This is an online event. Zoom invitations will be emailed the week of April 11.
The last two years have demonstrated art is a much-needed outlet for all of us as creators and observers.
Moderated by Nicole “Cole” Nfonoyim-Hara
Nicole is a writer committed to liberation and community building through stories. Her work has taken her around the country and the world. She is currently a Diversity Program Director at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine & Science. She also serves as host and associate producer of R-Town, a civic and cultural affairs show about Rochester, MN on PBS station, KSMQ-TV. Her fiction writing has been recognized by the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Loft Literary Center, the Givens Foundation for African American Literature, and VONA/Voices of Our Nation. Her arts writing has been featured on MN Artists, The Great Northern Festival Reflective Writing Commissions, and exhibition catalogues for the MCAD-Jerome Foundation Fellowships for Early Career Artists. A former Fulbright scholar in cultural and applied anthropology, she holds a BA from Swarthmore College and earned her MS degree from Oxford University.
Joined by Panelists:
David Hamilton is a Professor of Voice and Italian at Concordia College and has been the Director of the Fargo-Moorhead Opera since 1999. His elegant, lyric tenor voice has been heard at opera companies such as the Metropolitan Opera, San Diego, Washington, Vancouver, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Teatro Bellini in Catania, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and New York City Opera. His broad repertoire as an orchestral soloist has led to engagements with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra and the symphony orchestras of Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Indianapolis. Most recently he has been heard with Opera Southwest, Opera Memphis and Hawaii Opera Theater. Among the awards he has received are First Prize in the 1984 Paris International Voice Competition, the Eleanor Steber Award, and grants from the Jerome, Sullivan and Puccini Foundations. He is also a past recipient of the North Dakota Governor’s Award for the Arts in North Dakota.
Scott Stulen is CEO and President of Philbrook Museum of Art. Stulen has a MFA in Painting and Drawing from the University of Minnesota and a BFA in Sculpture from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He is the former Curator of Audience Experiences and Performance at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Project Director of mnartists.org at the Walker Art Center, and Associate Curator at the Rochester Art Center. At Philbrook, Stulen is guiding the museum to become a recognized national model of sustainability, relevance, and community impact. He serves on several national, state, and local boards including the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD), Oklahoma Museum Association, Chair of Tulsa Arts Management Consortium and heads the Tulsa Area Attractions group.
Betsy Bradley was appointed director of the Mississippi Museum of Art (MMA) in December 2001. Previously, she served as executive director of the Mississippi Arts Commission. Since arriving at MMA, Bradley has overseen significant growth of the institution, shepherding two capital campaigns that resulted in a move to a completely renovated facility, and the creation of The Art Garden, the first new public green space in downtown Jackson since the 1970s. Committed to making MMA relevant to its community, Bradley works in partnership with many local cultural, social service, and history organizations to create opportunities for mutually beneficial collaborations. This work has resulted in prestigious federal and national foundation grant awards and recognition for MMA, including the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts for Leadership and the 2010 National Medal for Museum and Library Service from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Bradley is a graduate of Vanderbilt University with a master’s degree in English, and of Millsaps College with a bachelor’s degree in English. She was elected to membership of the Association of Art Museum Directors in 2012 and has served on the boards of Americans for the Arts, the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, and the Southern Arts Federation. She has also served on the Steering Council for the Mississippi Economic Council’s Blueprint Mississippi Project, the 50th Reunion of the Mississippi Freedom Riders, and the executive committee of Downtown Jackson Partners.
Rob and Eric Thomas-Suwall are contemporary art collectors living in Minot with a focus on female-identifying and queer artists. They share their collection through their Instagram account @theicygays and have worked to celebrate traditionally underrepresented voices in art in an underrepresented area of the country.
Reservations are requested for this FREE event, generously sponsored by Heartland Trust Company.
