Here at doubleXposure, our hosts Vivian and Marcie believe that arts and culture touch all of us, no matter what we do or where we come from. That's been central to the first season of the podcast. In this final Season One episode, we invited back four guests to talk about everything from the role that culture should play in public policy decision-making, to how the pandemic affected their lives these past 19 months.
Trish Millines-Dziko, founder and Executive Director of Technology Access Foundation, Tim Lennon, Executive Director at LANGSTON!, Michael Greer, President and CEO of Arts Fund, and University of Washington drama professor and Artistic Director of the Hansberry Project Valerie Curtis-Newton, join Vivian and Marcie at a live taping from Seattle's Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute, recorded on October 19, 2021.
"The only two times most people are going to be in a room with a bunch of other folks they wouldn't ordinarily hang out with is at an arts event or at a sporting event." -- Tim Lennon, Executive Director, LANGSTON
"The arts have always been a space where you have people—red and blue—sitting next to each other." -- Michael Greer, President and CEO of ArtsFund
Live Roundtable Taping hosted at LANGSTON on October 19, 2021, credit Hilary Northcraft
ABOUT THIS EPISODE'S GUESTS
Valerie Curtis-Newton currently serves as the Head of Directing at the University of Washington School of Drama, She is also the Founding Artistic Director for The Hansberry Project, a professional African American theatre lab. Valerie has worked with professional theaters across the country including The Guthrie Theatre, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Seattle Rep, Playmakers Repertory Company, Actors’ Theatre of Louisville, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Intiman Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre, The Mark Taper Forum, New York Theatre Workshop, and Southern Repertory Theatre among others.
Awards: 2020: Seattle Times Most Influential People of the Last Decade; 2019: Theatre Puget Sound - Gregory Falls Award for Sustained Achievement; 2016: Seattle Times Footlight Award (Best in Show) 2014: Stranger Genius Awards in Performance and the Crosscut Courage Award for Culture; 2012: Gypsy Rose Lee Award for Excellence in Direction; 2001: Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation’s (SDCF) Gielgud Directing Fellowship 1997-1999: NEA/TCG Career Development Fellowship for Directors.
Michael Greer is the President & CEO of ArtsFund. As a former professional dancer and experienced executive, Michael’s leadership experience spans both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. He previously held roles as the executive director of Oregon Ballet Theatre and Portland Ballet in Maine. Michael started his arts career as a dancer with Ballet West in Salt Lake City, where he danced for six years. Michael then spent nearly a decade in leadership and executive roles in manufacturing, financial services, and commodities in India and Mainland China for several multinational firms. He is a Trustee on the boards of United Way of King County, Downtown Seattle Association, and Seattle Regional Chamber of Commerce. Michael holds a B.A. in economics from Hampshire College, an M.Ed. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and an M.B.A. from The Wharton School.
Tim Lennon has been working in Seattle’s cultural scenes since moving here in 2001. In that time he has held leadership and programming positions at several Seattle non-profit and public sector organizations, including: The Vera Project, Office of Arts & Culture, Seattle Center Foundation, and One Reel. His current board service includes The Washington Bus and the Seattle Music Commission for which he chairs the advocacy and economic development committee. Tim is an alumnus of the Leadership Tomorrow program and currently serves on its curriculum committee. In 2017 he was selected for Harvard Business School’s Young American Leaders Program and is a current participant in National Arts Strategies/HBS’s Chief Executive program.
Tim played a key role early on in supporting the community-led transition process for the historic Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute, which resulted in the creation of LANGSTON. He has also been an advocate for and planning advisor to the Historic Central Area Arts and Cultural District. Tim lives in the Central District with his wife and son and aspires to be half as awesome as they are.
For more info on LANGSTON visit: www.langstonseattle.org
Trish Millines Dziko cofounded TAF in 1996 after spending 17 years in the tech industry. Through
Trish’s leadership, TAF transitioned from out of school programs to become a statewide leader
in public education, operating TAF Academy (a 6th to 12th grade, award-winning public school
co-managed with the Federal Way Public School District), partnering with public schools to
transform them to promote the highest level of student learning, and increasing the number of
teachers of color through the Martinez Fellowship.
Trish is a committed, proactive leader serving on boards of organizations that focus on children
and education.
For more on TAF visit: https://techaccess.org/
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