2020 South Arts
Melanie Colclough She/Her/Hers, Sumter, South Carolina
Executive Director, Sumter County Cultural Center/ Patriot Hall
Melanie Colclough serves as the executive director of Patriot Hall and the Cultural Center in Sumter, SC. She has many years of experience working with organizations, committees, and boards to engage staff and volunteers in supporting mutually beneficial goals. A connector and advocate, Colclough served as a nonprofit leader before taking over the Sumter County Cultural Center/Patriot Hall in 2017. She enjoys repositioning the arts in her community, but is driven by the opportunity to bring people together through her work there. She believes the beauty, diversity, and ambiguity of the arts give people a much-needed collective experience while offering space for individual ones, a philosophy she hopes people will learn at the cultural center and then transfer to other facets of life. She is a guardian ad litem, adoption advocate, National Urban fellow, and serves on several local arts-related boards. She is a mother of six wonderful children, member of Delta Sigma Theta, Sorority, Inc., and attends Bethesda Church of God, where she and her husband David work on the leadership team. Colclough earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina Columbia and a master’s degree in public administration from CUNY/Baruch College.
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Jemimah Ekeh She/Her/Hers, Blythewood, South Carolina
Office Manager, One Colombia for Arts & Culture
Jemimah Ekeh is a second-generation Nigerian-American, currently living in Columbia, SC. For the past several years, Ekeh has carried a variety of roles from sales to marketing, with one reoccurring constant—love for the arts. She is a freelance graphic designer with over several years of experience. Since 2016, she has been working in the arts, gaining her first full-time position in the fall of 2018. Ekeh has had many arts-related roles, such as film festival volunteer, special events staff, visitor services representative, communications assistant, and now as an office manager for One Columbia for Arts and Culture, the city of Columbia’s de facto arts and culture organization. Her roles working in Columbia’s arts scene have given her valuable insight into the inner workings of arts organizations, community outreach, and the creation of cultural events, programming, and even public art. Ekeh’s creative background has allowed her to help organizations enhance their goals and projects through use of design, copywriting, and even coding. Now in her fourth year as an arts administrator, she is eager to marry her love for the arts with her expertise in design and communications, to create meaningful arts and culture experiences for everyone.
Follow: jemimahekeh.cargo.site
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Skills: & Interests: Exploring small towns, reading up on new urbanist movements for collective resiliency, creative placemaking projects, and doodling in her sketchbooks, whenever and wherever she can.
Nathalie Nia Faulk They/Them/Their, New Orleans, Louisiana
Cultural Organizing Programs Coordinator / Co Director, Alternate Roots
Nathalie Nia Faulk (They/Them) is self described ebony southern belle born in Lafayette, Louisiana and living in New Orleans for the last eight years. Since her childhood, her work has lived at the the intersections of performance, history and storytelling, healing justice, individual and organizational development, and community building. They use these competencies as tools for the liberation of all people, centering trans and gender non confirming Black and brown people. Currently, they serve as a human rights commissioner for the City of New Orleans, co-director of Southern Organizer Academy, as well as co-director of Last Call Oral History Project, and as the cultural organizing programs coordinator for Alternate ROOTS. In addition to their service as board member of Transcending Women, they currently serve both BreakOUT! and the LOUD Queer Youth Theater advisory boards. They believe that everyone is inherently valuable and beautiful and, collectively, we can manifest everything!
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Affiliations: Southern Organizer Academy, Last Call Oral History Project, Alternate ROOTS
Skills: & Interests: Healing justice, music making, film/documentary creation, dancing, cooking, anime, Kpop, and Beyonce
Carey Fountain He/Him/His, Birmingham, Alabama
Manager of Public Programs, Birmingham Museum of Art
Carey Fountain is a visual artist, musician, and cultural producer based in Birmingham, AL. His art practice combines these disciplines hand in hand with the belief that art can inspire change to propel society forward. Fountain likes to explore what he calls “the language in the middle.” He has exhibited nationally, including exhibitions and performances at The Study, Los Angeles, CA; Artlanta Gallery, Atlanta, GA; Alabama School of Fine Art, Birmingham, AL; and Gallery 905, Selma, AL. He is also the founder of Vibes & Virtues, an experimental art experience. Fountain has worked for Selma Arts, Selma, AL; Coleman Center of the Arts, York, AL; and currently is the manager of public programs for the Birmingham Museum of Art. Fountain graduated from University of Alabama in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies.
Follow: vibesandvirtues.com, instagram.com/careyfountain, facebook.com/careyfountain.art
Affiliations: Birmingham Museum of Art, Coleman Center for the Arts, Vibes & Virtues
Skills & Interests: Practicing artist, project management/administration, community organizing, public speaking, art workshops, event planning, program development, arts advocacy, strategic or business planning/visioning, group facilitation, curriculum development, marketing/communications, curatorial/art direction, and education/teaching (formal or informal).
Brandall Jones He/Him/His, Atlanta, Georgia
Connectivity Director, Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre Company
Brandall Jones is passionate about sharing multicultural stories and history, as well as building community partnerships within the Atlanta community. Jones is proud to be part of the True Colors Theatre Company family and is especially proud of the organization’s commitment to providing career-making opportunities for emerging artists of color in the Atlanta community. Jones has applied his knowledge and experience by serving the Atlanta and South Fulton County areas for years through the development and implementation of a number of arts outreach programs with Fulton County Arts and Culture and the Serenbe Institute for Art, Culture, and the Environment. At True Colors, Jones continues to make an impact through building community partnerships and developing programs for public conversations and performances. An adamant belief that all, no matter what their ZIP Code or background, deserve access to high quality arts has been the driving force of Jones’ career. Jones graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) with a focus in performing arts and arts administration.
Follow: @brandalljones
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Skills: & Interests: Theatre directing, opera, hiking, traveling, and wine tasting.
Carly Jones She/Her/Hers, Raleigh, North Carolina
Program Director for Artists & Organizations, North Carolina Arts Council
Carly Jones is a performing artist and an arts administrator with experience in funding, community programming, arts advocacy, nonprofit development, and cultural work. She currently serves her home state of North Carolina as the program director for artists and organizations for the North Carolina Arts Council. Jones started at the arts council as the music director, where she oversaw music grants/fellowships and spearheaded the statewide Come Hear NC campaign, celebrating NC’s musicians. She also curated programming for the NC Executive Mansion, which showcased NC musicians from all cultures. Jones led the arts council’s partnership with the African American Heritage Commission and National Trust for Historic Preservation on an awareness campaign to preserve the childhood home of civil rights musician Nina Simone. As the program director, she now oversees grants for organizations and artist fellowships across disciplines and cultivates partnerships in communities across the field. Jones previously worked with a variety of arts organizations, including the multi-arts school Arts Together as the director of communications and development, and as the director of the African American Cultural Festival of Raleigh. Jones has led work around ways to make the arts sector more accessible across cultural and socio-economic boundaries for all artists and communities. Jones attended Miami University of Ohio, where she received a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance, a bachelor’s degree in Black music history, and a minor in arts management.
Follow: carlyprentisjones.com ; Social Media: Facebook (Carly Prentis Jones, artist page and Carly P. Jones, personal page, @CarlyPJonesing on IG
Affiliations: NC Arts Council, Come Hear NC including curatorial/project management work on Music at the Mansion, In The Water, the Nina Simone Childhood Home Project, Under One Roof Virtual Music Festival, and Singing On The Land
Skills: & Interests: Performing (theatre and musical theatre), community and activism work, and any time the two of these interests can meet (artivism).
Victoria Jones She/Her/Hers, Memphis, Tennessee
Executive Director, The Collective The CLTV Inc.
In 2015, with the encouragement of artists, activists, and stakeholders, Victoria Jones gathered a group of Black artists and founded The CLTV (Collective) in an effort to empower the community they were charged to serve. The CLTV operates under the belief that Black artists and creators are the most thoughtful and brilliant change agents in the city. For that reason, the CLTV is dedicated to elevating Black artists in Memphis, using their creative expression and thought energy to empower Black communities, and in execution shifting the culture of Memphis. The CLTV has been covered locally, nationally, and even internationally through publications like Essence magazine, Vice, The Art Newspaper, and Madame Noire, among many others.
Jones was named Leadership Memphis’ 2019 Change Maker Honoree, Jones was also named by the Black Millennial Convention as 2019 Millennial Leader to Watch. In 2018 Jones was invited to join the Salzburg Global Forum for Young Cultural Innovators.
Follow: thecltv.org @thecltv @thecmplx901 @victoria.elizabeth.jones
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Skills: & Interests: Community activism, fashion design, and writing.
Chad Locklear He/Him/His, Pembroke, North Carolina
Director of Marketing, Givens Performing Arts Center
is the director of marketing for the Givens Performing Arts Center, a 1,600 seat theater on campus at University of North Carolina Pembroke. Locklear is responsible for leading all marketing efforts for the center, including advertising, design, social media, student engagement, and sponsorships. Locklear also serves as the Lumbee Film Festival’s communications director. In 2015, Locklear organized the 4th River People Music Festival, which highlighted local and national American Indian musicians. He previously worked as a graphic artist for UNC Wilmington and the Fayetteville Observer. He has performed at numerous venues as a member of the traditional Native group, the Deer Clan Singers. Locklear earned a master’s degree in liberal studies from UNC Wilmington and dual bachelor’s degrees in communication and arts studies from N.C. State University. He is currently pursuing a second master’s degree in digital communications at UNC-Chapel Hill.
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Affiliations: Americans for the Arts, Native American Journalists Association
Skills: & Interests: Event planning, marketing/communications, and curatorial/art direction.
Chase Miller He/Him/His, Lexington, Kentucky
MusicWorks Program Director, Central Kentucky Youth Orchestra
Clarinetist Chase Miller is an active performer and teaching Artist. In 2019, he was appointed program director of MusicWorks, which is Central Kentucky Youth Orchestra’s El Sistema program. Prior to that he held the position of education coordinator with the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra. Most recently, he was a co-presenter at the 2020 El Sistema USA Conference in Durham, North Carolina. The Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts awarded Miller with the Annual Marlene M. Helm Alumni Achievement Award, which was created to honor an outstanding alumnus or alumna for their contribution to the arts in their home community, their service to the Governor’s School for the Arts, and the dedication to enriching the state’s artistic future.
Follow: Chaseclarinet.com
Affiliations: Central Kentucky Youth Orchestra – MusicWorks
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Viola Ratcliffe She/Her/Hers, Bessamer, Alabama
Program Manager, Bib & Tucker Sew-Op
Viola Ratcliffe is an arts administrator and educator whose work explores the intersection of art and activism. As the former curator specialist of the Troy University Rosa Parks Museum, Ratcliffe has travelled the country and the world studying the relationship between art, memorial, and activism. In 2014 she was selected to take part in Bowling Green State University’s Fulbright-Hays “Walking Witness” program, which provided her with the opportunity to travel to Europe to study the history of Ohio Holocaust survivors. Currently, Ratcliffe works as program manager for Bib & Tucker Sew-Op in Birmingham, AL, an arts nonprofit that is a hub for sewing activities that promote empowerment, education, and economic opportunity. She is also the founder of Elynn & Rose, LLC, a venture that honors and celebrates the journey that is womanhood and girlhood, and whose mission is to create opportunities for women and girls through entrepreneurship, education, creation, and exploration. Ratcliffe currently lives in Bessemer, Alabama with her husband and her two young daughters. A native of Montgomery, Alabama, she earned her bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of Alabama and her master’s degree in art history from Bowling Green State University.
Follow: elynnrose.com; instagram.com/elynnandrose
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Cecilia Reyna Lara She/Her/Hers, Louisville, Kentucky
Artist and Arts Advocate
Cecilia Reyna Lara is a proud Latina womxn living in Louisville, KY. Reyna Lara is passionate about community arts and speaking up for those whose voices are not always heard. She uses the arts as a way to translate thoughts and feelings into visual pieces. Reyna Lara has held roles in various organizations, including Kentucky Performing Arts, Boys and Girls Club of Kentuckiana, and the Speed Art Museum. She is an active board member of West Louisville Women’s Collaborative an organization whose mission is to create and sustain artistic, peaceful spaces in the west end of Louisville. She loves to share art with the community through her “Crafternoon” series and believes that art is for everyone. Reyna Lara holds a bachelor’s degree in studio art from Bellarmine University
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Skills: & Interests: Mija Merch—women-owned Latinx inspired creative arts and merchandise.
Stacey Wilson She/Her/Hers, Meridian, Mississippi
Curator of Exhibitions, Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience
Stacey Wilson is a curator, project manager, exhibition designer, and sometimes artist. Wilson is the curator of exhibitions for the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience and has held multiple roles in this position. In the beginning she was an exhibit designer brought on as a project manager to coordinate a $14 million, 6,000 sq. ft,. state-of-the-art permanent exhibition. Now she is the curator responsible for overseeing the maintenance and future development of said exhibition, as well as organizing the changing exhibitions. All of that hard work paid off when Wilson received the Southeastern Museums Conference (SEMC) Emerging Museum Professionals award in 2019. Wilson loves history. She earned a master’s and bachelor’s degree in history, with a concentration in public history from Texas State University-San Marcos and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, respectively. Her studies focused on antebellum Louisiana and she previously worked as an interpreter at Destrehan Plantation. Portraying a free woman of color and a slave, she has presented laundry, indigo dyeing, and tignon tying demonstrations. Her tignon tying demonstration has transformed into a lecture delving into the history of headwraps and their meaning in early Louisiana history. Formerly, she was the curator of exhibitions/lead designer at the Louisiana State Museum.
Follow: https://www.linkedin.com/in/staceywilson3/
Affiliations: 2014 Bowling Green State University’s “Walking Witness” Fulbright-Hays Summer Workshop; Participant in the 2020 Sister Song Project
Skills: & Interests: Spending time with family, gardening, hiking, sewing and painting. Traveling and discovering unique and cool spaces within her local community. Her current ventures include creating content for my YouTube Channel “We Are Magic” and finding ways to continue to serve her community through her work with Elynn & Rose and Bib & Tucker Sew-Op.