Van Wezel Foundation Highlights How Philanthropy Has Launched First of its Kind, Van Wezel IDEA Artist in Residence Pilot Program

June 4, 2021 – Sarasota

The Van Wezel Foundation’s philanthropy united with the mission of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall’s new IDEA initiative to create a first-of-its-kind, Artist-in-residence Program that seamlessly melds digital events with in-person ones to form a hybrid prototype that can serve as a national model for the future.

Its inaugural Artist-in-residence is internationally recognized Hip-hop Artist, Activist, Scholar, and Kennedy Center Citizen Artist Olmeca, whose year-long virtual residency will conclude with a week-long residence in Sarasota with curated in-person community lectures, workshops, master classes and performances.

As a result of their work together, the Foundation, in partnership with the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall education department, launched a new initiative, called IDEA (inclusivity, diversity, equity and access). IDEA strives to teach and create with cultural appreciation in mind, championing the belief that art can increase student empowerment, destroy negative stereotypes, promote innovation, and equip students with the necessary tools to become more aware of their own agency from a local and global perspective.

“This collaborative initiative was born out of the idea that the arts carry a unique opportunity to bring people together, to spark exploration of complex issues and to inspire hope,” said Cheryl Mendelson, CEO of the Van Wezel Foundation.

IDEA, and the first-of-its-kind Artist-in-residence Program, is made possible through the philanthropic support of donors to the Van Wezel Foundation. Both the Foundation and the Hall are educational partners of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., which underscores the impact of having renowned artists, like Olmeca, participate in pilot programs such as this one.

Even as the pandemic shut down much of the world for a year, the Van Wezel Artist-in-residence Program was able to bring IDEA to life virtually. During a year-long virtual residency, Olmeca engaged educators, students, families and community leaders in virtual trainings, workshops and performances designed to utilize the performing arts to build culturally responsive communities and classrooms.

Olmeca will conclude his Van Wezel artist residency in person in Sarasota, where he will curate community lectures, workshops, and master classes with the overall goal of bringing groups together to talk about essential topics and social issues, such as diversity, inclusion and seeing the world through a different lens. Olmeca’s Sarasota visit will culminate with a special free bilingual community performance on the Van Wezel lawn on Saturday, June 12, 2021, at 11 a.m. EDT.

“Thank you to our generous donors for making this first-time pilot possible,” said Mendelson.“Through their investment and thought leadership, we now have a prototype which can serve as a national model for the future.”

The Van Wezel Artist-in-residence Program is sponsored by the Van Wezel Foundation, Jenne Britell and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation.