HueArts NYC: Mapping An Equitable Future for New York City Arts and Culture Landscape
Panel discussion and walking tour of exhibits and Public Bus installation
Thursday, May 26, 2022 | 6PM-8PM EST
Panel discussion: 6PM–7PM
Walking tour: 7PM-8PM
Moderator:
Libertad Guerra, Executive Director, Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural & Educational Center
Panelists:
Stephanie Johnson-Cunningham, Executive Director, Museum Hue
Kemi Ilesanmi, Executive Director, The Laundromat Project
Sadra Shahab, Director of Data and Research, Hester Street
Join us on Thursday May 26th at 6PM EST for a conversation about HueArts NYC. Leaders from Museum Hue, The Laundromat Project, and Hester Street will discuss the driving force that compelled them to partner to develop this initiative, which centers Black, Indigenous, Asian, Latinx, and all People of Color founded and led arts entities within NYC. Through aggregating quantifiable data and anecdotal evidence gathered from key leaders in NYC arts organizations and cultural centers, and in-depth research of available sources, this panel will highlight how HueArts NYC offers actionable steps to level the playing field for long standing support, longevity, and thrivability in the ever growing NYC arts and culture sector. The map provides greater visibility while the corresponding Brown paper report’s findings presents a clearer picture of these arts entities' resilience in the face of inequities. This conversation will highlight ways that we are working to garner pathways for more resources and financial support for Black, Indigenous, Asian, Latinx, and all People of
Color’s arts entities.
Libertad Guerrera
Libertad O. Guerra is an urban anthropologist, curator, and cultural organizer / producer with vast arts management experience specializing in startup phase and strategic turnaround of community based cultural organizations with an intersectional approach. She has led the creation of incubation NYC spaces and collectives of Latinx cultural producers and educators. Her academic research / symposia has focused on Puerto Rican, Latinx, and NYC’s social-artistic movements and aesthetic politics of place in im/migrant urban settings.
Several of her exhibitions have been featured in Art Net best exhibitions of the year, and listed by the New York Times list of 10 Galleries to Visit Now on the Lower East Side. In 2020 she became the Executive Director of The Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural & Education Center in downtown Manhattan. Guerra is also a co-founder of the South Bronx Unite environmental justice coalition, serves as a member of the Mott Haven / Port Morris Community Land Stewards board, and most recently co-founded the Latinx Arts Consortium of New York (LXNY) network of 30 plus arts organizations.
Stephanie Johnson-Cunningham
Stephanie is a museum professional with over 15 years experience in the field. She has worked at the New-York Historical Society, Brooklyn Museum, 9/11 Museum and Memorial, and African American Museum in Philadelphia. Stephanie’s advocacy aligns with Museum Hue, an organization she co-founded and serves as Director. She built the first online directory and mapping of museums centering Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color across the US. It is an invaluable resource that deepens public knowledge and understanding of art, history, and culture. Stephanie is currently working on a larger Cultural Mapping project specific to New York City with support from NYC’s Department of Cultural Affairs. As a 2018 United Nations Human Rights fellow, she applies the UN’s ratification of cultural rights to her work to call for greater recognition and representation in the arts ecosystem. Stephanie received the Americans for the Arts 2019 American Express Emerging Leader Award for her work. She recently hosted and produced On Display, a show for WNET’s ALL ARTS Network that focuses on ways museums are addressing societal issues that resulted from intersecting histories and connects to contemporary life. Each episode covers various topics from immigration to incarceration.
Kemi Ilesanmi
Kemi Ilesanmi is Executive Director of The Laundromat Project, which advances artists and neighbors as change agents in their own communities. She has previously worked at Creative Capital Foundation and the Walker Art Center. In 2015, she was appointed by the Mayor to the NYC Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission. Observer included her on the Arts Power 50 list in 2020. She is on the board of the Joan Mitchell Foundation and Smith College Museum of Art. A graduate of Smith College, NYU, and Coro Leadership NY, she is also a Sterling Network Fellow.
Sadra Shahab
Sadra is the Director of Data and Research at Hester Street Collaborative leading Data Democratization initiatives. Before joining Hester Street, Sadra worked as a senior GIS specialist and planner at Pratt Center for Community Development, served as a project manager establishing Spatial Analysis and Visualization Initiative (SAVI) at Pratt Institute, and worked as a GIS and data consultant serving various city agencies. Sadra also serves as a member of NYS Geospatial Advisory Board, is a member of the Housing Data Coalition, and the land use committee of CB17 (East Flatbush). Since 2012 Sadra has been an adjunct professor at Pratt Institute’s Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment, where he teaches GIS and Urban Planning.
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