BLACK ARTS @ WAA
Drawing on Black leadership, perspective, experience, and voice.
OVERVIEW & MISSION
The Black Arts @ WAA initiative seeks to recognize, champion, and uplift Black artists and ensembles as it works to address systemic racism and implicit bias in touring and presenting.
WAA recognizes that there is no quick fix to these complex issues, but a process rooted in transparency, honesty, and generosity can be a powerful instrument for change.
“We want to build a world in which undeveloped and unrefined emotional instincts — like possessiveness and jealousy — are minimized as much as humanly possible so that all eyes, hearts and spirits are not distracted from the goal. And the goal is freedom. The goal is to live beyond fear. The goal is to end the occupation of our bodies and souls by the agents of a larger American culture that demonstrates daily how we don’t matter.”
Patrisse Cullors | When They Call You a Terrorist
PROGRAM HISTORY
The inaugural Black Arts @ WAA program took place in 2019 at Leimert Park, the historic center of LA’s Black community. Drawing on Black leadership, perspective, experience, and voice, the day-long symposium focused on the performing arts of the Black arts diaspora.
The program opened with a performance by the Portland-based Ghanaian singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Okaidja Afroso, followed by a keynote address from artist, organizer, writer, and founder of Black Lives Matter Patrisse Cullors. Other program elements included panels, breakout peer-to-peer learning sessions, and a guided tour of the Time is Running Out of Time exhibit at Art + Practice — a presentation of early short works of LA Black filmmakers and video artists. The event closed with the Black Voices showcase program, featuring ADAAWE, DANCE IQUAIL!, Albino Mbie, and the Red Door Project. You can see the complete 2019 symposium program here.
Black Arts @ WAA presented their second Black Voices showcase program at the 2020 Arts Midwest + WAA joint virtual conference. The showcase included selected artists Dahlak Brathwaite, Drew Dollaz, Donal Fox, Amythyst Kiah, Spectrum Dance Theater, and Sphinx Virtuos, plus featured artists A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, EVIDENCE, A Dance Company, Darrel Grant, Jazzy Ash & The Leaping Lizards, Lula Washington Dance Theatre, and The Reminders.
Black Arts @ WAA hosted affinity sessions — which provide time and space for sharing, networking, and exchange among those with a shared identity — at the 2020 and 2021 conferences.
Audience at the 2019 Black Arts @ WAA keynote; image credit: Corporate Close Ups.
Panelists Nataki Garrett (Oregon Shakespeare Festival) and Krista Bradley (APAP) at the 2019 Black Arts @ WAA program; image credit: Corporate Close Ups.
2019 Black Arts @ WAA keynote speaker, Patrisse Cullors (Black Lives Matter); image credit: Corporate Close Ups.
Okaidja Afroso performing at the 2019 Black Arts @ WAA Symposium; Corporate Close Ups
BLACK ARTS @ WAA NEWS & EVENTS
Including the Black Voices Blog Series
MEET THE CHAIRS
Black Arts @ WAA is co-chaired by WAA board members, Tamica Washington-Miller.
Tamica Washington-Miller (She/her)
Associate Director, Choreographer, Dancer with Lula Washington Dance Theatre | WAA Board Director
Tamica Washington-Miller is the Associate Director and named successor for the Lula Washington Dance Theatre (LWDT). She is a choreographer, performing artist, and an overall arts leader. Her board experience spans strategic planning, succession, development and fundraising, governance, and bylaws.
She is currently on the Board of Directors for the International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD). Tamica helped to produce their conference and festival in Los Angeles five times. She is an active member on the Board of Trustees for Dance/USA, where she serves as Co-Chair of the Trustees Committee. Her work with Dance/USA has included serving on the 2018 Host Committee for their Los Angeles conference, and on the Bylaws Committee, working to more intentionally align the bylaws with the organization’s core values and mission.
Tamica participated in the Dance/USA Institute for Leadership Training. She also earned a full scholarship to participate in the inaugural Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP) Leadership Fellows program, and a full scholarship from the LA County Arts Commission to attend the Southern California Leadership program and the Arts for LA Activate Leadership Development program.
BLACK VOICES SHOWCASE PROGRAM
The Black Voices Showcase aired on October 6, 2022 as part of the Arts Midwest + WAA 2020 Conference, featuring artists Dahlak Brathwaite, Drew Dollaz, Donal Fox, Amythyst Kiah, Spectrum Dance Theatre/Donald Byrd, and Sphinx Virtuosi.
Meet the artists
Left to right: Dahlak Brathwaite, Drew Dollaz, Donal Fox, Amythyst Kiah, Donald Byrd (Spectrum Dance Theatre), and Sphinx Virtuosi.