Voices of Strength
Employer: Seattle Theatre Group (STG)
Role: Cultural Liaison
Duration: August 2012 – December 2012
Team: STG Programming · Voices of Strength Artists (South Africa, Mozambique, Ivory Coast)
What I Led:
Community Engagement · Programming Logistics · Cross-Cultural Relationship Building · Impact Reporting
Wins:
➤ Designed and executed a multi-day engagement series that brought global artists into deep connection with local communities
➤ Authored a white paper on arts engagement that was later shared with national networks
➤ Helped launch STG TV, creating the blueprint for future digital storytelling
Why It Matters:
This project helped shape how performing arts orgs across the U.S. approach audience development for underrepresented art forms, while building a deeper bond between STG and Seattle’s immigrant and refugee communities.
In 2012, Seattle Theatre Group (STG) welcomed Voices of Strength, a boundary-pushing program of African contemporary dance featuring women artists from South Africa, Mozambique, and the Ivory Coast. It was bold, beautiful, and brought together a powerful group of women to share their gifts to audience that perhaps wasn’t as familiar with their work.
My role as Cultural Liaison was to ensure the performances had the resonance and reach they deserved. That meant building connection, visibility, and participation from the ground up.
I was brought on to:
Create a strategic community engagement plan to amplify the artists and their stories
Design a programming arc that would reach underserved and culturally aligned audiences
Capture and share learnings that could inform future STG programs and arts orgs across the country
Help shape and pilot STG TV, a new digital content platform for audience engagement
Voices of Strength became the first program featured on STG TV, offering behind-the-scenes access and artist interviews. This helped demystify the performances and offered audiences a more intimate connection with the work.
I also authored a white paper summarizing the tactics, impact, and opportunities discovered through the program. This was shared with the Arts Participation Leadership Initiative to inform national practices for engaging audiences with underrepresented global art forms.
I designed a weeklong experience that extended beyond the stage:
Youth dance classes at two of Seattle’s top studios
A guest lecture and conversation at the University of Washington
A cultural exchange and shared meal at a Somali refugee center
A post-performance talkback that invited the audience into dialogue with the artists
RESULTS
Rich cultural connections formed between artists and Seattle’s underserved communities
A model for underrepresented arts engagement that was adopted by STG and other national arts orgs
Expanded access to African contemporary dance among younger, more diverse audiences
STG TV launched, setting the tone for future digital storytelling initiatives
Meaningful feedback from community partners, artists, and audience members alike, reinforcing the long-term value of this kind of programming
