The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts today announced the first class of its new Citizen Artist Fellows program, which recognizes artists across the country who utilize their art form for positive impact on communities small and large. These Citizen Artist Fellows will be a signature component of the annual Kennedy Center Arts Summit, to be held on Monday, April 25, 2016 in the Kennedy Center Theater Lab and live-streamed on the Kennedy Center website. The Summit, co-hosted by Renée Fleming and Yo-Yo Ma, is a national platform for shining a spotlight on stories of Citizen Artists who live up to President John F. Kennedy’s ideals of service, justice, freedom, courage, and gratitude through exploration, innovation, and creativity
The inaugural class of Fellows include:
Visionary musician and educator Aquil Charlton (Chicago, IL)
Performer, educator, and founder of B-FLY ENTERTAINMENT, Paige Hernandez (Washington, D.C.)
Conceptual artist, writer, curator, and community builder Davida Ingram (Seattle, WA)
Electronic musician, producer, engineer, vocalist and healthcare sound designer Yoko K. Sen (Washington, D.C.)
Gregg Mozgala, actor and Artistic Director of The Apothetae theater company (New York, NY)
CJay Philip, Artistic Director of multidisciplinary ensemble Dance & Bmore (Baltimore, MD)
Co-Founder of Power House Productions, artist, and architect Gina Reichert (Detroit, MI)
Monica Yunus, soprano and Co-Founder/Co-Executive Director of Sing for Hope (New York, NY)
Camille Zamora, soprano and Co-Founder/Co-Executive Director of Sing for Hope (New York, NY)