Release Date: May 4,2022
NCCAKRON Hosts Creative Administration Research Summit Convening
Dance Artists and Arts Administration Professionals from Across the U.S. Gather in Akron, OH June 2-4, 2022
AKRON, Ohio (May 5, 2022) — The National Center for Choreography - Akron (NCCAkron) will host a National Summit Convening for all of its Creative Administration Research (CAR) program Artists and Thought Partners, Thursday, June 2 through Saturday, June 4, 2022. Select events are open to the public at no cost, including two talks and a dance class. All other core summit activities are invitation-only. Event details are below.
Funded by a multi-year grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the CAR program is focused on challenging the national dance ecosystem to think beyond the boundaries of known, traditional models and “best practices.” The program launched in 2020 and has already initiated five cohorts of 19 Artist Teams from across the U.S. The planning of this convening is informed by an artist-centric committee including CAR Artists and Thought Partners in addition to national scholars. Over the course of three days, participants will share and compare notes from their individual journeys through this work; move together, physicalizing their administrative thinking and dreaming; create new shared reference experiences to inform future work; and more.
“NCCAkron has been working with these Artists and Thought Partners for the past two years, exploring and challenging conventional ways of working within the dance world,” commented NCCAkron Executive/Artistic Director Christy Bolingbroke. “Now, we get to welcome everyone to Akron, where the connections and creative thinking will go even deeper. I am so excited to welcome these artists and thinkers from all across the U.S., and grateful to our local colleagues for their collaboration.”
NCCAkron is partnering with numerous local businesses and organizations to amplify the local impact of the Summit Convening, and to shine a light on Akron’s abundant way of thinking and organizing. Participants will gather at local spaces like Peoples Park, the Akron Public Library, The Knight Stage at the Akron Civic Theatre, Cascade Plaza, and NCCAkron’s home on The University of Akron campus. Visitors will dine at local establishments and sample local goods like Akron Honey, Akron Coffee Roasters, and Chill Artisanal Ice Cream. Since its inception, NCCAkron has partnered with Chill to develop flavors designed by visiting choreographers. In anticipation of the Summit Convening, Chill is bringing back 13 flavors for the month of June.
PUBLIC EVENTS
The following NCCAkron Summit events are free and open to the public. Proof of vaccination or a negative test will be required. Masks are recommended, but optional.
Artist as Model for the New Socioeconomic Normal, featuring Marc Bamuthi Joseph and Christy Bolingbroke
Friday, June 3, 1-2:30pm ET
Akron-Summit County Public Library, Auditorium
60 S High St, Akron, OH 44326
Advance registration is required - visit nccakron.org/summit
BAMUTHI, Marc Bamuthi Joseph (Washington, D.C.) is an arts activist, poet, speaker, and Vice President and Artistic Director of Social Impact at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. In this talk he will explore embracing artistic thinking as entrepreneurial thinking.
Dance Church Dance Class, led by Kate Wallich
Saturday, June 4, 10-11am ET
Cascade Plaza, 1 W Mill St, Akron, OH 44308
Rain Location: Greystone Hall, 103 S. High Street, Akron, OH 44308, Doric room, 4th Floor
Advance registration and proof of vaccination required - visit nccakron.org/summit
Kate Wallich (Los Angeles/Seattle/New York) is dancer, choreographer, educator and founder of Dance Church. Over the past decade this joyful, energetic class has attracted dancers and non-dancers from across the globe. No dance experience is required. Organizers recommend that participants wear sunscreen, comfortable shoes, and clothing for movement, and bring water. Portions of the class will include laying down, bring a towel for grass sensitivities. Downtown Akron Partnership is a coordinating partner for this class.
Mindset, Motivation, and Money: Where Artist Meets Enterprise, featuring Elena Muslar and members of the CAR Think Tank
Saturday, June 4, noon-1:30pm ET
Knight Stage at The Akron Civic Theatre
182 S. Main Street, Akron, Ohio 44308
Advance registration is required - visit nccakron.org/summit
Elena Muslar (Ontario, California) is an arts, culture, and entertainment workforce development and equity specialist. In this talk, Muslar and participants from the CAR program will reflect and interrogate relationships to revenue, art, and commerce.
Artist and speaker bios are below. Programming subject to change.
The Creative Administration Research program is made possible with lead support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
About NCCAkron
The National Center for Choreography at The University of Akron supports the research and development of new work in dance by exploring the full potential of the creative process. In addition to offering studio and technical residencies to make new work, activities focus on catalyzing dialogue and experimentation; creating proximity among artists and dance thinkers; and aggregating resources around dance making. For more information, visit nccakron.org.
The establishment and general operation of NCCAkron is made possible by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Artist and Speaker Biographies
Elena Marie Muslar (Ontario, California)
Elena is the Founder and Chief Empowerment Officer of Confide Creative, a coaching and consulting practice dedicated to the collective cultural and economic progress of pre-professionals and working professionals. She is also Associate Director of Programs at Fractured Atlas, a nonprofit technology company that helps artists and creative businesses thrive and a Lecturer at Loyola Marymount University teaching “Introduction to Business in the Arts.” Elena holds an MFA in Theatre Management & Creative Producing from CalArts, BA in Theatre Arts (with concentrations in Dance, African-American Studies, and Education) from LMU, is a UCLArts & Healing certified Social Emotional Arts Facilitator, and was honored by L.A. County for her leadership in the arts & creative economy, commitment to cultural equity & inclusion, and dedication to community affairs & civic pride.
Kate Wallich (Los Angeles/Seattle/New York)
Kate is a dancer, choreographer, educator and founder who believes in the combined power of artists and the public. Named one of Dance Magazine’s ‘25 to Watch’, her large-scale performance works have been commissioned and presented by world-renowned arts institutions; The Joyce Theater, Mass Moca, Seattle Theater Group, Walker Art Center, On the Boards and Velocity Dance Center amongst many others.
Marc Bamuthi Joseph (Washington, D.C.)
BAMUTHI (Marc Bamuthi Joseph) is a 2017 TED Global Fellow, an inaugural recipient of the Guggenheim Social Practice initiative, and an honoree of the United States Artists Rockefeller Fellowship. Joseph’s opera libretto, We Shall Not Be Moved, was named one of 2017’s “Best Classical Music Performances” by The New York Times. His evening-length work created in collaboration with composer Daniel Bernard Roumain, “The Just and The Blind,” was commissioned by Carnegie Hall and premiered to a sold out house at Carnegie in March 2019. His upcoming piece, “Watch Night” is inspired by the forgiveness exhibited by the congregation of Emanuel AME church in Charleston, and will premiere at The Perelman Center in New York in 2022. While engaging in a deeply fulfilling and successful artistic career, Bamuthi also proudly serves as Vice President and Artistic Director of Social Impact at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. Bamuthi is the founding Program Director of the exemplary non-profit Youth Speaks, and is a co-founder of Life is Living, a national series of one-day festivals which activate under-resourced parks and affirm peaceful urban life.