Hi everyone! This is Aneesh Kumar checking in after the first two weeks of Dunamis Boston's Arts Management Apprenticeship.
To give you some background about myself, I am a freelance trombonist, educator, and aspiring arts manager who recently finished school at The New England Conservatory. Following the past year of inactivity, I immediately jumped at the opportunity to work for Dunamis when it came up. It was clear to me that the type of work that Dunamis was doing was not only important, but necessary in order to create substantial change in the structures we participate in. My goal is to create pathways for artists of color to not just succeed, but thrive. Young artists of color should be able to see themselves participating in the ecosystem versus feeling like an outsider. I want to create safe spaces for artists to create and show off their work, provide them with the tools and resources to expand, and give BIPOC creatives a platform to stand on.
Throughout this apprenticeship, I hope to explore and challenge myself to get closer to that goal. It is why I applied to Dunamis and I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to be an apprentice. The question that I constantly ask myself is "How can I help?". In just the first week, the team has given me so many ideas on the type of work I want to be doing in my career. “Dream Big” is something J, Jas, and Neo have reminded us to do at the start of last week and it’s really given me a lot of confidence to think big.
This first week was great even if overwhelming for at times. It's the first time in over a year where I have had any sense of structure. Rather than sitting at home, I finally get to dedicate my time and energy into efforts beyond myself with so many incredible individuals. There is no other feeling like it! I am really looking forward to working on JP Porchfest with my fellow apprentices and getting the opportunity to work on such an event in my own neighborhood. With the event being in the hands of Dunamis for the first time, I am determined to support my team in making this an event to remember. Sign up if you haven’t!
Long story short, I am super excited for the month. Until next time.
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