DIAL Boston cohort members, including Arts Host staff, ACI team, and interns, sit and introduce themselves around a large conference table at the Cultural Equity Incubator. Light filters in from a large window, illuminating the wooden beams of the ceiling and earthy red of the exposed brick wall.
When ACI conducted the Cultural Equity Gap study from 2017-2019, one of the main levers for change in building equity focused on the importance of leadership pathways and pipelines. 5 years later, we’re thrilled to introduce the inaugural Diversity in Arts Leadership (DIAL) Boston cohort!
This year, ACI welcomes 5 interns who will work with local equity-focused arts organizations including Dunamis, Pao Arts Center, StageSource, The Theater Offensive, and us at ACI!
Meet the Interns
celine voyard (they/she) is a Boston-based community organizer of Haitian and Japanese ancestry. A current senior at UMass Boston, they major in Labor Studies, and minor in Human Rights, Latin@ Studies, and Cinema Studies. They are excited to continue strengthening practices of ethical storytelling through the mediums of film, poetry, and research, to better incorporate multilingual and diasporic accounts of healing.
celine will intern at arts connect international
Kay Brown (she/her/hers) is a South Carolinian and part of the Mount Holyoke College class of 2023 majoring in Critical Social Thought. She is interested in exploring the relationship between language & power, Black Southern Womanhood, & how art can be used to break down institutional systems to create a new Disturbance in the world. Kay explores these themes and more through the founding & publication of her e-magazine entitled Disturbance, inspired by James Baldwin's quote that "artists are here to disturb the peace."
Kay will intern at Dunamis
Ana Boyd (she/her) is currently a rising Junior at Brown University, concentrating in Modern Culture and Media on the Practice Track with a certificate in Engaged Scholarship. She is a visual storyteller: working in photography, film, public art, and graphic design. Her practice aims to incorporate ethnographic methods, centering the narratives of communities of color in art spaces. Outside of this, Ana is an avid film and music enthusiast, working at the Blackstar Film Festival, Ivy Film Festival, and WBRU 360.
Ana will intern at The Theater Offensive
Ruzhen 'Anna' Zhang (She/They) is a first generation college student studying History and Museum Studies at UMass Amherst. She’s passionate about working to increase diversity and create artistic environments for the enjoyment of the Chinatown neighborhood this summer. In the future, Anna hopes to become a museum curator that can decolonize museum collections and connect with audiences.
Anna will intern at Pao Arts Center
Elliot Charis Haugen (he/they) is a 20-year-old theater artist from the Twin Cities, Minnesota. His mission is to stage plays through accessible, flexible, and non-hierarchical processes. He is currently studying Theater and Mathematics at Mount Holyoke College, and is a proud alum of Saint Paul Conservatory For Performing Artists.
Elliot will intern at StageSource
DIAL Mentors
DIAL interns are also matched with mentors who will provide support and guidance through a weekly call with the intern. Pictured above from left to right:
Angela Godin, Executive Director of Community Arts Center of Cambria County in Johnstown, PA (Mentoring Elliot Haugen)
Carmen Plazas, Communications and Community Engagement Manager at Mass Cultural Council in Boston (Mentoring Ruzhen “Anna” Zhang)
Dawn Meredith Simmons, Co-Founder and Artistic Director of The Front Porch Arts Collective in Boston (Mentoring Kay Brown)
Eboni Bell Darcy, Inclusion, Engagement and Training Director at Stages Houston in Texas (Mentoring Ayana Boyd)
Jinyi Duan, Co-Founder & Executive Director of The Flavor Continues in Boston (Mentoring celine voyard)