Join us for a Black History + Women's History Month celebration of Chicago's Black arts scene as three cultural treasures come together for discussion and performances.
Representing over 150 years of arts in Chicago, the leaders of these 3 historic institutions will chat about the power of the arts, the importance of our voices, and the impact of Chicago on the world. Moderated by Amina Dickerson, the evening promises to be as fun and lively and it is meaningful and inspiring.
The event will be broadcast to the public on February 28, 2021, 3PM CST on the Jazz Institute of Chicago’s Facebook and YouTube pages.
Special Members-Only and Q&A Recording Access: Thursday, February 25. Zoom link and details will be emailed to members.
About the panelists:
Heather Ireland Robinson is the Jazz Institute of Chicago’s Executive Director. Committed to providing creative opportunities to communities, she also served as Executive Director of the Beverly Arts Center and the historic South Side Community Art Center. With a 22+ year career, and a belief that the arts should be available to all Heather’s experiences have included leadership, programming and management with some of the Chicago’s foremost institutions including After School Matters, Gallery 37, The Chicago Park District, and Marwen. Heather taught theatre and poetry performance at the South Shore Cultural Center and has developed performance and arts integration workshops for the city’s youth primarily on the south side. She was the founder of The People’s Jazz Theatre, and her children’s plays have been produced at the DuSable Museum, Taste of Chicago, The Chicago Jazz Festival, and the Chicago Cultural Center. Heather holds a BS in Advertising from the University of Illinois at Urbana and an MFA in Acting from DePaul. She includes the Goodman, Redmoon, MPAACT, Pegasus Players and NBC’s ER among her acting credits.
Kai EL ́ Zabar is a Visionary who as Executive Editor at the iconic Chicago Defender poised her as the first woman to hold the position. Today Kai brings excitement and optimism to her position as CEO/Executive Director of eta Creative Arts Position that she currently holds, Kai says many have questioned, “How do you move from executive editor to executive director? And I say, "Seamlessly. In each situation as the team leader, I provide the vision overseeing staff whom manage and drive the process to achieve the goals, benchmarks and milestones step by step fulfilling the organization’s mission. Though different, a publication or any form of media is a platform as is the stage where we tell our stories. My charge is to provide the leadership to transform the vision into reality.”
Monique Brinkman-Hill is the Executive Director of the South Side Community Art Center. She combines her love and appreciation for African American Art with the mission of the organization to conserve, preserve and promote the legacy and future of African American art and artists while educating the community on the value of art and culture. Prior to joining the South Side Community Art Center (SSCAC), Monique was a Senior Vice President and Managing Director with Northern Trust and Industry leader in Wealth Management. Monique has a history of successful financial services leadership and extensive experience meeting the needs of individual and corporate clients. She has a proven ability to synthesize and weigh all relevant information to identify and communicate key issues, facilitate decision-making, and optimize business outcomes… skills that easily translate across work.
Amina J. Dickerson (Moderator) founded Dickerson Global Advisors in 2009 building on her leadership experience over three decades working in the non-profit, corporate and philanthropy sectors. As a professional coach and strategist to emerging leaders, the philanthropic community and non-profit organizations, her consulting practice focuses on leadership advancement, cultural planning, nonprofit development and strategic partnerships. She currently also serves as Co-Interim Director for the Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago. Dickerson previously lead the multi-national philanthropic programs in hunger relief, domestic violence prevention, and arts and education at Kraft Foods. She held executive posts with the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Chicago Historical Society, and DuSable Museum of African American History. In addition to her consulting engagements, Amina works as a coach with the Kellogg School for Nonprofit Management at Northwestern and as faculty/advisor to Young Cultural Innovators, a program of the Salzburg Global Seminar in Austria. She leads workshops on women’s leadership, succession planning and organizational stewardship and is a frequent panelist and keynote speaker. Amina studied theater at Emerson College, holds a certificate in arts management from Harvard University, and a M.A. in arts management from the American University in Washington, D.C. She has coaching certificates from the Coaches Training Institute and the Center for Creative Leadership and is a member of the International Coaching Federation.
This event is presented in partnership with:
