2021 BOARD MEMBERS
Antonio F. Delgado
President
“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
-Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
Why be one thing you grow up … when can be them all? Antonio F Delgado works as the Minister of Fun and Education with Science In A Suitcase. Sometimes he gets the opportunity to be a Robotics Master Mentor with National Instruments and teach the next generation of Robotics Teachers. Over the past three years Antonio would trek to East Austin to assist a Title 1 Robotics team at Govalle Elementary School. In 2014, Antonio and his friends Nicole and Lillan started an organization called Science In A Suitcase. Together they hope to teach kids all over the world about the greatness of robotics and creativity. By 2015, Science In A Suitcase and their friends at the Paramount Theatre created a partnership titled, “roboARTS”. Today, Antonio travels the globe teaching kids about creativity through robotics and songwriting by leveraging everyone’s most powerful tool - imagination. During his downtime, Antonio loves to play music with his band Oh Antonio and His Imaginary Friends, create children’s stories, and producing musicians at Ice Cream Factory Studios. In 2021, Antonio hopes to release 52 songs. Even when Antonio is writing about himself in the third person, he strives to ignite creativity, imagination and joy in the people around him. He believes that a STEAM education is essential to creating well rounded and fruitful students and art is essential to life. He is excited to join Austin’s Emerging Arts Leader and further support arts in central Texas.
Mitch Harris
Vice President
"To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Mitch believes in amplifying the stories of his communities as a tool for positive change. In his role as Story Wrangler Program Director at the Paramount Theatre, he teaches creative writing and performance to elementary school students and performs those stories in a life, musical, confetti-filled live show. In his volunteer roles for Austin and the Austin EAL board, he aims to lift up the stories of multidisciplinary creative professionals and share their new work.
Jessica Gelarden
Treasurer
“Stranger, if you passing meet me and desire to speak to me, why should you not speak to me? And why should I not speak to you?"
-Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass
Jessica has more than a decade of experience in arts administration. She most recently served as the director of operations at Austin’s Ao5 Gallery, coordinating the rebranding of the Gallery and managing the day-to-day operations to ensure profitability and sustainability. Prior to moving to Austin, Jessica was the education program manager for a non-profit arts organization in upstate New York. She was responsible for the establishment of a school of the performing arts that featured Broadway artists and the creation of arts-in-education programming. She managed program budgets, hiring, marketing, and implementation. Each program reflected the organization’s vision and responded to unique community needs. In personal and professional capacities, Jessica advocates for the arts and works to build the support that can sustain arts organizations and programming. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master of Arts in art history and criticism.
Julia Vunderink
Secretary
'Hay que vivir sin prisa y con paciencia.Take your time and enjoy your life."
Julia is a native Austinite and local arts enthusiast. After earning a BA in Arts History and Latin American Studies, Julia led community arts initiatives and taught English and Arts classes in Spain and Central America. Eventually making her way back to Austin, Julia briefly worked as the Education Intern at Mexic-Arte Museum, and has been working for local arts education non-profit MINDPOP for three years, where she lends her insights regarding organizational logistics and event planning, and shares the passion for expanding arts access and creative teaching in Austin. Julia is new to the Austin Emerging Arts Leaders board as of 2021, and is excited to be a part of the EAL community!
Jesus Varela
"Create Positive Social Change."
Currently the coordinator of signature events at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center in Austin, Jesus Varela has over 10 years of experience in the development and expansion of community arts programming.Starting in 2009, he was the lead representative for Remezcla in San Francisco tasked with connecting to Latino cultural institutions and creators in the Bay Area and recruiting a team of part-time writers to create hyper-local editorial content. In 2010, he was part of the team that created Radio Valencia, a local pirate-radio station in the San Francisco Latino Cultural District focusing on highlighting local creators.
After moving to freelance tour management in 2012, booking/artist relations for multi-venue festivals like SF Carnaval, Varela was recruited to lead cultural program management and development for Accion Latina in 2015. He went on to work with the creation of the Calle 24 Latino Cultural District and lead the process in launching a multi-venue free/family friendly/bilingual art walk focused on generating paid opportunities for local artists while increasing revenue for local shops & restaurants.
Most recently, he worked with a small team to create La Pulguita, a safe space for local street vendors to sell with a focus on job & work skill development.One of the main goals throughout Varela's career has been to work across private and public sectors to preserve, defend, cultivate, and advocate for the vitality of underserved communities.
Zac Carr
"It got dark. I took my pot and went to get water but had to scramble through so much underbrush that when I got back to my camp most of the water had splashed out. I mixed it in my new plastic shaker with orange-juice concentrate and shook up an ice-cold orange, then I spread nutted cream cheese on the whole-wheat bread and ate content. "Tonight," I thought, "I sleep tight and long and pray under the stars for the Lord to bring me to Buddhahood after my Buddhawork is done, amen." And as it was Christmas, I added "Lord bless you all and merry tender Christmas on all your rooftops and I hope angels squat there the night of the big rich real Star, amen." And then I thought, later, lying on my bag smoking, "Everything is possible. I am God, I am Buddha, I am imperfect Ray Smith, all at the same time, I am empty space, I am all things. I have all the time in the world from life to life to do what is to do, to do what is done, to do the timeless doing, infinitely perfect within, why cry, why worry, perfect like mind essence and the minds of banana peels" I added laughing remembering my poetic Zen Lunatic Dharma Bum friends of San Francisco whom I was beginning to miss now. And I added a little prayer for Rosie."
Zac Carr is an actor, improviser, musical comedian, and arts educator in the Austin community, collaborating with many groups since 2011. When he's not performing in the meta-comedy musical duo SNACKS, or singing kids' songs with his band The Other Other Brothers, he's working with a wide range of the incredible talent present in the city's theatre community, from an outdoor production of "Henry V" in Round Rock, to a Hidden Room in a masonic temple performing the lamentable tragedy of "Arden of Faversham", to the ensemble-based production of "We Are Proud to Present a Presentation..." at Hyde Park Theater. He can't wait to get back onstage, but he kind of has to.
Ciyadh Wells
"Friendship is magic"
Ciyadh Wells is a multifaceted musician who prides herself in not only being an artist but also an activist, and a scholar. As a scholar and educator, Wells believes everyone deserves access to diverse and inclusive art, which she advocates as being essential to society. Ciyadh’s mission is to utilize the impact of music old and new, to manifest moments of meaningful change and to inspire community therein. She is the Artistic & Executive Director of Margins Guitar Collective and she is a former member of the Sphinx LEAD program. Ciyadh is one half of guitar duo, Duo Charango, and lives in Austin, Texas where she works at Austin Classical Guitar.
Sandy Lam
"In a time of destruction, create something: a poem, a parade, a community, a school, a vow, a moral principle; one peaceful moment." - Maxine Hong Kingston
Sandy Lam is an interdisciplinary storyteller, non-profit professional, and bubble tea enthusiast. She is especially passionate about creating and amplifying stories about the experiences of Asian Pacific Islander Desi Americans. She wrote, produced, and performed in "So Lucky," a play about intergenerational conflict and mental health in Asian American communities. More recently, her short play "Twitter Feed" was featured in New Manifest Theatre's Manifest Minifest and Theatre Three's Love and Kindness in the Time of Quarantine. She also enjoys creating spaces for connection and learning through community workshops. She has been a content creator and facilitator for the APIDA Community Writing Circle, BIPOC Story Circle, and the Performing Justice Project. By serving on the EAL board, she hopes to uplift and foster a community for emerging artists in Austin.
Christopher Kiley
"Creativity is intelligence having fun." - Albert Einstein
Christopher Kiley specializes in the dynamic intersection between the creative sector and public resources. Chris has a unique background, navigating the field and communicating the needs of the creative sector to a myriad of decision makers at the local, state and federal levels. Chris supports the non-profit arts sector alongside individual artists and concerned citizens that desire a robust public arts funding model. Chris joined the staff of Texans for the Arts, the State's arts advocacy organization, in 2016. As Associate Director Chris manages the fiscal health and growth of the organization. Chris oversees implementing numerous communication and membership strategies aimed at arming the non-profit creative sector with the tools it needs to succeed in securing vital public resources. Chris is keenly interested in how public investment in the creative sector provides measurable and valuable assets to our communities and building a statewide coalition of creatives to help make that case.
Chris moved to Texas in 2014 to attend graduate school at Texas Tech University from New York, New York and moved to the Austin area to pursue working with TFA in 2016 after completing his MFA in Arts Administration. He considers Texas one of the best places on Earth and loves working on behalf of the arts community here. Chris has been involved in Texas politics since arriving in the State and spent time while at Texas Tech interning for former Congressman Gene Green from Houston in Washington D.C., immersing himself in arts policy and funding issues.
Chris is also dedicated to arts education. Chris worked for Austin non-profit Creative Action as a SPARK School Arts Integration Teaching Artist from 2016 to 2019. In partnership with Austin ISD, Chris collaborated with classroom teachers to develop and implement curriculum for STEM subjects through a creative lens. Chris believes that a robust arts education is critical to ensuring that our young people are prepared to enter the 21st Century Workforce and the skills an arts curriculum develops are critical to their success.
As an artist, Chris also has a background in Acting and Directing for the stage. Chris has performed professionally all over the country and served as Executive Director of the Derryfield Repertory Theater Program, a summer initiative dedicated to introducing young people to theater and producing professional musical theater productions at the Derryfield School in NH from 2014- 2018.
Chris recently accepted an adjunct professorship at Texas Tech University, teaching a graduate level arts advocacy course that explored the structure, implementation and evaluation of advocacy campaigns designed to solve problems in the field.
"I believe a healthy arts landscape is vital to providing us with happy, healthy communities. The arts give us a voice, but it is up to us to use it!"
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Gabriela Kane Guardia
“You are kind to painters, and I tell you, the more I think it over, the more I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.” - Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh
Gabriela completed an MA in Latin American Studies at UT Austin with a portfolio in the Arts and Cultural Management and Entrepreneurship Program. Her fieldwork and research engaged Chilean cultural policy and Indigenous representation. She loves collaborating with culture bearers for the preservation of folk and traditional arts as the Deputy Director at Texas Folklife. She holds a BA in International Studies and Spanish from Texas A&M, and previously managed SEAD Gallery in Historic Downtown Bryan. She advocates for public support of the arts, and previously served as an intern with Texans for the Arts during the 86th Texas Legislature. Gabriela is passionate about culturally-specific STEAM education, shown through her service with Innovation Collaborative and Latinitas. She is excited to serve as a board member for Austin Emerging Arts Leaders after a very rewarding mentorship experience with the 2020 mentee cohort.to us to use it!"
Emily Heroux
"We are here to help each other get through this thing, whatever it is." - Dr. Mark Vonnegut
Emily is a Massachusetts transplant, a sometimes artist, and an all-the-time arts supporter. Since moving to Austin in 2015, she has slowly become more and more engrossed in the arts scene. Starting out as just an onlooker, she realized her passion for the arts lived on 'the business side of things.' She took a more hands-on role coordinating live-painting events and providing behind-the-scenes support to local artists and art-focused events.
She loves bringing emerging artists to the forefront and connecting them to opportunities that make them remember why they do what they do. So when asked to join the Austin Emerging Arts Leaders, she didn't hesitate to jump on board. (She is also a pun enthusiast.)
Emily has worked in local nonprofits for over 6 years and is currently the Development Coordinator at Out Youth and the Project Coordinator at HOPE Campaign.
OUR COMMUNITY COMMITMENT &
NON DISCRIMINATION POLICY
The Austin EAL believes in building a collaborative community and values the diversity we all bring to the table. We commit ourselves to creating an inclusive community, and see this as central to our mission of cultivating the next generation of arts leaders. We are proud to support diversity in our community.
Austin EAL will not practice or permit any unlawful discrimination on the basis of sex or gender, age, race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion or religious creed, physical handicap or disability, sexual orientation or gender-identity/expression, marital status, veteran’s status, political service or affiliation or any other basis prohibited by law.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF EAL AUSTIN
Austin Emerging Arts Leaders began in 2012. After meeting at the Americans for the Arts National Convention in San Antonio, Sarah Rucker and Anne-Marie Mckaskle-Davis formed and facilitated the first gatherings, providing participants with a community in which to share experiences as early-career creative professionals, and a space to address challenges and fulfill needs through peer support. The very first membership meeting took place at Austin’s City Hall in August 2012, in conjunction with the People’s Gallery Artist Talk.
Official status as Texas’ first Americans for the Arts chapter followed shortly thereafter (Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston were quick to follow suit). The Board of Directors structure was formalized in 2013, and facilitated events and activities began to grow out of the community of members and volunteers, including quarterly panel discussions, scholarships for emerging artists, and networking events. A general partnership was established in 2015 to further formalize operations, with Austin Creative Alliance serving as Austin Emerging Arts Leaders’ fiscal sponsor.
More recently, the board has shifted to focusing on diversity and inclusivity in the creative sector of Austin. The New Philanthropists Board Inclusion Assessment resulted in candid conversations and a task to be more inclusive moving forward.
Towards the end of 2018, following the successful establishment of the EAL Mentorship program, the last of the original founding members moved on to their own personal endeavors and the organization saw an influx of new board leadership. The board shifted from a membership-based model to that of a non-profit that focused on mentorship, scholarship, and workshop opportunities for the Austin region and beyond.
Over the course of 2019, due in particular to the contributions of Skyla Lowery and Heather Arnos, the original goal to become of 501(c)3 finally came into the picture. As of January 2020, we are an IRS designated non-profit with the mission of cultivating the next generation of arts leaders by developing inclusive systems for creative and personal growth.