Virtual Visionaries is a new summer series featuring conversations with leading performing artists on resiliency, adaptability, and creativity. Presented by the University of Michigan’s EXCEL Lab in collaboration with peer institutions, this series is geared towards performing artists and arts entrepreneurs. Free and open to all.
Join Matt and Kari Landry, co-founders of Akropolis Reed Quintet, and Julie Nakagawa, the Artistic Director of DanceWorks Chicago, as they share experiences building these organizations from the ground up. This conversation will explore some of the key challenges they overcame, and share insights for sustaining beyond volatile circumstances.
Make sure to check out their blog post, published the Monday before the talk: https://umexcelsmtd.wordpress.com/
The Zoom link for this session is here: http://myumi.ch/O42Oq
RSVP here for email reminders: https://umich.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eWF7qA4B5e3oalT
From Evanston, Illinois, Julie was a featured dancer with Christopher D’Amboise’s Off Center Ballet, Cleveland Ballet, and Twyla Tharp Dance. Returning to Chicago upon her retirement from dancing, her interest in the development of dancers and related artistic collaborators manifested in leadership roles with Lou Conte Dance Studio; Hubbard Street 2; and DanceWorks Chicago, an artistic incubator focused on the holistic development of young creatives, of which she is Co- founder and Artistic Director. Julie contributes to the dance commUNITY as a teacher, a mentor, and champion of arts and artists. She is pleased to return to the UM (virtual) campus! www.danceworkschicago.org
Kari Landry is a Backun Artist and Clarinetist and Marketing & Development Manager for the Akropolis Reed Quintet, with whom she has won 7 national chamber music prizes including a Fischoff Gold Medal, released three studio albums, and has received numerous grants including three consecutive Art Works grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. Kari manages Akropolis’ marketing, branding, social media, digital media, and web design. She teaches entrepreneurship at the University of Michigan, was a former Kennedy Center and University Musical Society intern, and won an EMMY for her work on A Space for Music, a Seat for Everyone.
Matt Landry is Saxophonist and Executive Director of the Akropolis Reed Quintet, with whom he has won 7 national chamber music prizes including a Fischoff Gold Medal, released three studio albums, and has received numerous grants including three consecutive Art Works grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. He manages Akropolis’ finances, project development, fundraising, and strategic development. He was selected by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs as a 2018-19 Rising Leader. He teaches entrepreneurship at Michigan State University and has previously worked at the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce.