Panelists

Panelists help to shape each year’s USA Fellow cohort and keep our process grounded in and responsive to the changes across disciplines. Their expertise, criticality, and insight are invaluable to the USA Fellowship selection process.

2019 Panelists

Architecture & Design
Alexandra Cunningham Cameron
Editor-in-Chief
Miami Rail
Miami, FL
Sarah Herda
Executive Director
Graham Foundation
Chicago, IL
Nader Tehrani
Dean/Principle
Cooper Union/NADAAA
Boston, MA
Craft
Joan Livingstone
Senior Faculty, Fiber and Material Studies
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, IL
Roberto Lugo
Professor of Ceramics
Tyler School of Art, Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
2016
Dance
Glenn Edgerton
Artistic Director
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
Chicago, IL
Rosie Herrera
Artistic Director
Rosie Herrera Dance Theater
Miami, FL
2016
Liz Lerman
Institute Professor
Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, Arizona State University
Tempe/Phoenix, AZ
2011
Film
Rhea Combs
Curator of Film & Photography
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Washington, DC
Mimi Plauché
Artistic Director
Chicago International Film Festival
Chicago, IL
Ryan White
Filmmaker
Los Angeles, CA
2014
Media
Tyler Greene
Live Events Producer/Artistic Director
WBEZ/Chicago Podcast Festival
Chicago, IL
Sarah Hromack
Chief Culture Officer
Kickstarter
New York, NY
Roderick Schrock
Director
Eyebeam
New York, NY
Music
Jason King
Associate Professor and Academic Director of the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music
New York University
New York, NY
Eddy Kwon
Director
MYCincinnati
Cincinnati, OH
2016
Phil Rosenthal
Director of Programming
Heard Entertainment
Austin, TX
Theater & Performance
Erin Boberg Doughton
Artistic Director & Curator of Performance
Time-Based Festival: PICA
Portland, OR
Jacob Padrón
Founder & Artistic Director
The Sol Project
New York, NY
Tanya Palmer
Producer/Director of New Play Development
The Goodman Theatre
Chicago, IL
Traditional Arts
Da-ka-xeen Mehner
Director
University of Alaska Fairbanks Native Arts Center
Fairbanks, AK
2015
Mateo Melcahy
Director of Community Projects and Events
The Old Town School of Folk Music
Chicago, IL
Jennifer Heller Zurick
Artist
Berea, KY
2010
Visual Art
Johanna Burton
Director and Curator of Education and Public Programs
The New Museum
New York, NY
Julie Rodrigues Widholm
Director and Chief Curator
DePaul Art Museum
Chicago, IL
Hamza Walker
Executive Director
LAXART
Los Angeles, CA
Meg Onli
Assistant Curator
Institute of Contemporary Art Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA
María Elena Ortiz
Associate Curator
The Perez Art Museum Miami
Miami, FL
Charlie Tatum
Editorial and Communications Manager
Pelican Bomb
New Orlean, LA
Gibran Villalobos
Partnerships and Engagement Program Liaison
MCA Chicago
Chicago, IL
Gee Wesley
Program Director
Recess
New York, NY
Sarah Williams
Managing Director
Women's Center for Creative Work
Los Angeles, CA
Writing
Chris Abani
Professor of English
Northwestern University
Chicago, IL
2014
Abigail Wadsworth Serfass
Managing Editor
Kenyon Review
Gambier, OH
Angel Ysaguirre
Executive Director
Illinois Humanities Council
Chicago, IL

2018 Panelists

Architecture & Design
Sarah Herda
Executive Director
Graham Foundation
Chicago, IL
Natasha Jen
Partner
Pentagram
New York, NY
Andrew Zago
Partner & Founder
Zago Architecture
Los Angeles, CA
2008 USA Fellow
Craft
Josh Green
Executive Director
National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA)
Boulder, CO
Beth Lipman
Contemporary Artist
Sheboygan Falls, WI
2011 USA Fellow
Carol Sauvion
Executive Director
Craft in America
Los Angeles, CA
Dance
Nora Chipaumire
Choreographer
New York, NY
2011 USA Fellow
Simone Eccleston
Director of Hip-Hop Culture
The Kennedy Center
Washington, DC
Ginger Farley
Executive Director
Chicago Dancemakers Forum
Chicago, IL
Media
Peter Nicks
Filmmaker
Oakland, CA
2015 USA Fellow
Opeyemi Olukemi
Vice-President, Digital Production and Innovation
American Documentary, POV
New York, NY
Jenna Weiss-Berman
Founder
Pineapple Street Media
New York, NY
Music
Ted Gioia
Musician & Author
Plano, TX
Rudresh Mahanthappa
Musician
Montclair, NJ
2015 USA Fellow
Rosita Sands
Department Chair, Music
Columbia College
Chicago, IL
Theater & Performance
Joshua Takano Chambers-Letson
Professor of Performance Studies
Northwestern University
Evanston, IL
Anthony Garcia
Executive Artistic Director
Su Teatro
Denver, CO
2006 USA Fellow
Jackie Sibblies Drury
Playwright
Brooklyn, NY
2015 USA Fellow
Traditional Arts
Nicolasa Chávez
Curator of Latino, Hispano, Spanish, and Colonial Collections
Museum of International Folk Art
Santa Fe, NM
Matt Meacham
Program Manager
Illinois Humanities Council
Chicago, IL
Megha Ralapati
Residency and Special Projects Manager
Hyde Park Art Center
Chicago, IL
Visual Art
Brooke Davis Anderson
Museum Director
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Philadelphia, PA
Lauren Haynes
Curator of Contemporary Art
Crystal Bridges Museum
Bentonville, AR
LaToya Ruby Frazier
Professor of Photography, Artist
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, IL
2014 USA Fellow
Writing
Chris Abani
Professor of English
Northwestern University
Evanston, IL
2014 USA Fellow
Natalie Diáz
Poet
Mohave Valley, AZ
2014 USA Fellow
Allison Sansone
Program Director
The American Writers Museum
Chicago, IL

2016 Panelists

Architecture & Design
Beatrice Galilee
Curator, Writer, and Critic
Daniel Brodsky Associate Curator of Architecture & Design, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York, NY
John Ronan
Principal
John Ronan Architects
Chicago, IL
Doris Sung
Assistant Professor
University of Southern California School of Architects
Rolling Hills, CA
2014
Craft
Liz Collins
Artist & Designer
Brooklyn, NY
2006
Bruce Pepich
Executive Director & Curator
Racine Art Museum
Racine, WI
Arline Fisch
Artist & Designer
San Diego, CA
2006
Kurt Sundstrom
Curator
Currier Museum of Art
Concord, NH
Dance
Alejandro Cerrudo
Choreographer
Chicago, IL
2014
Bebe Miller
Choreographer
Columbus, OH
2010
Rachel Moore
President & CEO
Los Angeles Music Center
Los Angeles, CA
Media
Ryan Oestreich
General Manager
Music Box Theater
Chicago, IL
Opeyemi Olukemi
Senior Director
Interactive Programs at Tribeca Film Institute
Brooklyn, NY
Yowei Shaw
Producer
Washington, DC
2014
Music
John Corbett
Founder
Corbett vs. Dempsey
Chicago, IL
Fredara Hadley
Assistant Professor
Ethnomusicology at Oberlin College & Conservatory
Brooklyn, NY
Michael Tiknis
President and Managing Director
Harris Theater for Music and Dance
Chicago, IL
Theater & Performance
Joshua Takano Chambers-Letson
Assistant Professor
Performance Studies at Northwestern University
Chicago, IL
Sigrid Gilmer
Playwright
Los Angeles, CA
2014
Annie-B. Parson
Artistic Director
Big Dance Theater
Brooklyn, NY
2012
Traditional Arts
Bonnie Brooks
Associate Professor & Director
The Dance Center at Columbia College
Chicago, IL
Joshua Green
Executive Director
the National Council of Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA)
Pittsburgh, PA
Karen Patterson
Curator
John Michael Kohler Arts Center
Sheboygan, WI
Teri Rofkar
Weaver
Sitka, AK
2006
Visual Art
Naomi Beckwith
Curator
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
Chicago, IL
Deanna Dikeman
Photographer
Columbia, MO
2008
René Morales
Curator
Pérez Art Museum Miami
Miami, FL
Writing
Michael Awkward
Professor, Afro-American Literature & Culture
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI
Natalie Diaz
Poet
Phoenix, AZ
2014
Robert P. Marzac
English Professor
Purdue University
Lafayette, IN
Ellen Placey Wadey
Program Officer
Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation
Chicago, IL

2015 Panelists

Architecture & Design
Stephen Burks
Founder & Principal
Stephen Burks Man Made
New York, NY
2008
David van der Leer
Executive Director
Van Alen Institute
New York, NY
Amanda Williams
Architecture Professor
Illinois Institute of Technology
Chicago, IL
2018
Craft
Beth Lipman
Sculptor
Sheboygan Falls, WI
2011
Namita Gupta Wiggers
Curator & Founder
Critical Craft Forum
Portland, OR
Dance
Lane Alexander
Co-Founder & Artistic Director
Chicago Human Rhythm Project
Chicago, IL
Rennie Harris
Dancer, Choreographer, & Founder
Rennie Harris Puremovement
Philadelphia, PA
2007
Maura Keefe
Chair of the Department of Dance
College at Brockport
Brockport, NY
Media
Sandi DuBowski
Director & Producer
US Director of Good Pitch
Brooklyn, NY
Barrett Golding
Audio & Web Producer
Bozeman, MT
2010
Laura Kipnis
Professor
School of Communication, Northwestern University
Evanston, IL
Justine Nagan
Executive Director
American Documentary Inc.
New York, NY
Music
Mary Ellen Childs
Composer & Founder
Crash
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
2011
Ted Gioia
Musician & Author
Plano, TX
Marcy Morgan
Executive Director
Harvard Hip-Hop Archive & Research Institute
Cambridge, MA
Michael Tiknis
President & Managing Director
Harris Theater for Music and Dance
Chicago, IL
Theater & Performance
Adrienne Edwards
Curator
Performa
New York, NY
Will Power
Playwright
Dallas, TX
2008
Blair Thomas
Founder & Artistic Director
Blair Thomas & Company Puppet Theater
Chicago, IL
Traditional Arts
Nicholas Galanin
Multidisciplinary Artist
Sitka, AK
2012
Ellen Koskoff
Professor of Ethnomusicology
Eastman School of Music
Rochester, NY
Karen Patterson
Curator
John Michael Kohler Arts Center
Sheboygan, WI
Visual Art
Huey Gene Copeland
Associate Professor of Art History
Northwestern University
Evanston, IL
Agnes Gund
President Emerita
Museum of Modern Art
New York, NY
Edgar Heap of Birds
Multidisciplinary Artist
Oklahoma City, OK
René Morales
Curator
Peréz Art Museum Miami
Miami, FL
Catherine Sullivan
Multidisciplinary Artist
Chicago, IL
2012
Writing
Forrest Gander
Poet
Providence, RI
2008
Christina Pugh
Consulting Editor
Poetry Magazine
Chicago, IL
Ellen Placey Wadey
Program Officer
Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation
Chicago, IL

2014 Panelists

Architecture & Design
Ellen Grimes
Professor of Architecture
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, IL
Carlos Martinez
Design Director & Principal
Gensler
Chicago, IL
Kate Orff
Landscape Architect & Founder
SCAPE
New York, NY
2012
Craft & Traditional Arts
Theresa Secord
Executive Director
Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance
Waterville, ME
Michael Sherrill
Artist & Founder
Mudtools
Asheville, NC
Namita Gupta Wiggers
Curator & Founder
Critical Craft Forum
Portland, OR
Dance
Michelle Ellsworth
Dancer & Choreographer
Professor of Theater and Dance, University of Colorado Boulder
Boulder, CO
2011
Maura Keefe
Historian & Professor
SUNY Brockport
Brockport, NY
Peter Taub
Director of Performance Programs
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
Chicago, IL
Media
Rania Attieh
Filmmaker
En Passant Films
New York, NY
2012
Justine Nagan
Executive Director
Kartemquin Films
Chicago, IL
Dmae Roberts
Independent Radio Artist and Writer
Portland, OR
2006
Music
Welz Kauffman
President & CEO
Ravinia Festival
Chicago, IL
Ellen Koskoff
Professor of Ethnomusicology
Eastman School of Music
Rochester, NY
Claire Lynch
Musician
Nashville, TN
2012
Theater & Performance
Adrienne Edwards
Curator
Performa
New York, NY
Robbie McCauley
Playwright, Actor, & Director
Boston, MA
2012
Chay Yew
Artistic Director
Victory Gardens Theater
Chicago, IL
Visual Art
Huey Gene Copeland
Associate Professor of Art History
Northwestern University
Evanston, IL
Coco Fusco
Artist & Writer
New York, NY
2012
Clara Kim
Independent Curator
Los Angeles, LA
Writing
Adrian Castro
Poet & Author
Miami, FL
2012
Marilyn Chin
Professor
English Department, San Diego State University
San Diego, CA
2007
Aleksander Hemon
Writer & Critic
Chicago, IL
2012

2012 Panelists

Architecture & Design
J. Yolande Daniels
Founding Design Principal
Studio SUMO
Long Island City, NY
Nastasha Jen
Partner
Pentagram
New York, NY
Grace La
Principal
LA DALLMAN Architects, Inc.
Milwaukee, WI
Elena Manferdini
Atelier Manferdini
Los Angeles, CA
2011
Zoë Ryan
Chair & Curator of Architecture and Design
The Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, IL
Craft & Traditional Arts
Fabio J. Fernández
Exhibitions Director
The Society of Arts and Crafts
Boston, MA
Jo Lauria
Historian & Independent Curator
Los Angeles, CA
Beth Lo
Professor, Ceramics and Drawing
University of Montana, Missoula
Missoula, MT
2009
P. Andrew Spahr
Director of Collections and Exhibitions
Currier Museum of Art
Manchester, NH
Jonella Larson White
Rural Specialist
The Foraker Group
Anchorage, AK
Dance
Dayna Hanson
Dancer, Choreographer, & Musician
Seattle, WA
2010
Rosie Herrera
Artistic Director
Rosie Herrera Dance Company
Miami, FL
2016
Andrew Horwitz
Curator
Lower Manhattan Cultural Council
New York, NY
Ben Johnson
Director, Northrop Concerts and Lectures
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN
Renae Williams Niles
Director of Programming
The Music Center
Los Angeles, CA
Media
Natalia Almada
Documentary Filmmaker
Mexico City, MX
2010
Ann Heppermann
Radio Producer, Transmission, & Sound Artist
New York, NY
2011
Robert Koehler
Director of Programming
Film Society of Lincoln Center
New York, NY
Rose Kuo
Executive Director
Film Society of Lincoln Center
New York, NY
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Film Critic
Chicago, IL
Music
Mike Flynn
Producer & Host
The Folk Sampler
Siloam Springs, AR
Gabriela Lena Frank
Pianist & Composer
Oakland, CA
2010
John Hill
New Media Director, Northern Public Radio
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL
Mark Travis
Audio Producer
New York Philharmonic
New York, NY
Kristin Wilkinson
Violist & Composer
Nashville, TN
Theater & Performance
Braden Abraham
Associate Artistic Director
Seattle Repertory Theatre
Seattle, WA
Cheryl Lynn Bruce
Actor & Director
Chicago, IL
Juliette Carrillo
Freelance Director
Cornerstone Theater Ensemble
Los Angeles, CA
Kirk Lynn
Playwright
Austin, TX
2011
Chay Yew
Artistic Director
Victory Gardens Theater
Chicago, IL
Visual Art
Lauri Firstenberg
Founder, Director, & Chief Curator
LAXART
Los Angeles, CA
Clara Kim
Senior Curator of Visual Arts
Walker Art Center
Minneapolis, MN
Sarah Lewis
Author, Curator, & Critic
Yale University School of Art
New York, NY
Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle
Artist
Chicago, IL
Tobias Ostrander
Chief Curator & Deputy Director
Miami Art Museum
Miami, FL
Writing
Steve Erickson
Novelist
Topanga, CA
Forrest Gander
Poet
Providence, RI
2008
Cristina Garcia
University Chair in Creative Writing
Texas State-San Marcos
San Marcos, TX
Frank Stewart
Editor
Manoa: A Pacific Journal
Honolulu, HI
Karen Tei Yamashita
Professor, Literature Department
University of California, Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, CA
2011

2011 Panelists

Architecture & Design
Richard Massey
Designer
Miami, FL
Teddy Cruz
Professor in Public Culture and Urbanism
University of California San Diego
San Diego, CA
2010
J. Yolande Daniels
Founding Design Principal
Studio SUMO
Long Island City, NY
Ellen Grimes
Associate Professor
School of The Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, IL
John Stuart
Professor of Architecture
Florida International University
Miami, FL
Craft & Traditional Arts
Fabio Fernandez
Exhibitions Director
The Society of Arts and Crafts
Boston, MA
Jeremy Frey
Basketmaker
Indian Township, ME
2010
Lowery Sims
Curator
Museum of Arts and Design
New York, NY
Robert Sidner
Director
Mingei International Museum
San Diego, CA
Suzanne Ramljak
Metalsmith
Bethel, CT
Dance
Anna Glass
Managing Director
651 Arts
New York, NY
Elizabeth Doud
Artistic Director
Miami Dade College Cultura del Lobo
Miami, FL
Bebe Miller
Artistic Director
Bebe Miller Company
Columbus, OH
2010
Bonnie Homsey
Chair of Dance
Princess Grace Foundations
Los Angeles, CA
Ben Johnson
Director, Northrop Concerts
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN
Media
Susan Stone
Sound Artist & Producer
San Francisco, CA
2007
Sky Sitney
Festival Director
Silverdocs: AFI/Discovery
Silver Spring, MD
Miguel Alvarez
Filmmaker
Austin, TX
Rose Kuo
Executive Director
Film Society of Lincoln Center
New York, NY
Kenneth Turan
Film Critic
Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles, CA
Music
Anne LeBaron
Composer & Professor
California Institute of the Arts
Valencia, CA
Miguel del Aguila
Composer
Los Angeles, CA
Rob Ickes
Musician
Franklin, TN
2010
Mark Travis
Audio Producer
New York Philharmonic
New York, NY
Jenny Lin
Pianist
New York, NY
Theater & Performance
Philip Kan Gotanda
Playwright & Filmmaker
Berkeley, CA
Steve Scott
Associate Producer
Goodman Theater
Chicago, IL
Dan Rothenberg
Co-Artistic Director
Pig Iron Theatre Company
Philadelphia, PA
2010
Terry Hong
Media Arts Consultant
Washington, DC
Juliette Carrillo
Theater Director & Filmmaker
Los Angeles, CA
Visual Art
Mel Chin
Artist
Burnsville, NC
2010
Dominic Molón
Chief Curator
Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis
St. Louis, MO
Sarah Lewis
Writer & Curator
Yale University School of Art
New Haven, CT
Ursula Davila-Villa
Associate Curator
Blanton Museum of Art
Austin, TX
Writing
Elizabeth Alexander
Chair, African American Studies
Yale University
New Haven, CT
Doug Wright
Playwright & Screenwriter
New York, NY
2010
Kyoko Mori
Writer & Professor of English
George Mason University
Washington, DC
John Biguenet
Professor
Loyola University New Orleans
New Orleans, LA
Deborah Treisman
Fiction Editor
The New Yorker
New York, NY

2010 Panelists

Architecture & Design
Karen Fiss
Associate Professor, Visual Studies
California College of the Arts
San Francisco, CA
Gordon Kipping
Principal
G TECTS
New York, NY
John Stuart
Professor, College of Architecture
Florida International University
Miami, FL
J. Meejin Yoon
Founder
MY Studio
Boston, MA
2008
Craft & Traditional Arts
Jean McLaughlin
Executive Director
Penland School of Crafts
Penland, NC
Perry Eaton
Executive Director
African Craft Council
Anchorage, AK
2009
Adam Silverman
Partner & Studio Director
Heath Ceramics
Los Angeles, CA
Lowery Sims
Curator
Museum of Arts and Design
New York, NY
Dance
Sixto Wagan
Co-Executive Director
DiverseWorks Artspace
Houston, TX
Cathy Edwards
Director of Performance Programs
International Festival of Arts + Ideas
New Haven
Anna Glass
Managing Director
651ARTS
Brooklyn, NY
Reggie Wilson
Artistic Director
Reggie Wilson/Fist & Heel Performance Group
New York, NY
2009
Jordan Peimer
Director of Public Programs
Skirball Cultural Center
Los Angeles, CA
Media
Chale Nafus
Director of Programming
Austin Film Society
Austin, TX
Michelle Byrd
Co-President
Games for Change
New York, NY
Elizabeth Meister
Producer & Editor
Long Haul Productions
Three Oaks, MI
2009
Renée Tajima-Peña
Filmmaker & Professor
University of California Santa Cruz
Los Angeles, CA
2009
Kenneth Turan
Film Critic
Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles, CA
Music
Cristian Amigo
Composer & Guitarist
New York, NY
Peter Golub
Director
Sundance Film Music Program
Los Angeles, CA
Martha Gonzalez
Musician, Quetzal, Fandango sin Fronteras
University of Washington
Seattle, WA
Jenny Lin
Pianist
New York, NY
Hannibal Lokumbe
Composer & Trumpeter
Bastrop, TX
2009
Theater & Performance
Roberta Levitow
Associate Artist
Sundance Institute East
Santa Monica, CA
Ismâïl ibn Conner
Artistic Associate
7 Stages Theatre
Atlanta, GA
Philip Kan Gotanda
Playwright
Berkeley, CA
John O'Neal
Founder & Artistic Director
Junebug Productions
New Orleans, LA
2009
Diane Rodriguez
Associate Producer/Director, New Play Production
Center Theatre Group
Los Angeles, CA
Visual Art
Karen Moss
Adjunct Curator
Orange County Museum of Art
Newport Beach, CA
Rita Gonzalez
Associate Curator of Contemporary Art
Los Angeles, CA
James Rondeau
Curator + Chair, Contemporary Art
The Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, IL
Gary Simmons
Artist
New York, NY
2007
Raechell Smith
Director, H&R Block Artspace
Kansas City Art Institute
Kansas City, MO
Writing
Major Jackson
Poet & Associate Professor
University of Vermont
Burlington, VT
John Biguenet
Professor
Loyola University New Orleans
New Orleans, LA
Maureen N. McLane
Associate Professor of English
New York University
New York, NY
Antonya Nelson
Writer
Las Cruces, NM
2009
Judith Ortiz Cofer
Writer
Louisville, GA

2009 Panelists

Architecture & Design
Peter Zellner
Principal
ZELLNERPLUS
Los Angeles, CA
Mabel O. Wilson
Associate Professor of Architecture
Columbia University
New York, NY
Karen Fiss
Associate Professor, Visual Studies
California College of the Arts
San Francisco, CA
Joseph Rosa
Curatorial Chair of Architecture and Design
Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, IL
Stephen Burks
Founder & Director
Readymade Projects, Inc.
New York, NY
2008
Craft & Traditional Arts
Jean McLaughlin
Executive Director
Penland School of Crafts
Penland, NC
Sonya Clark
Professor & Chair of Craft/Material Studies
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, VA
2011
Sven Haakanson
Executive Director
Alutiiq Museum
Kodiak, AK
Patricia Capone
Associate Curator
Peabody Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
Richard T. Notkin
Artist
Helena, MT
2008
Dance
Jennifer S. B. Calienes
Director, Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
Pat Graney
Executive Director
Pat Graney Company
Seattle, WA
2008
George Lugg
Associate Director
Roy & Edna Disney Theater
Los Angeles, CA
Sixto Wagan
Co-Executive Director
DiverseWorks Artspace
Houston, TX
Media
Claire Aguilar
Vice President of Programming
Independent Television Service
San Francisco, CA
Chale Nafus
Director of Programming
Austin Film Society
Austin, TX
Bill Horrigan
Media Director, Wexner Center
Ohio State University
Columbus, OH
Dmae Roberts
Writer & Radio Producer
Portland, OR
2006
Lourdes Portillo
Director, Writer, & Producer
San Francisco, CA
2008
Music
Laura Mitgang
Director of New Business
The Metropolitan Opera
New York, NY
Molly Sturges
Artistic Director
Littleglobe
Santa Fe, NM
2008
George Y. Massenburg
Recording Engineer & Producer
Nashville, TN
Peter Asher
Partner
Strategic Artist Management
Los Angeles, CA
Cristian Amigo
Composer, Guitarist, & Producer
New York, NY
Theater & Performance
Ron Himes
Founder & Producing Director
St. Louis Black Rep
St. Louis, MO
Steve Scott
Associate Producer
Goodman Theatre
Chicago, IL
Rosalba Rolòn
Co-Founder & Artistic Director
Pregones Theater
Bronx, NY
2008
Tim Dang
Producing Artistic Director
East West Players
Los Angeles, CA
Roberta Levitow
Associate Artist
Sundance Institute
Santa Monica, CA
Visual Art
Julián Zugazagoitia
Director & CEO
El Museo del Barrio
New York, NY
Doryun Chong
Associate Curator, Painting & Sculpture
The Museum of Modern Art
New York, NY
Terry Adkins
Sculptor
New York, NY
2008
Karen Moss
Deputy Director, Exhibitions & Programs
Orange County Museum
Newport Beach, CA
Valerie Cassel Oliver
Curator
Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
Houston, TX
Writing
Major Jackson
Poet & Associate Professor
University of Vermont
Burlington, VT
Jeff Chang
Writer
Oakland, CA
2008
Alan Michael Parker
Professor & Director, Creative Writing
Davidson College
Davidson, NC
Robert Polito
Director of Graduate Program in Creative Writing
The New School
New York, NY
Anne García-Romero
Lecturer in Playwriting
University of California Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA

2008 Panelists

Architecture & Design
Monica Ponce de Leon
Principal
Office dA
Boston, MA
2007
Brooke Hodge
Curator of Architecture & Design
The Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
Mark Robbins
Dean, School of Architecture
Syracuse University
New York, NY
Mabel O. Wilson
Associate Professor of Architecture
Columbia University
New York, NY
Rick Valicenti
Owner & Principal
Thirst
Chicago, IL
Craft & Traditional Arts
Janet Koplos
Senior Editor
Art in America
New York, NY
Maria Shaa Tiáa Williams
Assistant Professor, Department of Native American Studies
University of New Mexico
Santa Fe, NM
Gwendolyn Magee
Fiber Artist
Jackson, MS
2007
Bruce W. Pepich
Executive Director & Curator of Collections
Racine Art Museum
Racine, WI
Andrew H. Glasgow
Executive Director
The American Craft Council
New York, NY
Dance
Jennifer S. B. Calienes
Director, Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
Olga Garay
Executive Director
City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs
Los Angeles, CA
Marc Bamuthi Joseph
Multidisciplinary Artist
Oakland, CA
2006
Peter Taub
Director of Performance Programs
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
Chicago, IL
Renae Williams Niles
Director of Dance Presentations
The Music Center
Los Angeles, CA
Media
Steve James
Producer & Director
Chicago, IL
Ron Yerxa
Producer of Film
Bona Fide Productions
Los Angeles, CA
Claire Aguilar
Vice President of Programming
Independent Television Service
San Francisco, CA
Traci Tong
News Producer
BBC World Service
Boston, MA
Judith Helfand
Filmmaker
New York, NY
2007
Music
Jean Cook
Producer & Deputy Director
Future of Music Coalition
Washington, DC
Laura Mitgang
Director of New Business
The Metropolitan Opera
New York, NY
Robert Sadin
Conductor, Arranger, & Record Producer
New York, NY
Tom Schnabel
Producer & Consultant
KCRW and LA Philharmonic
Los Angeles, CA
Don Byron
Musician
New York, NY
Theater & Performance
Susan Booth
Artistic Director
Alliance Theatre
Atlanta, GA
Sheldon Epps
Artistic Director
Pasadena Playhouse
Pasadena, CA
James C. Nicola
Artistic Director
New York Theatre Workshop
New York, NY
Anthony Garcia
Artistic Director
El Centro Su Teatro
Denver, CO
2006
Martha Lavey
Artistic Director
Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Chicago, IL
Visual Art
Valerie Cassel Oliver
Curator
Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
Houston, TX
Aimee Chang
Director, Academic & Residency Programs
Hammer Museum
Los Angeles, CA
Adam D. Weinberg
Director
Whitney Museum of Art
New York, NY
Hamza Walker
Director of Education & Associate Curator
The Renaissance Society
Chicago, IL
Daniel Joseph Martinez
Multidisciplinary Artist
Los Angeles, CA
2007
Writing
Patricia Powell
Visiting Writer, Department of African & African American Studies
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Brighde Mullins
Director, MPW Writing Program
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
2010
Marilyn Chin
Professor, English Department
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA
2007
Maureen N. McLane
Associate Professor of English
New York University
New York, NY
Robert Polito
Director, Graduate Program in Creative Writing
The New School
New York, NY

2007 Panelists

Architecture & Design
Yeohlee Teng
Designer & President
YEOHLEE
New York, NY
Carlos Jimenez
Principal
Carlos Jimenez Studio
Houston, TX
Terence Riley
Director
Miami Art Museum
Miami, FL
Sigi Moeslinger
Partner
Antenna Design
New York, NY
2006
Brooke Hodge
Curator of Architecture & Design
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
Los Angeles, CA
Craft & Traditional Arts
Tanya Aguiñiga
Furniture Designer
Los Angeles, CA
2006
Mark Richard Leach
Founding Director & Chief Curator
Mint Museum of Craft + Design
Charlotte, NC
Ronald T. Labaco
Curator of Decorative Arts
High Museum of Art
Atlanta, GA
Maria Williams
Assistant Professor
Native American Studies
Santa Fe, NM
Lori Pourier
President
First Peoples Fund
Rapid City, SD
Dance
Ana María Alvarez
Artistic Director & Choreographer
contra-tiempo
Los Angeles, CA
Neil Barclay
President & CEO
August Wilson Center
Pittsburgh, PA
Laura Faure
Director
Bates Dance Festival
Lewiston, ME
Ella Baff
Executive Director
Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival
Becket, MA
Peter Taub
Director of Performance Programs
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
Chicago, IL
Media
Thomas Allen Harris
Producer, Director, & Writer
New York, NY
2006
Susan Braine
Chief Operating Officer
Koahnic Broadcast Corporation
Albuquerque, NM
Hampton Francher
Writer & Director
New York, NY
Michael Renov
Associate Dean, School of Cinematic Arts
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
Elvis Mitchell
Film Critic
New York, NY
Music
Ed Barguiarena
Composer, Musician, & Producer
Los Angeles, CA
Robert Sadin
Conductor, Arranger, & Producer
New York, NY
Lourdes Pérez
Vocalist, Composer, & Songwriter
Austin, TX
2006
Welz Kauffman
President & CEO
Ravinia Festival
Highland, IL
Simeon Pillich
Adjunct Professor of Music
Occidental College
Los Angeles, CA
Theater & Performance
Emilya Cachapero
Director of Artistic Programs
Theatre Communications Group
New York, NY
Tom Jacobson
Playwright
Los Angeles, CA
Ping Chong
Artistic Director
Ping Chong & Company
New York, NY
2006
Susan Booth
Artistic Director
Alliance Theatre
Atlanta, GA
Lane Czaplinski
Artistic Director
On the Boards
Seattle, WA
Visual Art
Hugh M. Davies
Director
Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
San Diego, CA
Michael Joo
Multidisciplinary Artist
New York, NY
2006
Tosha Grantham
Assistant Curator
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Richmond, VA
Russell Ferguson
Chair, Department of Art
University of California Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
Rina Carvajal
Adjunct Curator
Miami Art Museum
Miami, FL
Writing
Marcos M. Villatoro
Novelist & Poet
Los Angeles, CA
Eavan Boland
Professor, Humanities, & Director of Creative Writing
Stanford University
Palo Alto, CA
Amy Hempel
Writer
New York, NY
2006
Nicolás Kanellos
Director, Arte Pùblico Press
University of Houston
Houston, TX
Brighde Mullins
Director, MFA Writing Program
California Institute of the Arts
Valencia, CA
2010

2006 Panelists

Architecture & Design
Ming Fung
Partner
Hodgetts + Fung
Los Angeles, CA
Paola Antonelli
Acting Chief Curator of Architecture + Design
The Museum of Modern Art
New York, NY
Carlos Jimenez
Founder
Carlos Jimenez Studio
Houston, TX
Ted Landsmark
President & CEO
Boston Architectural College
Boston, MA
Elizabeth Smith
Chief Curator + Deputy Director of Programs
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
Chicago, IL
Craft & Traditional Arts
Theresa Harlan
Independent Curator & Writer
Vallejo, CA
Josie S. Talamantez
Chief of Programs
California Arts Council
Sacramento, CA
Tony Hepburn
Chair, Ceramics Department
Cranbrook Academy of Art
Bloomfield Hills, MI
Betsy Peterson
Executive Director
Fund for Folk Culture
Austin, TX
Marirose Morris
Arts Access Specialist
Wyoming Arts Council
Cheyenne, WY
Dance
Neil Barclay
President & CEO
August Wilson Center
Pittsburgh, PA
Bonnie Brooks
Chair, Dance Center
Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, IL
Michael Kondziolka
Director of Programming
University Musical Society
Ann Arbor, MI
Donald McKayle
Artistic Director, UCI Dance
University of California at Irvine
Irvine, CA
Mark Murphy
Executive Director
REDCAT
Los Angeles, CA
Media
Arthur Jafa
Cinematographer & Artist
New York, NY
2018
Elizabeth M. Daley
Dean, School of Cinematic Arts, USC
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
John Diliberto
Senior Producer & Host
Echoes
Philadelphia, PA
Joan Tewkesbury
Screenwriter, Director, & Producer
Santa Monica, CA
Rick Tejada-Flores
Producer
Paradigm Productions
Berkeley, CA
Elvis Mitchell
Film Critic
New York, NY
Music
Brent Assink
Executive Director
San Francisco Symphony
San Francisco, CA
Juan Tejeda
Musician
San Antonio, TX
Ed Barguiarena
Musician
Los Angeles, CA
Chad Smith
Vice President of Artistic Planning
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Los Angeles, CA
Julia Wolfe
Artistic Director
Bang on a Can
Brooklyn, NY
Theater & Performance
Philip Bither
Senior Curator, Performing Arts
Walker Art Center
Minneapolis, MN
Emilya Cachapero
Director of Artistic Programs
Theatre Communications Group
New York, NY
Marc Masterson
Artistic Director
Actors Theatre of Louisville
Louisville, KY
Wesley V. Montgomery
Managing Director
New WORLD Theater, University of Massachusetts
Amherst, MA
Josephine Ramirez
Vice President of Programming & Planning
Music Center
Los Angeles, CA
Visual Art
Jeffrey Grove
Curator of Modern & Contemporary Art
High Museum of Art
Atlanta, GA
Barbara Kruger
Artist & Professor
University of California Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
Russell Ferguson
Deputy Director, Exhibitions & Programs Chief Curator
Hammer Museum
Los Angeles, CA
Thelma Golden
Director & Chief Curator
Studio Museum in Harlem
Harlem, NY
Paul Ha
Director
Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis
St. Louis, MO
Writing
Reginald McKnight
English Professor
University of Georgia
Athens, GA
Maile Meloy
Writer
Los Angeles, CA
Lan Samantha Chang
Director
Iowa Writers' Workshop, University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Eavan Boland
Professor in Humanities & Director of the Creative Writing Program
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Henri Cole
Poet
Boston, MA
2007

Panelists

2019 Panelists

Architecture & Design

Craft

Dance

Film

Media

Music

Theater & Performance

Traditional Arts

Visual Art

Writing

2018 Panelists

Architecture & Design

Craft

Dance

Media

Music

Theater & Performance

Traditional Arts

Visual Art

Writing

2016 Panelists

Architecture & Design

Craft

Dance

Media

Music

Theater & Performance

Traditional Arts

Visual Art

Writing

2015 Panelists

Architecture & Design

Craft

Dance

Media

Music

Theater & Performance

Traditional Arts

Visual Art

Writing

2014 Panelists

Architecture & Design

Craft & Traditional Arts

Dance

Media

Music

Theater & Performance

Visual Art

Writing

2012 Panelists

Architecture & Design

Craft & Traditional Arts

Dance

Media

Music

Theater & Performance

Visual Art

Writing

2011 Panelists

Architecture & Design

Craft & Traditional Arts

Dance

Media

Music

Theater & Performance

Visual Art

Writing

2010 Panelists

Architecture & Design

Craft & Traditional Arts

Dance

Media

Music

Theater & Performance

Visual Art

Writing

2009 Panelists

Architecture & Design