Brief
As part of the Kennedy Center’s Arts Across America initiative, I produced an intimate performance and community event featuring Grammy Award–winning artist Esperanza Spalding at the Anacostia Arts Center. The goal was to bridge cultural capital and local connection, bringing a world-class artist into a neighborhood often overlooked by national institutions.

Idea
Create a performance environment that felt both elevated and accessible. Pair a globally recognized musician with local artists in a community arts hub, design the space for intimacy, and frame the event as a collaboration rather than an extraction, honoring Anacostia’s cultural ecosystem while carrying the Kennedy Center’s institutional standards.

Role

• Lead producer on-site, managing all aspects of production including talent coordination, space design, run-of-show, and logistical execution

• Collaborated with Anacostia Arts Center as co-host, ensuring community partnership was authentic and reciprocal

• Recruited and managed production crew (AV, stage, logistics)

• Designed the event environment to transform the arts center into a site of shared joy and exchange

Execution
The one-off activation gathered attendees, a mix of community members, funders, media, and Kennedy Center stakeholders. The program included an intimate performance and meet-and-greet with Esperanza Spalding alongside appearances from local artists, curated in collaboration with partners. The event environment was tailored for closeness and dialogue, with staging, flow, and production choices that made the experience feel intentional, not transactional.

Impact

• Strengthened trust between the Kennedy Center and the Anacostia community through transparent collaboration and authentic co-hosting

• Demonstrated how a national institution could enter local spaces without tokenizing, setting a precedent for future Arts Across America programming

• Provided community members direct access to a globally celebrated artist in their own neighborhood

• Elevated visibility with a mixed audience of funders, media, and stakeholders, reinforcing the Kennedy Center’s commitment to local engagement