reset and put on the right track. If you think like that, every failure will seem like a stepping stone to a brand new idea. And it will not be a failure anymore. Never define failure as "I did not achieve my goal," for a goal is just a dream until you reach it. But the path or phase you are in is what is real. Make the most of it. Listen to what that path is telling you.

How does The Field help you?
I have many projects and ideas and I was looking for a way to get sponsorship or grants. I am excited to have found The Field and hope to make my projects a reality through the many programs they have to support artists like me.

Click to enlarge images. Photos by Tom Paul Nettikadan Photography
© Nisha Pradeep / Takajum LLC

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To join The Field community and become eligible for a "Meet Our Artists" feature, sign up for a membership and join our mailing list for program updates!