Americans for the Arts and its partners, The Joyce Foundation and American Express Foundation, welcome the second cohort in the Arts & Culture Leaders of Color Fellowship.

The ACLC Fellowship program continues to invest in mid-career arts administrators of color across the Great Lakes region through a year-long professional development program. This year we selected 16 fellows to participate in creating systemic change in national arts leadership. Fellows will work with lead faculty Margie Johnson-Reese, their chosen mentors, and the cohort to advance their approaches to management towards the goal of greater racial and cultural equity in the region.

The fellowship focuses on individual career trajectories, the development of fellows as a cohort, and the fellows’ contributions to the field of arts administration. Each fellow will participate in:

• monthly themed group virtual meetings with select senior leaders of color in the arts,
• leadership skills trainings and networking opportunities,
• management development sessions alongside an existing supervisor or mentor, and
• a culminating arts management and leadership project based on the themes and challenges that emerge throughout the fellowship year.

The second of a two-year pilot, the 2020-2021 cohort includes 16 fellows from Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, and the Twin Cities.

Chicago

Enrique Morales, Northwest Arts Connection
Joseph Medcalf, Morton Salt
Keyana Marshall, Urban Gateways
Mesha Arant, 3Arts

Detroit

Jainelle Robinson, ArtOps
Katelyn Rivas, The Free Black Women’s Library
Meccah Martin, Sidewalk Detroit – 2019
Miah Davis, College for Creative Studies

Milwaukee

DeMar Walker, Ko-Thi Dance Company
Leah Harris, Freelance/Consulting
Marcela “Xela” Garcia, Walker’s Point Center for the Arts
Mikey Murry, Milwaukee Film

Minneapolis and St. Paul

Adaobi Okolue, Twin Cities Media Alliance/Twin Cities Daily Planet|
Adrienne Doyle, Juxtaposition Arts
Jovan Johnson, Carleton College
Natalie Kennedy, Minnesota State Arts Board

Read more about the 2020-2021 Fellowship cohort here.

Due to necessary shifts in alignment with COVID-19 restrictions, the fellowship runs from August 2020 to June 2021, and is conducted entirely virtually. The end of the program coincides with the 2021 Americans for the Arts Annual Convention; program staff will determine at the beginning of 2021 if there will be the possibility for an in-person Closing Convening.

The 2019-2020 cohort included 12 fellows from Chicago, Cleveland, and Indianapolis, whose cohort concluded at the June 2020 Americans for the Arts virtual convening. Three fellows from the first cohort presented a session, Equity and Job Mobility in a Pandemic, as part of the conference.

To learn more, browse the ACLC Fellowship website or contact Nikki Kirk, Program Manager, Equity in Arts Leadership.