On Saturday, February 27, 2015, join Pat Cruz, Thelma Golden, Virginia Johnson, and Sade Lythcott on “Sustaining Harlem: Art, Community Activism, and Black Women’s Leadership.”
Each of these visionary black women has made significant contributions to sustaining Harlem through their leadership in its signature arts institutions. They will offer their perspectives on what it means to work collectively and collaboratively on the project of sustaining Harlem, the under-acknowledged role of black women, and the resources they draw on to sustain their work.
About the Speakers
Patricia Cruz began her term as Executive Director of Harlem Stage in 1998. Ms. Cruz is a member of the Board of Directors and is responsible for overseeing Board Development, long range planning, fundraising, and program development. The highlight of her tenure has been the renovation of the Gatehouse for use as Harlem Stage’s new home. Cruz serves on the board of The Urban Assembly and the CalArts Board of Overseers. She is a past board member of The Andy Warhol Foundation. She is also past president of The New York Foundation for the Arts and ArtTable.
Virginia Johnson returns to Dance Theatre of Harlem as artistic director having been a founding member and principal dancer. Born in Washington, DC, Johnson graduated from the Academy of the Washington School of Ballet. She briefly attended the School of the Arts at New York University as a University Scholar before joining DTH in 1969. During her 28 years with the company she performed most of the repertoire, with principal roles in “Concerto Barocco,” “Allegro Brillante,” “Agon,” “A Streetcar Named Desire,” “Fall River Legend,” “Swan Lake,” “Giselle,” “Voluntaries,” and “Les Biches,” among others.
Thelma Golden is Director and Chief Curator of The Studio Museum in Harlem where she began her career in 1987 before joining the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1988. After a decade at the Whitney, she returned to the Studio Museum in 2000 as Deputy Director for Exhibitions and Programs, and was named Director and Chief Curator in 2005. Golden was appointed to the Committee for the Preservation of the White House by President Obama in 2010, and in 2015 joined the Barack Obama Foundation’s Board of Directors. She serves as the 2015–16 Chair of New York City’s Cultural Institutions Group and was appointed to the Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission by Mayor Bill de Blasio. Golden is the recipient of the 2016 Audrey Irmas Award for Curatorial Excellence. Born in St. Albans, Queens, Golden currently resides in Harlem.
Born and raised in New York City, Sade Lythcott is the daughter of Dr. Barbara Ann Teer, founder of the National Black Theater (NBT) and legendary champion of African-American culture in New York. Following her mother’s death in 2008, Sade was appointed CEO of the NBT. She is also co-chair of the Coalitions of Theaters of Color, which represents the oldest theaters of color in New York State. A graduate of New York University with a BA in art history, Sade lives in Harlem, NY. Prior to joining the NBT staff, she performed with several Off Broadway theater companies, including appearances as Gail in Ron Milner’s “Urban Transition: Loose Blossom” at the New Federal Theater directed by Woodie King, Jr and as Dorothy Dandridge in “Dorothy Dandridge: Before, After & Now” directed by Dr. Barbara Ann Teer. In 2012 Lythcott wrote & produced the highly-acclaimed musical “A Time To Love,” garnering 3 AUDELCO award nominations and the Key to Harlem for her excellence in the Arts. Sade is the recipient of the 2015 Black Theatre Network’s LLH Legacy Award, 651 Arts Rising Star Award, Castillo Theatre progress on stage award. She is a contributing artist and cultural organizer for Arts in a Changing America. http://www.tb-credit.ru/kredit-na-kartu.html http://www.tb-credit.ru/return.html