Performing Arts Program Curation
You know how to run a performing arts center. You manage the budgets, the staff, the building, and the board. But when it comes time to build a season, to decide which artists will stand on your stage and why, you could use a partner who lives and breathes that world.
That’s what I do.
What I Bring
I’ve spent more than 25 years curating performing arts programming for presenting organizations, most of it in higher education, where a season has to do more than sell tickets. It has to serve a mission: advancing cultural understanding, reflecting the community, connecting to curriculum, and creating experiences that change how people see the world and each other.
I know how to build seasons that do all of that and stay financially viable. I understand the touring marketplace: the artists, the management companies, the booking agents, the fee structures, the contract terms, and the grant landscape that makes ambitious programming possible. I bring deep relationships across the field, from NAPAMA to the Illinois Presenters Network to the Midwest Arts XPO, to every engagement.
How I Work
Every venue is different. Every community is different. I start by understanding your mission, your audience, your budget, your spaces, and your aspirations. Then I help you build a season, or a multi-year strategy, that is distinctly yours.
Services
Season Curation and Artist Selection. Building cohesive seasons that balance artistic ambition, audience development, cultural relevance, and financial viability.
Artist Sourcing and Contract Negotiation. Drawing on industry relationships to identify artists, negotiate favorable terms, and manage the booking process.
Grant Strategy for Programming. Finding funding opportunities and writing applications that support mission-driven work, including the NEA, state arts councils, APAP, and foundations.
Series Development. Creating new formats, matinees, cabarets, residencies, and thematic series, tailored to your venue and community.
Programming Assessment. Evaluating current seasons and recommending shifts in genre mix, pricing, audience targeting, and community engagement.
Selected Track Record
Secured over $1.8 million in grant funding across my career, from the NEA, APAP, the Doris Duke Foundation, and the Illinois Arts Council.
Created “Mosaics: Muslim Voices in America,” a three-year APAP and Doris Duke initiative featuring residencies, commissioned work, and performances by Niyaz, Omar Offendum, and Amirah Sackett. (artists provisional)
Commissioned the world premiere of “American Griot,” funded by NEA ArtWorks, which earned Kennedy Center and ACTF nominations.
Presented Chita Rivera, Olympia Dukakis, John Waters, Paula Poundstone, Natalie MacMaster, The Second City, and many more.
See the full history on the Experience page.
Who I Serve
I work mostly with presenting organizations, especially in higher education, that want to strengthen, diversify, or rethink their performing arts programming. A community college arts center aligning its season with an equity mission, a university series seeking fresh curatorial direction, a presenter exploring grant-funded work: I can help.
Industry Involvement
I helped build part of this field. I was a founding board member of Heartland Performing Arts, the nonprofit behind the Midwest Arts XPO, and its first Board President. I currently serve as its consulting Executive Director. I’ve served on the NAPAMA board, chaired the Illinois Presenters Network for 11 years, and co-chaired the 2018 Arts Midwest Conference.
Let’s talk about your next season.