The new faces of Philly arts leadership offer shades of hope and plans for change

The seasons are changing in Philadelphia arts organizations where new directors seek to bolster the city’s cultural scene, which has faced severe challenges due to a lingering pandemic downturn. In theater, LaNeshe Miller-White now heads the Philadelphia Young Playwrights and Sabriaya Shipley has replaced her as leader of Theatre Philadelphia. At the Association for Public Art, which commissions artworks around the city, former Brooklynite Charlotte Cohen is moving in as executive director. The Inquirer asked each executive to tell us where they want Philadelphia’s arts scene to go next.

Why the new job: When I came to Philadelphia in 2004 to attend Temple University, my very first theater gig was as an actor in the [annual] fall Philadelphia Young Playwrights showcase. Since then, I was an in-classroom actor, participating in a playwriting retreat and the second annual pep rally. I have always been extremely touched and inspired by the scenes and plays written by PYP students, so I was very excited when the position opened up.

Where they’ve been: Prior to joining the Philadelphia Young Playwrights team, I was the executive director of Theatre Philadelphia.

Next big challenge: One of our priorities is bringing our programming to more students in the School District of Philadelphia. Our challenge is that SDP schools are under-resourced, and many cannot afford to bring our program in. Previously, we subsidized program costs with donations and grants. But as many arts nonprofits can tell you, the funding landscape has shifted, and we cannot offer as many subsidies as we once could.

Plans for the future: To get into classrooms, we have launched our Neighborhood Initiative, which will bring our program to libraries, rec centers, and other community spaces and offer Philadelphia students the opportunity to celebrate their voices through the art of playwriting. In the immediate future, this year’s New Voices showcase at Temple is October 12 to 21.

Favorite cultural activity in Philly: Theater, hands down. I absolutely love Philadelphia’s theater community. There are so many different types of theater companies in our city producing all kinds of amazing work.

Why the new job: Working as a community ethnographer, educator, and creator in various Philly communities in the past 10 years has led me to listen to what the community wants and needs to grow, but also to reflect. In listening to the youth I teach to the artists/art collective I collaborate with, I felt the calling to dig deeper into my community-centered facilitation and bring more diversity and intersectionality to this hub of Philadelphia theater.

Where they’ve been: I have spent the last five-plus years building community with youth around Philadelphia and devising new works/programming by myself and in collaboration with Painted Bride Art Center, Philadelphia Young Playwrights, The Colored Girls Museum, Forman Art Initiative, Philadelphia Foundation, and Our Mothers Kitchen. I also spent a huge chunk of time connecting and supporting my North Philadelphia community as a program director at Tree House Books.

Next big challenge: Breathing in how the Philadelphia theater community is growing, pivoting, and deconstructing systems around how we create. There is an expectation of neutrality that is unrealistic to the oppressive systems and cycles that will always lend itself to the culturally significant stories needed in various spaces. Yet, there can be unrealistic expectations surrounding the speed of decolonizing storytelling. It takes a lot of action, patience, and strategic planning to protect the most vulnerable bodies, such as BIPOC artists and creators.

Plans for the future: Theatre Philadelphia is looking to become more of a service for accessibility to theater for various audiences through more partnerships, more programming, and more community archiving and documentation to develop an ethnography of the blooming creativity in theater for future generations.

Favorite cultural activity in Philly: Growing up in the inner city of Baltimore, Md., my favorite memories are of block parties featuring drumming, African storytelling, imaginative activities, jammin’ DJs, and tons of live music. Philly evokes a similar feeling when I see Theatre in the X at Malcolm Park or attend a Girard Ave block party. The cultural activities that really stick with me are the communal ones.

Why the new job: I have been in the field of public art for 20 years, and I’ve known [former executive director] Penny Bach and others from aPA going on 30 years. I admired their work immensely. I understand aPA is in a period of evolution, and that’s work I really enjoy doing at organizations and with people.

Where they’ve been: I was the executive director of the Brooklyn Arts Council, which is an independent nonprofit organization in New York. It’s one of the five borough arts councils that partners very closely with the Department of Cultural Affairs for the city. We had a really robust arts and education program with teaching artists, and provided resources and development so artists have the capacity and sustainability to advance their careers. So, having worked there it seemed like a really great fit to work at aPA.

Next big challenge: I think it’s an issue of evolution for this organization. It’s a challenge every organization faces at different times in their lifecycle.

Since COVID-19 hit, we’ve seen real comeuppance form people and organizations, and there’s been a desire for change in many ways. Our arts and culture sector was hit really hard, but now we’re trying to ramp back up. It’s going to take time.

Plans for the future: The plan is to lean into aPA’s legacy. We have a storied collection that includes contemporary art work and permanent collections. I’m looking to assess all aspects of the organization. I really want to continue the work and make use of the things the organization has accomplished.

Working with living artists has always been my priority, so we will engage more with contemporary living artists. .

Favorite cultural activity in Philly: I can’t say I have one favorite quite yet. But I’m just impressed with the amount of cultural offerings and diversity of work that’s happening here. I look forward to experiencing more of it.

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These interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.