Watch THE NEXT STAGE Episode 6: Are We Post-Pandemic Yet?
Webinar/Q&A
News post updated: March 21, 2022
THE NEXT STAGE: Episode 6: Are We Post-Pandemic Yet?
Aired Thursday, March 17, 2022.
On March 12, the governors of California, Oregon, and Washington will lift indoor mask mandates.
How are venues responding?
How do we protect audiences, artists, and staff when states no longer require masks?
What will be the short-term and mid-term effects on programming and operations?
How are your policies and operations changing?
Join our interactive panel of presenters for this free webinar as we learn together in real-time.
Speakers
Jill Barnes (she/her) | Executive Director, The Washington Center for the Arts
Since 2014, Jill Barnes has served as the Executive Director of The Washington Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Olympia, WA.
She has previously worked for the Idaho Falls Arts Council, the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, and Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company.
Jill is a graduate from Boston University’s Arts Administration program and studied music at the University of Utah. She currently serves on the board of Arts Northwest.
She shares her life with her husband, 3 curly haired children, two Great Danes, and is convinced that communal singing can save the world
Molly Clark (she/her) | Director, Cal Poly Arts
Molly Clark is a mission-driven arts administrator and curator with experience working at esteemed arts and education institutions over the last 15 years.
She began as Director of Cal Poly Arts at Cal Poly University in San Luis Obispo, California, in 2021. Prior to her position at Cal Poly, she was the Artistic Director at ArtPower at UC San Diego for 9 years.
She has experience in developing student and community engagement programs, connecting artists with the campus and community to spark dialogue, discovery, and active participation in the arts through a robust array of lectures, panel discussions, workshops, master classes, co-creation experiences, and K-12 programs.
Molly holds a Master's degree in Nonprofit Leadership and has a passion for providing access to the arts for all communities.
Molly was a Leadership Fellow at the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP) in the 2018-2020 cohort.
Robyn L. Williams, CFE (she/her) | Executive Director, Portland’5
Robyn Williams has worked in the public assembly facility management field for more than thirty years in Texas, North Carolina, and Oregon — where she is currently Executive Director for Portland’5 Centers for the Arts. Portland’5 consists of the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Keller Auditorium and the Newmark, Winningstad and Brunish Theatres in Antoinette Hatfield Hall.
Robyn is a member and past president of the International Association of Venue Managers. She was a 15-year instructor and Past Chair of the Board of Regents for IAVM’s Venue Management School. She is a past chair and trustee for the IAVM Foundation. She is a Certified Venue Executive.
Portland’5 was one of the first performing arts centers to obtain the Global Biorisk Advisory Committee’s GBAC Star accreditation. Their template became the standard for all other performing arts centers in the US.
In 2007, Robyn was voted one of the Top Five Women of Influence' by Venues Today magazine. In 2018 she was awarded the Charles A McElravy Award for extraordinary contributions to IAVM and the public assembly facility management field.
Moderator
Antonio M. Gómez (he/him) | Associate Director of Education, Tacoma Arts Live; WAA Board Vice President
Image credit: G. Davidson-Gómez.
Associate Director of Education at Tacoma Arts Live and WAA Board Vice President, Tony focuses on creating economically and culturally accessible arts experiences for communities and learners of all ages. Equity forms the through line in his work across education, arts and media.
A former K12 classroom teacher and public media education producer, he continues to design curricula and support teachers and teaching artists.
As a working percussionist he specializes in Afro-Latin and Mediterranean genres and performs with Trío Guadalevín, and Tango del Cielo. Recent collaborations include the Center for Washington Cultural Traditions, Early Music Seattle and the Tacoma Refugee Choir.
One of his favorite pandemic-era projects was producing Festival Latinx, which combined an arts and heritage event with a successful vaccination clinic and public health campaign.
About the Series
THE NEXT STAGE: Essential Issues in Performing Arts Creation, Presentation, and Engagement spotlights diverse voices, new ideas, and groundbreaking innovations to help the performing arts navigate today’s challenges and thrive.
The program launched in 2021 as a five-part series in partnership with the Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, gathering innovative artists and arts leaders from the United States and beyond to explore the most significant challenges and opportunities of the global crisis.
For 2022, THE NEXT STAGE continues with an extended exploration into the big issues impacting the performing arts today, creating space for ongoing dialogue, expert perspectives, and shared community learning.