Arts Advocates Network of Maryland

Genifer Nichelle Fraser has been involved in the arts for several years. She has performed in stage productions, dance troupes, as a choral singer and musician; but first and foremost, she is a visual artist. 

She graduated with a B.A. in Art History, a second major in African American Studies, a minor in History, and a certificate in Community Engagement from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has displayed and sold her art at shows in Maryland, Virginia, and California. Finding beauty in the mundane, taking inspiration from daydreams, and appreciating the details in the world around her, she uses bright and expressive colors to authentically display them. 

Her work focuses on storytelling and illustrates aspects of human nature from a sociological perspective. She often contemplates about who we are and how we relate to one another and our environments. One prevalent theme is the timeliness of the beauty and joy that we experience in life. She desires to express the importance of memory, stopping to smell the roses and savoring these fleeting moments. 

Currently, she is studying Community Arts at the Maryland Institute College of Art in their MFA program and working as an artist in residence at Port Discovery Children’s Museum. She hopes to continue to expand her craft, pushing the themes of her work with the goals of meaningful social engagement and empathy building in mind.

Maryland State Department of Education

Emily currently works with The Maryland State Department of Education as the Fine Arts Project Manager as well as a theatre teaching artist and director. She is passionate about the arts, and most enjoys working on projects that have an impact on her community, either locally or globally. Her work aims to create opportunities for students and fellow artists. She studied acting at the National Conservatory of the Dramatic Arts in Washington, D.C. and worked as an actor in the D.C. and Baltimore area. During her work as a performer, she began working with Anne Arundel County Public Schools as a teaching artist and musical theatre director. Shortly after, she joined the Performance and Visual Magnet Program of Anne Arundel County as a teaching artist, project manager and study abroad coordinator. Through her work with Anne Arundel County and The Maryland State Department of Education, Emily has had the pleasure of organizing performances, trips abroad, exhibitions, fundraisers, festivals, and many other events, all supporting elevated and equitable arts education. She looks forward to serving along with the other Emerging Arts Advocates and Maryland Citizens for the Arts to help make the arts a top priority in the state of Maryland!

Arts Advocate

Raisa Lefé has been an EAA since 2010. She holds a BA in Theatre from Morgan State University, and is the recipient of the 2016 National Black Storytellers Cowtail Switch Scholarship. She has held positions as an Events Manager for Creative Alliance, Education Week, and the Carl J. Murphy Fine Arts Center, and was a writer for Maryland Theatre Guide. Her interests include cultural sustainability, African American folklore, and arts-based community programs for underprivileged youth. She is the proud wife of a Baltimore City teacher and mom to (soon to be) 5 children. Raisa Lefé plans to pursue her MA in Arts Administration, Fall 2018.

Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art

Brittany Andrew is a recent graduate of the Goucher College Masters of Arts in Art Administration program. She is a Salisbury University Alumni, where she graduated Suma Cum Laude with a Bachelors in Fine Art and a minor in Business Administration. She is an Eastern Shore native, born and raised in Cambridge, MD. As an artist and resident she takes inspiration from the vibrancy of the peninsula and its inhabitants. She believes the arts have the power to bring people together. Brittany was the Education and Program Coordinator at the Dorchester Center for the Arts, a local community art center and arts agency in Cambridge, MD. She now works at the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art in Salisbury, MD, as their Deputy Director.

Prince George’s County Public Schools

Teaching Artist in Visual Arts and Crafts Krystiana Bonheur currently works as an arts advocate to provide visual arts programming to youth and adults in transitional housing. Krystiana graduated from the University of Maryland in 2007 with a Bachelors of Science in Special Education, and from Walden University in 2011 with a Masters of Science in Special Education. Bringing eleven years of experience in education, Krystiana currently works in Prince George’s County with students who have emotional and academic disabilities.

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

Zoe Fried is a performer, administrator, and arts advocate with an aim to inspire audiences in unconventional ways. A Native of Miami, Florida, she began her musical studies at the age of 12 and has been an active member in the music community both on the stage and behind the scenes ever since. Zoe is currently the Operations Manager with Shriver Hall Concert Series. Previously she has held administrative positions with cultural organizations such as the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Choral Arts Society, and the New York Philharmonic. She is an active member on the Executive Committee of the Society of Peabody Alumni. She also performs with and serves on the Board of Mind on Fire, a musical arts cooperative, collaboratively presenting contemporary music in Baltimore. Zoe graduated from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University with her Masters in Oboe Performance. She additionally holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance as well as a Teaching Certificate from the Peabody Conservatory. During her time at Peabody, she studied under Jane Marvine, English Horn of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Outside of music she enjoys hiking with her dog, yoga, and Cuban food.

Talk to me about concert and event operations.

Arts Every Day

Betty Gonzales is a curator, artist, and advocate for the arts who dedicates her practice to creating sustainable connections that promote, support, and nurture Baltimore’s creative thinkers. Betty received a Bachelors in Studio Art from McDaniel College and a Masters in Fine Arts from Maryland Institute College of Art.  Today, she serves as the Communications and Development Coordinator at Arts Every Day, a non-profit that supports arts integrated learning, equity and access to the arts within Baltimore City Public Schools.  Her hope is to effectively utilize every resource available to ensure creative minds have the necessary outlets and access to information to succeed in Baltimore and elsewhere regardless of age, race, or social status.

Baltimore Center Stage

Brandon is the Institutional Giving Manager at Baltimore Center Stage, where he manages the theater’s foundation and government relations, raising money for the Annual Fund as well as securing funds for special projects and capacity building initiatives. He is also on the theater’s Education Committee and Equity Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Prior to Center Stage, Brandon worked for a direct mail and telemarketing consulting firm that supported national and regional non-profit organizations. He was also previously the Production and Operations Coordinator at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company where he managed the theater’s visiting artists, directors, and designers in addition to facility and operations. He is a proud graduate of Russell Sage College where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Theater in 2014. In his free time he enjoys cooking, running around Baltimore, and all things John Waters.

Talk to me about grants, grant reporting, and theatre.

Baltimore Museum of Art

Alexa Milroy has been the Administrative Manager in the Director’s Office at The Baltimore Museum of Art since September 2016. She previously worked at Arts Education in Maryland Schools (AEMS) Alliance as the Director of Program and Administration from 2012 to 2016. In her position at AEMS, she was a staff member on the Governor’s P-20 Leadership Council Task Force on Arts Education in Maryland Schools. Previously, Alexa worked on Obama for America’s 2008 field team in Iowa. She also served as an intern at the Maryland State Arts Council. Alexa received a B.A. in Art & Art History and Political Science from St. Mary’s College of Maryland. She is a past Chair and current member of Emerging Arts Advocates, a subcommittee of Maryland Citizens for the Arts.

Walters Art Museum

Eliza Mullen is an art historian and the Institutional Giving Associate at the Walters Art Museum, where she is focused on supporting the museum’s mission through progressive fundraising. Her key responsibilities include writing and managing grants from foundations, corporations, and government organizations, as well as stewarding foundation and government relations. Ever a student of art history, Eliza received her B.A. from Bard College and her master’s degree from American University, where she specialized in Italian Renaissance Art and worked as a Graduate Fellow. Eliza has been part of the fabric of Baltimore for over a decade, including working for several years at the University of Baltimore School of Law. Her interests include the relationships between art and history, social justice, and gender. She is a proud advocate of the transformative power of the arts on both a local and a national level.

Art Works Now

Manique is an artist and has a passion for building long lasting relationships with communities throughout the Washington-Metropolitan Area. She is currently the Director of Community Engagement at Art Works Now. Prior to working at Art Works Now, she served as the Program Manager of the arts education non-profit Artivate in Montgomery County for 3 years, where she facilitated the placement of over 1000 performance and visual art programs with local and international teaching artists for schools and communities throughout the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. Her trajectory of work includes, Youth Programs Assistant Coordinator of the Youth and Teen Department at the Columbia Art Center in Howard County. She has led within the organization at different capacities for over 5 years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from the University of Maryland, College Park.