In this episode Dr. Cooper speaks with Molaundo Jones. Molaundo currently serve as Senior Director of Communications & Partnerships at Art21 , a celebrated global leader in presenting thought-provoking and sophisticated content about contemporary art. He is also Founder of The Clever Agency , a content creation and brand strategy consultancy, where I launched VeryCleverStudios.com , a storefront studio project designed to amplify the work of emerging performing artists, entrepreneurs, and di...
Jun 20, 2023•25 min•Season 4Ep. 5
In February 2023, Bynum assumed the role of Chief Education Officer at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, providing strategic leadership, creative vision, and administrative direction for the organization’s educative initiatives, and serving as an advocate for the value and importance of arts education. Prior to Lincoln Center, Bynum inaugurated the role of Vice President for Impact at Minnesota Opera, guiding the company’s educational, engagement, and equity work. During Bynum’s tenure, th...
May 31, 2023•27 min•Season 4Ep. 4
Marlon Meikle is an LA-based educator, arts administrator, actor, MC/Host, playwright and drag queen whose work has been featured on Call Me Kat on FOX, the TLC/Discovery+ Historical Docuseries “Book of Queer,” New York's 59E59 Theater, Le Poisson Rouge, Signature Theatre, Incubator Arts Project, Ars Nova, The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Cry Havoc Theatre and Joe's Pub. Marlon has presented performance work and workshops at the California Institute of the Arts, Southeastern Theatre Conference, Fl...
May 17, 2023•24 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Monica Stephenson is originally from Fayetteville, North Carolina. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and the Professional Training Program at the Houston Ballet Academy. In 2002, she received her first professional contract with The Washington Ballet. She went on to perform with the Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble from 2003-2005. During this time, Monica also performed in The Nutcracker with Pennsylvania Ballet and Ballet New York and as a guest artist wit...
May 10, 2023•28 min•Season 4Ep. 2
Jonathan McCrory is a two Obie Award-winning, Harlem-based artist who has served as Executive Artistic Director at National Black Theatre since 2012 under the leadership of CEO, Sade Lythcott. He has directed numerous professional productions and concerts which include: How the Light Gets In (NYMF), Klook and Iron John (NAMT), Dead and Breathing , HandsUp , Hope Speaks , Blacken The Bubble , Asking for More , Last Laugh and Enter Your Sleep . He has worked at ETW at TISCH NYU with Emergence: A C...
May 02, 2023•29 min•Season 4Ep. 1
In this specially commissioned series with Grantmakers in the Arts, The Lost Files , Dr. Durell Cooper invites artists, community organizers, researchers, cultural and racial studies experts, and scholars to think about the narratives driving the arts and cultural sector – as it intersects with systems of structural racism and economic exclusion – and what opportunities for narrative change exist. In this episode Dr. Cooper speaks with Dr. Rhianna Rogers. Rhianna C. Rogers is the inaugural direc...
Nov 29, 2022•43 min•Season 3Ep. 4
In this specially commissioned series with Grantmakers in the Arts, The Lost Files , Dr. Durell Cooper invites artists, community organizers, researchers, cultural and racial studies experts, and scholars to think about the narratives driving the arts and cultural sector – as it intersects with systems of structural racism and economic exclusion – and what opportunities for narrative change exist. In this episode Dr. Cooper speaks with Dr. Christopher Emdin. Dr. Christopher Emdin is the Robert A...
Nov 22, 2022•49 min•Season 3Ep. 3
In this specially commissioned series with Grantmakers in the Arts, The Lost Files , Dr. Durell Cooper invites artists, community organizers, researchers, cultural and racial studies experts, and scholars to think about the narratives driving the arts and cultural sector – as it intersects with systems of structural racism and economic exclusion – and what opportunities for narrative change exist. In this Episode Dr. Cooper speaks with Majora Carter. Majora Carter is a real estate developer, urb...
Nov 15, 2022•40 min•Season 3Ep. 2
In this specially commissioned series with Grantmakers in the Arts, The Lost Files , Dr. Durell Cooper invites artists, community organizers, researchers, cultural and racial studies experts, and scholars to think about the narratives driving the arts and cultural sector – as it intersects with systems of structural racism and economic exclusion – and what opportunities for narrative change exist. In this episode Dr. Cooper speaks with Dr. Zannie Voss. Dr. Zannie Voss is Director of SMU DataArts...
Nov 14, 2022•43 min•Season 3Ep. 1
In this episode Durell speaks with Lisa Yancey. Lisa Yancey is an entrepreneurial strategist who has built a practice solving problems for nonprofit organizations and is a co-founder of several growing enterprises. Through her company Yancey Consulting, she specializes in strategic organizational planning, business planning, program evaluation and assessments, executive project management, revenue modeling, leadership coaching, and organizational structure assessments for nonprofit institutions....
Jun 09, 2022•36 min•Season 2Ep. 9
In this Episode Dr. Cooper speaks with Dr. Antonio Cuyler. Dr. Cuyler is the author of Access, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Cultural Organizations: Insights from the Careers of Executive Opera Managers of Color in the U. S. and editor of a forthcoming volume in June of 2022, Arts Management, Cultural Policy, & the African Diaspora . He serves as the Director of the MA Program & Associate Professor of Arts Administration in the Department of Art Education at Florida State Universit...
May 05, 2022•33 min•Season 2Ep. 8
In this episode Dr. Cooper speaks with Shirley C. Taylor. Shirley started her journey as an arts administrator at the New York Foundation for the Arts in 1987 andhas since built a career leading a variety of arts and cultural education programs throughout New York City:Associate Director for Visual Arts Programs at ArtsConnection, Inc.; Director of Arts Programs at UniversitySettlement Society; Deputy Director of Programs, Education for the Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning; Director of Edu...
Mar 18, 2022•40 min•Season 2Ep. 7
In this episode Dr. Durell Cooper speaks with Dr. Terri N. Watson is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at The City College of New York and a member of the Urban Education faculty at The City University of New York’s Graduate Center. Her research examines effective school leadership and is aimed to improve the educational outcomes and life chances of historically excluded and underserved students and families. She employs Critical Race Theory, Black Feminist Theory and Motherwork a...
Mar 10, 2022•37 min•Season 2Ep. 6
In this episode Dr. Cooper speaks with Vivian Phillips. Vivian is a communications professional and arts leader. She is co-host of the podcast doubleXposure where she and veteran arts journalist Marcie Sillman use their voice and platform to plumb the deepest depths and the tiniest cracks of our world to understand how culture and creativity shape our lives. Vivian is also the founder and editor-in-chief of the online magazine Arte Noir, a gathering place to explore and center the dynamic creati...
Mar 03, 2022•37 min•Season 2Ep. 5
In this episode Durell speaks with Jacqueline Cofield. Jacqueline is the founder of J Rêve International LLC, a global culture and arts education social enterprise. Jacqueline curates international experiences for educators, students, and artists, and collaborates with leading arts, cultural and educational institutions to produce meaningful global programming. An educator, author, documentary filmmaker, and interdisciplinary scholar, Jacqueline is trilingual, has lived or studied in 9 countries...
Feb 24, 2022•44 min•Season 2Ep. 4
In this episode Durell speaks with the "Fresh Professor" James Miles. James has worked as an educator in the New York City public schools for almost 20 years prior to moving to Seattle in 2016. Before joining Mentor Washington as Chief Executive Officer, Miles served as the Executive Director of Seattle based Arts Corps. Originally from Chicago, Miles has worked internationally as an artist and educator, who was inspired to foment change after seeing so many children that looked like him, get di...
Feb 17, 2022•38 min•Season 2Ep. 3
In this episode Durell speaks with Niegel Smith. Niegel is a Bessie Award winning theater director and performance artist. He is the Artistic Director of NYC’s Obie Award winning theater, The Flea; board member of A.R.T./New York; and ringleader of Willing Participant ( www.willingparticipant.org ) an artistic activist organization that whips up urgent poetic responses to crazy shit that happens. His theater work has been produced at The Alley Theater, The Barbican, Classical Theatre of Harlem, ...
Feb 10, 2022•24 min•Season 2Ep. 2
In this episode Durell speaker with Sharnita C. Johnson, a philanthropy leader who drives social change at the intersection of arts, culture, and community development and the Vice President of Strategy, Impact, and Communications at the Victoria Foundation. She most recently served as Arts Program Director with the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, where she led a statewide grantmaking portfolio focused on arts, equity, and creative placekeeping for a vibrant New Jersey. While there, she catalyzed...
Feb 03, 2022•44 min•Season 2Ep. 1
In this episode Durell speaks with Dr. Steven Thurston Oliver, Associate Professor of Secondary and Higher Education at Salem State University is a Sociologist of Education whose research and expertise is focused on using Contemplative Pedagogy in K-12 teacher preparation and higher education programs as a catalyst for cultivating greater capacity among educators to be introspective and engage across human differences. Steven received a Ph.D. in Sociology of Education from New York University, a...
Dec 23, 2021•41 min•Season 1Ep. 20
In this episode of fluency durell speaks with highly sought after artist and intimacy coordinator Ann C. James. Ann James has an extensive career in international stage direction and theatre education spanning over three decades. James recently made her debut as the first Black Intimacy Coordinator of Broadway for Antoinette Nwandu’s Pass Over. James is an expert in the burgeoning industry of intimacy direction and institutional consent culture for national arts organizations. In addition to her...
Dec 16, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 19
In this episode Durell speaks with Andrea Ambam (she/her/hers). Andrea is a Brooklyn-based artist, actress, and playwright, whose roots sprout from Cameroon. As a politically engaged storyteller who believes in the art’s potential for movement building and transformative justice, Andrea best intersects spaces where community, performance, and truth-telling pulsate. Currently, Andrea is a Brooklyn Arts Exchange (BAX) Artist-In-Residence and serves as a Lead Facilitator for Broadway Advocacy Coali...
Dec 09, 2021•38 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Patricia Robinson is an esteemed media executive, community leader and advocate, public speaker, professional educator, and a passionate mentor. Patricia spends quality time in her career helping others through coaching positive self-empowerment strategies, realizing, developing, and expanding career potential paths, life skills training, and sharing her experiences on how to be effective in leadership management. Patricia has earned a reputation as a Human Resource professional exercising incre...
Dec 02, 2021•31 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Jonathan P. Jones, Ph.D. is an advisor, faculty member, and coordinator of doctoral studies at NYU Steinhardt Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions for the Program in Educational Theatre. At NYU, he teaches courses in pedagogy and theatre history; at CUNY, he teaches courses in public speaking and theatre history. Jonathan has presented on theatre education, research, creativity, and pedagogy in the US, UK, China, and Iraq. He serves as editor for ArtsPraxis, a journal emphasizing ...
Nov 11, 2021•49 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Juhanna Rogers, PhD. is a motivational speaker, commentator, artist, and education activist currently residing in Central New York. As a native of Newark, New Jersey, Dr. Rogers has a commitment to social justice, education, and the arts, having grown up in a diverse and resource rich environment. Dr. Rogers earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Integrative Arts from Penn State University – Altoona. While at Penn State, she wrote, directed, and produced artistic performances that celebrated Black histor...
Nov 04, 2021•37 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Courtney J. Boddie, Vice President, Education & School Engagement, oversees all programs related to school communities including the New Victory school partnership program, teacher professional development training in the performing arts and an innovative approach in the professional development of more than 50 New Victory Teaching Artists. A 2021 Crain's New York 'Notable Black Leader and Executive,' Ms. Boddie has expanded the theater’s scope of work in such programs as Victory Dance, whic...
Oct 28, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Alison T. McNeil is a catalyst for equity and justice in the performing arts. For more than 20 years, Alison has created pathways for systemic change in the arts and culture sector. She operates with a collective mindset and a goal to help the historically excluded to thrive. Alison uplifts leaders and advances operations to foster accessible opportunities in the arts and education. She has served as a thought leader on numerous grant panels, boards, conference panels, and advisory committees. S...
Oct 21, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Maurine Knighton is the program director for the arts at the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. In that capacity, she is responsible for developing and overseeing grantmaking programs that support artists and organizations in the contemporary dance, theater, jazz, and presenting fields. Prior to DDCF, Knighton was the senior vice president for grantmaking at the Nathan Cummings Foundation. She also served as senior vice president for program and nonprofit investment at the Upper Manhattan Empower...
Oct 14, 2021•40 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Eric Gerard Parsons Eric Gerard Parsons is a poet and writer of fiction. His poetry has appeared in Shots and Arnazella . In the mid- 1990s he founded I Am the Darker Brother, a Seattle, Washington-based poetry group. Collaborating with photographer Anne Keeney, Parsons co-created Black Voices speaking: ~ images and words of the lives of blackpeople . The exhibit was displayed at Café Septieme, a restaurant/gallery in Seattle, and in BLMF, a literary salon, also in Seattle. Parsons participated ...
Oct 07, 2021•35 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Cassady Dill @cassadydil is a writer, Digital Marketer business owner and emerging TV/Film Producer. She is a theater graduate of Alabama School of Fine Arts, alma mater to actress Laverne Cox and Hunger Games series writer, Suzanne Collins. While there, she studied theater arts, classical piano and completed her first full feature script - an advancing requirement of the accredited program, in which students dissected Robert McKee’s “Story.” Her beginnings performing, includes being cast in a C...
Sep 30, 2021•36 min•Season 1Ep. 10
In episode 9 Dr. Durell Cooper connects with Piper Anderson to discuss leadership, entrepreneurship, and accountability. Piper Anderson is a storyteller, coach, master facilitator, and Founder of Create Forward , a social impact firm delivering experiences that advance equity and justice. In spring 2016, Anderson was awarded a TED Residency to develop an innovative storytelling project called Mass Story Lab. Mass Story Lab has traveled to more than thirteen U.S cities making the stories of peopl...
Sep 23, 2021•37 min•Season 1Ep. 9
