The New Face of Arts Leadership in the West - westaf - The Western ...

Ming Luke: My name is Ming Luke. I am from
Sacramento, California. The thing that drives
me is sensory gratification. I happen to work
in Napa Valley, and I have a great weakness
for gastronomical delights, as I like to call
them. The other manifestation of that is I am
an orchestral conductor and, having a large
background in dance, I am very interested
in how personal, physical gestures can affect
a large number of people. I am interested
in how gestures can be used as a means of
communication, but I am also interested in
the extent to which physical gestures can
become so powerful that they become tactile.
In my work, I can actually feel in front of me
different colors in the orchestral palette.
Nan Elsasser: I am Nan Elsasser from
Albuquerque. What I have been thinking
about a lot is retiring. I have been running an
organization that I founded with some young
people 17 years ago. I already went through
founder’s syndrome, and I am on the other side,
which is great. I am looking forward to getting
out and passing the organizational leadership
on to younger staff. My entire current professional
staff went through the program, went
off to college, and came back. So it is really
exciting to be able to work with them in this
transition. In terms of current artistic interests,
for quite a while, we have been grappling with
how to produce thought-provoking theatre
and art about New Mexico. We want to bring
very contemporary forms to communities that
do not get to see very much art and theatre,
at least that particular kind of art and theatre.
Margo Aragon: I am Margo Aragon. I am a
WESTAF trustee, and I live in Idaho. I do quite
a bit of writing, so I am always chasing a story
or waiting for a story to appear and call me
out. That is how I find stories—there is something
going on, and I sort of move in that direction. I
am always interested in language, literature,
and landscapes. I like to spend a great amount
of time outdoors. That is my favorite place,
and that is where the stories begin and are
housed. I never really feel like I am writing them
down or making them up; rather, I believe I
find them and give them a home again.
Mayumi Tsutakawa: I am Mayumi Tsutakawa
from Seattle. I come from a family of artists
and feel I have spent my life supporting artists.
Most of my career has been centered
on helping emerging artists of color in
visual arts, literature, and film. I feel very
honored to be here at the table. I will be
listening and learning a lot from all of you.
Samuel Aguiar Iñiguez: My name is Samuel
Aguiar Iñiguez, and I am from Sacramento,
California. I am an English professor at Cosumnes
River College. I am fascinated with the idea
of language and, for example, how American
language is currently oppressing our cultural
identities. In response to that, I am currently
working on a book called Mothafucka’: The
Rebellion of American Language, which talks
about how the traditional American language
has oppressed. 1 You know, back 100 or 150 years
ago, the language was more contemporary.
However, now that we have a lot of cultures
here, we can’t respond, and we can’t use the
English language in our own direct way. So we
need to incorporate our own cultural response
to that. This is something I am working on.
I am also looking at the hip-hop genre
and considering how it is a tool in teaching
language. If you are into hip hop, you
understand that there are many genres of
hip hop; it is not just what you see on TV. You
have contras, you have bohemian rap, and
each style or genre of hip hop also has a different
language that caters to that culture.
So I am also looking at those aspects.
Charles Lewis: My name is Charles Lewis. I am
the founder and executive director of Ethos
Music Center in Portland, Oregon. The main
focus of my work is opportunity and equality
in education for kids, especially in the area of
music education. With all of the budget cuts
in the schools, many kids simply are not able to
enjoy the benefits of music education. That is
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