DeVos Institute of Arts Management to host Diversity in the Arts Panel

This blog post is by Emily Schweich, junior broadcast journalism major.

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The DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the University of Maryland welcomes a panel of African American and Latino performing arts icons for Legends in the Field on March 12. The first of three panels on diversity in the arts, Legends in the Field will explore stories of breaking boundaries in the arts.

“I hope that everyone – and students in particular – will find inspiration in the stories of these talented artists,” said DeVos Institute chairman Michael Kaiser.

Moderated by Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation, the panel will feature Rita Moreno, the first and only Puerto Rican actress to have won an Oscar, an Emmy, a Tony and a Grammy; Arthur Mitchell, the first African American principal dancer with the New York City Ballet and the founder of Dance Theatre Harlem; Venezuelan American dancer Tina Ramirez, choreographer and founder of Ballet Hispanico, the preeminent Latino dance organization in the country; Carmen de Lavallade, African American choreographer and dancer with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; Míriam Colón, founder and artistic director of the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre, the pioneer of Hispanic theatre in the country; and Lou Bellamy, founder and artistic director of Penumbra Theatre Company, the leading African American theatre in the country.

“I hope that everyone – and students in particular – will find inspiration in the stories of these talented artists,” said DeVos Institute chairman Michael Kaiser. “These pioneers have great lessons to share on how to launch and run ambitious arts organizations.”

The DeVos Institute provides training, consultation and implementation support for arts managers and their boards.

“At the DeVos Institute, we believe that while much is spent to train artists, too little is spent to support the managers and boards who keep these artists at work – especially with accelerating changes in technology, demographics, government policy, and the economy,” said Kaiser. “With our move to Maryland, we are offered the opportunity to expand our work, and we are honored to partner with the University to explore Diversity in the Arts.”

Diversity in the Arts is the first topic in the Future of the Arts series. Each topic will engage arts leaders in public symposia and special project and culminate in a white paper that includes recommendations for the field at large and practical solutions for arts managers.

The next topic in the Future of the Arts series, Technology in the Arts, will launch in Fall 2015. Diversity in the Arts: Legends in the Field will be held Thursday, March 12 at 5:30 p.m. in the Kay Theatre at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.