Page 31 - APAP - Inside Arts - Summer 2020

LISA
RICHARDS
TONEY
Lisa Richards Toney, an arts leader of 20 years, became the new President & CEO
of APAP on July 1. Read more about Toney here and read the APAP announcement of her presidency here. We caught up with her in May to ask her about her thoughts on leadership, the field and our times. Welcome, Lisa!
WHAT DREW YOU TO APAP AND HOW DOES THAT ALIGN WITH YOUR LEADERSHIP PHILOSOPHY?
I was drawn to APAP because of the magnanimity of the job and my desire to do work that will make an indelible impact on the field and in my career. APAP is a nice culmination of some of the key merits of my past experiences —that feels good. I also think we will gel nicely—I have a consensus-based leadership style that I think will mesh well with the culture of APAP. Celebrating the diversity of people and ideas as we work together to strengthen the field is at the core of who I am as an arts professional. Also, as my experience spans several performing arts genres and the fact that I have been both an artist and an arts administrator,
I am excited to bring both selves to the work.
WHAT’S AN ARTS, ARTIST OR ADMINISTRATIVE EXPERIENCE YOU’VE HAD THAT INFLUENCES YOUR COMMITMENT TO THE FIELD?
From 2001-2005, I was fortunate to work as a resident artist for the great theater director Glenda Dickerson at
the University of Michigan’s Center for World Performance Studies. Our project Kitchen Prayers: A Snapshot of Global Loss was a response to the September 11 attacks. The process of devising and performing the work, which gave “voice” to the experiences of women around the world who'd been subjected to war and terrorism, imbued in
me an aspiration to commit to work that mattered. We performed locally throughout Michigan and in Istanbul, Turkey. The work itself placed women at the center of
their experiences, inspiring a new lens, and ultimately a
new discourse, for both women's studies and theater. We devised a script based on real events which developed into a beautifully complex drama filled with dramatic tension, an inviting mise en scène and a talented cast who succeeded in moving audiences to tears and into power. The work lives on at the Center’s museum. That project fortified my voice as a woman and as a leader. Theater, and the arts, for that matter, have that effect, you know. I want to put my energy into supporting efforts that achieve those big goals. Our field does just that.
THESE ARE HARD TIMES FOR EVERYONE IN OUR FIELD. WHAT ADVICE OR ENCOURAGEMENT CAN YOU SHARE ABOUT THE FUTURE?
Artists and arts workers are no strangers to hard times. The work is gratifying but it's hard—particularly to sustain and grow. The Covid-19 crisis is bad enough: Our economic structure is fragile as is how we achieve our core purpose through live events. But, the latest murder of black life further upends the devastation we are experiencing in our communities, giving new meaning to hard times. The grief is deep. The longstanding inequities are now the center of national attention. I am encouraged to work with APAP, which stands in solidarity with Black Artists and Black Arts Workers. I am committed to creating more space to amplify diverse voices and perspectives recognizing that it is our collective will which strengthens us. We in the arts have an advantage: We are creative; we are resourceful; we are resilient, and our advocacy is stronger than ever. So, while we will feel most vulnerable, we must never forget that our workisnecessary.
Three Questions for:
FAIR GROUND
SUMMER 2020 INSIDE ARTS 29