This page contains supporting materials that correspond to the education, community organizing, and arts administration achievements listed on my resume. Please be in touch with any further questions.

The Beacon Center For Arts and Leadership and Representing NYC

I worked as Manager of Youth Programs at the Beacon Center for Arts and Leadership from 2008 to 2012. During this time, one programm that I pioneered was entitled Representing NYC. Representing NYC has gone on to have a life beyond my time at the Beacon Center. The purpose of Representing NYC at the time was to network young musicians making work of a professional or semi-professional quality with music and culture professionals capable of supporting their work and creating opportunities for those young people. During the time I was at the Beacon, I worked primarily with two groups of young people. An all girls group called the Fly Girlz, hailing from Brownsville Brooklyn, and a group entitled Nine 11 Thesaurus featuring young men from the ‘last stop’ high school that shared our building. Both groups achieved formidable performance and media successes. These successes helped to build portfolios for the groups’ participants in the service of their entry into highschools, colleges, and certificate programs. Below is some media about each group that is demonstrative of the work we did together.

The Fly Girlz:

Zulu P

Zulu P is a rap group comprised of adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities. I first met them in my capacity as facilitator and project manager working for Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music institute in community settings. Subsequently I came to work with Zulu P through the organization that supports them at their dayhab centers, AHRC. All told I have been working with Zulu P in one capacity or another for almost 12 years. During this time I have helped them to produce a significant body of original work, and garner meaningful performance and media opportunities. Below is a compendium of some of these successes.

Zulu P on HUFFINGTON POST

Zulu P is a rap group from NYC. In anticipation of the group's debut album on Astro Nautico in 2016, we present Zulu P's 'Taking Over The World' all-original mixtape for free digital download. 'Taking Over The World' is a burning statement featuring the unique high-energy lyrical styles of frontman Marley G. From ice cold Shaolin flow to sweltering Caribbean toasts, Marley G rides high on bursting instrumentals from Dutty Artz collective producers. 'TOTW' was executive produced by Representing NYC social workers Max Alper and Diamond Terrifier.

Inscrutable rap crew Zulu P releases their first mix tape with performer/producers Diamond Terrifier and Max Alper. Track List: Intro - Prod. Diamond Terrifier/Max alper Story of Time - Prod. Lamin Fofana Real Streets - Prod. Mic Blaque Sunshine of My Life - Prod. Blood Orange Spirit Inside Me - Prod. Fez Light In America - Prod. Massacooramaan/Juny Cat Big Star JF - Prod. Twin Shadow In My Life - Prod. Twin Shadow Zul P Get Money - Prod. Visionist/Lamin Fofana

Trans-Pecos community program

From 2013 to 2016 I worked as co-founder and Creative Director of Queens Based outsider music venue and community center Trans-Pecos. At Trans-Pecos we sought to operate a facility that functioned as a concert venue and night club by night, but equally as a community center by day, servicing local CBOs, NGOs, and individuals local to the neighborhood in need of work or rehearsal space. We had formidable successes in both areas, they are chronicled in the press features linked to below on NPR and Pitchfork.

NPR W/ John Schaefer

Pitchfork W/ Andy Beta

Queens Museum - Queens Intl. Music, time based arts, installation, and community program

In the spring of 2016, in my position as Creative Director of Trans-Pecos, I collaborated with Queens Museum leadership on a program of Music, time based arts and installation, and community activations, as part of their Queens Intl. show. The program took place between the Queens Museum and other partner venues, and featured 8 concert programs, 3 installations, one time based performance installation, as well as a series of educational workshops for youth. The video below summarizes the work presented as part of this program.

Select Programs from Knockdown Center

Wall<Enter

During the fall of 2017 Knockdown Center hosted an interdisciplinary art installation in collaboration with the Coalition of Hispanic Family Services featuring the art work of 1300 young people and select family members. All work focused on the immigrant experience of Donald Trump’s proposed immigration policy.

Nasty Women

Also in the aftermath of Trump’s election, Knockdown Center organized an exhibition entitled Nasty Women. This exhibit featured a scaffold made in the shape of the letter N A S T Y W O M E N, on which more than one thousand female and femme artists hung object based artwork. I participated with the Knockdown Center team in organizing a 4 day long performance and music festival surrounding the exhibition. Nasty Women has been one of Knockdown Center’s most successful, visible, and celebrated activations to date.

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You Are Here (aka the maze)

My first ever program with Knockdown Center, was producing the festival I participate in lead, You Are Here (aka the maze). The performance and time based arts festival takes place in a life size maze installation designed by the art duo Trouble (of which I am a member).