Public Events

Ben Stone was appointed Director of Design and Creative Placemaking in July 2023. In this position, he manages the NEA’s grantmaking for design and creative placemaking, and oversees the Mayors’ Institute on City Design, the Citizens’ Institute for Rural Design, and the Creative Placemaking Technical Assistance Program. Stone most recently served as a senior advisor at the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University, where he helped cities access federal bipartisan infrastructure funding via the Local Infrastructure Hub, a national technical assistance program for municipal governments seeking these resources.

Michael J. Bobbitt is a theater director, choreographer, and playwright who has dedicated his professional career to arts leadership. He joined Mass Cultural Council as Executive Director in February 2021, and is the highest-ranking cultural official in Massachusetts state government. Upon joining the Agency, he was invited to serve on the Board of Directors for the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA). As Executive Director Michael has led Mass Cultural Council through the development of its first-ever Racial Equity Plan; worked with staff, Council Members, and cultural sector advocates to secure and distribute a historic $60.1M in state pandemic relief funding; and overseen the drafting and adoption of the Agency’s FY24-FY26 strategic plan.

Tasha Golden, PhD is a speaker, consultant, and international leader in Arts and Health. Holding a PhD in Public Health, Golden has published extensively on the impacts of arts and creativity on wellbeing, and is lead author of "Arts on Prescription: A Field Guide for US Communities.” She is Director of Research at the International Arts + Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins, adjunct faculty at UF Center for Arts in Medicine, and creator of “How We Human”: a training in Mental Health and Trauma-Informed Practice designed specifically for creative professions. As a career artist, Golden’s songs appear in film/TV; she’s also a published poet and founder of Project Uncaged: a trauma-informed creative writing program for justice-involved girls. Golden's talks and trainings have helped creative leaders worldwide turn “what-ifs” into growth and impact.

Joe Wilson, Jr. holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame, and an MFA in Acting from the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theatre training program. He is a Professor of the Practice in Theatre and Dance at Wheaton College, Norton, MA. He has worked On Broadway (2000 Tony Award-nominated production of Jesus Christ Superstar, and 2018 Tony Award-nominated Iceman Cometh starring Denzel Washington), Off-Broadway, as well as performing in regional theaters around the country. He has taught acting, and art activism, and lectured at high schools, colleges, and universities, and at conferences locally and around the country. 

Sussy Santana is a poet, cultural organizer, and performer. Her current work explores writing as a tool for healing. She has published four poetry works: Pelo Bueno y otros poemas (2010). RADIO ESL a poetry cd (2012) Poemas Domésticos, a poetry chapbook (2019) and the zine, La Caminata (2023). Her work explores the bi-cultural identity through text and performance. Santana is a Creative Community Health Worker, working as the Arts & Health Project Manager for the City of Providence Department of Housing and Human Services. In 2015, Sussy became the first Latina recipient of the MacColl Johnson Fellowship in writing. In 2023 she was selected to become Rhode Island Latino Arts first poet-in-residency.

An enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Julie Garreau, she/her, (Lakota name Wičhaȟpi Epatȟaŋ Wiŋ) is executive director of the nonprofit Cheyenne River Youth Project in Eagle Butte, South Dakota. Since 1988, she has taken CRYP from a small youth center to a campus that includes youth and teen centers, art institute, garden, and social enterprises. In addition to completing several high-profile fellowships over the years, Julie has been recognized with such prestigious awards as the Bush Prize for Innovation, Spirit of Dakota Award, Presidential Points of Light Award, and Tim Wapato Public Advocate of the Year Award. She is currently a 2022 Vital Village Fellow.

179, a Seattle-based muralist and teaching artist, fosters community engagement through public art projects. Passionate about empowering youth, she's been a vital part of Red Can for four years, mentoring and creating murals during their youth programming. Her participation, starting from the inaugural virtual event, has shaped her into a community advocate. She's currently immersed in Amazon's Understory Artist In Residency in Seattle. Through her art, she aims to engage viewers to actively participate in their environment. Advocating for art accessibility, she emphasizes community engagement, highlighting Red Can's profound impact.

The intersection of Black music and Southern culture has deep roots in hip-hop, gospel, jazz, blues, and rock. The same applies to South Carolina Lowcountry artist Benny Starr, whose creations embody these roots. Benny and his fellow bandmates, The Four20s, recorded their most recent album, A Water Album, live at Charleston Music Hall on Juneteenth 2019.

In October 2020, the US Water Alliance welcomed Benny Starr as their inaugural One Water Artist-in-Residence. In 2021, Benny was named one of Grist's 50 Fixers, a list that recognizes emerging leaders in climate, sustainability, and equity who are creating change nationwide. In 2023, Benny launched Watercolor Creative, a consultancy focusing on artistic projects, creative strategy, and social practice work with creators, communities, and equity-centered partners. 

Margy Waller is an advocate for creating community through the arts, founder of Art on the Streets, and a policy expert who has worked at Brookings Institution and the White House Domestic Policy Council.

Sarah Allan is the Assistant Director for Economic Development, working with small businesses and helping to manage public art initiatives for the City of Covington. Sarah has managed $7 million dollars in arts-related projects, including public art, programming, and project financing/development. 

Erik Takeshita has more than 25 years of experience focusing on the role of art and culture in building stronger and more equitable communities and is serving as co-director of The Culture & Community Power Fund.

Renee Piechocki (she/her) is passionate about developing projects and initiatives to engage artists and communities in the public realm. She is an artist, arts advocate, public art producer, and public art consultant who provides technical assistance, planning, and project management for nonprofit organizations, municipalities, community development corporations, artists, and others across the United States. Her current consulting roster includes healthcare, transportation, and community development entities. Her work as an artist ranges from social practice projects, short films, and photography. 

Hoka Skenandore was born in 1982 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. His multicultural roots include the Oneida of Wisconsin, the Oglala Lakota, the La Jolla Band of Luiseno, as well as Chicano heritage. He grew up in a home where he learned to appreciate Traditional Native Art alongside Fine Art. On his own he embraced the D.I.Y. ethos of Punk Rock and Hip-Hop Culture and painted Graffiti Art. He transitioned from painting Graffiti to working on murals in the Albuquerque metro area. He is a graduate of the Institute of American Indian Arts where he earned his BFA, as well as a graduate of the University of Oklahoma where he earned his MFA in 2020. He will begin teaching classes as an Assistant Professor at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Fall of 2023.

Molly Rice creates big community collaborations and small, strange musicals. Her plays have been developed/ produced in NYC and nationally. Honors and awards include Brown University’s Weston Prize, Women’s International Theater Festival, Princess Grace Award (finalist), nominations for the New York IT Awards, the Carole R. Brown Award, and Global Pittsburgh’s Organizational Diversity Champion Award (2020). Favorite productions include The Birth of Paper (2021), a humanitarian theater work involving over 60 pen pals, makers, artists, and volunteers in Pittsburgh and Beirut, Lebanon; Khuraki, created with Afghan refugees (nominated for 2019 Mayor’s Award for Public Art); and The Saints Tour, a site-specific play occurring across the country since 2009. With director Rusty Thelin, she is co-founder and co-Artistic Director of  RealTime Arts. MFA: Brown University.