Making Moves: Nashville

Join NCCAkron for Making Moves: Nashville, a panel discussion and book launch event for Artists on Creative Administration (AOCA). The conversation features regional arts leaders and national book contributors exploring themes of community building, sharing experiences and resources, and advocacy around the contemporary performing arts.

Banning Bouldin, Founder of New Dialect and AOCA contributing author

Christian Sinclair, Co-founder Soul’d Creative Collective

Christy Bolingbroke, Executive/Artistic Director of NCCAkron and AOCA contributing author

Ciona Rouse, Nashville poet, editor, and educator

Jennifer Turner, President & CEO of Tennessee Performing Arts Center 

Jonathan Wynn, Co-founder Soul’d Creative Collective 

Mark Murphy, Executive and Artistic Director of OZ Arts Nashville 

Pioneer Winter, Miami-based choreographer and AOCA contributing author

Saturday, November 23, 2024

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Bridgestone-Firestone Conference Center Auditorium, Main Library

615 Church Street, Nashville, TN 37219

Artists on Creative Administration will be available for purchase through a local bookseller.

Artists on Creative Administration: A Workbook from the National Center for Choreography was published September 24, 2024, by The University of Akron Press as part of their NCCAkron Series in Dance. Edited by artist/cultural strategist Tonya Lockyer this book features essays from and interviews with 30 artists and advocates from the dance and performing arts worlds, sharing first-hand stories of creative administration in action through case studies, interviews, life tools, and experiments.

About the Panelists

Banning Bouldin (Nashville, TN) is a dance artist and community organizer based in Nashville, TN. She received a BFA from the Juilliard School and has performed internationally with Aszure Barton, Cullberg Ballet, Lar Lubovitch, Jacquelyn Buglisi, and Wen Wei Wang. She is a two-time United States Artist Fellowship nominee. Her works have been commissioned by Visceral Dance Chicago, Springboard Danse Montréal, Northwest Dance Project, Whim W'Him, SALT, Groundworks Dance Theater, and Gibney Dance Company. Banning is the founder and director of New Dialect, a southern destination and resource for contemporary dance artists to collaborate and contribute to the larger international dance ecology. 

Christian Sinclair (Nashville, TN) is a cultural curator, freelance photographer, and creative director deeply engaged in Nashville’s thriving art scene. Originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee, he has firmly established his creative roots in Nashville. He is the founder of Soul’d Creative Collective, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to uplifting BIPOC arts and culture. The Collective focuses on education, collaboration, and access, curating events, workshops, and panels designed to inspire positive change and empower the community through creative expression. Outside of his work with Soul’d Creative Collective, Sinclair is a full-time Communications Manager in the pharmaceuticals industry, where he uses his expertise to craft meaningful and impactful communications. His freelance photography and creative direction further showcase his artistic vision. At the core of Sinclair’s work is a deep commitment to community, creativity, and culture—values that have shaped his journey and continue to drive his mission of fostering inclusive spaces and elevating the voices of underrepresented creatives in Nashville.

Christy Bolingbroke (Akron, OH) is the Founding Executive/Artistic Director for the National Center for Choreography - Akron. She is responsible for setting the curatorial vision and sustainable business model to foster research and development in dance. Previously, she served as the Deputy Director for Advancement at ODC in San Francisco, overseeing curation and performance programming as well as marketing and development organization-wide. A key aspect of her position included managing a unique three-year artist-in-residence program for dance artists, guiding and advising them in all aspects of creative development and administration. Prior to ODC, she was the Director of Marketing at the Mark Morris Dance Group in Brooklyn, NY. She earned a B.A. in Dance from the University of California, Los Angeles; an M.A. in Performance Curation from Wesleyan University; and is a graduate of the Arts Management Fellowship program at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She currently serves on the Akron Civic Commons Core Team; as a consulting advisor for the Bloomberg Philanthropies Arts Innovation Management initiative; and on the New England Foundation for the Arts National Dance Project Advisory Panel. In 2017, DANCE Magazine named Bolingbroke among the national list of most influential people in dance today.

Ciona Rouse (Nashville, TN) is a poet and editor living in Nashville, Tenn. She is the author of Vantablack (Third Man Books, 2017) and is the owner of a poetry-centric bookstore popup concept called Bard’s Towne Books & Bourbon.

Jennifer Turner (Nashville, TN) is the President and CEO of Tennessee Performing Arts Center® (TPAC), a Nashville-based nonprofit dedicated to excellence in the performing arts and arts education. Since 1980, TPAC® has welcomed over 14 million patrons and served more than 2 million students, teachers, and adults through its performances, teacher resources, and community programs. A leader in the performing arts industry, Jennifer is a voting member of The Broadway League and serves on its Legislative and Intra-Industry Committees. She also serves on the boards of the Live Arts Centers of North America (LACNA) Foundation, the Nashville Downtown Partnership, Friends Life Community, and the Tennessee Performing Arts Foundation. Before joining TPAC, Jennifer was Executive Vice President and Managing Director at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Southern California, where she built a world-class leadership team, led community initiatives, and completed major capital development projects, including the 56,000-square-foot Julianne and George Argyros Plaza. Her career spans over 20 years in nonprofit arts organizations, including roles as Chief Operating Officer at Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre and leadership positions with Michigan Opera Theatre and Shakespeare Theatre Company. Jennifer is a graduate of Michigan State University and holds a master’s degree in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management from Roosevelt University. She is also a member of the Nashville Rotary and Leadership Music (Class of ‘22).

Jonathan Wynn (Nashville, TN) is a former NFL player turned creative entrepreneur, writer, and community leader in Nashville. After graduating from Vanderbilt University in 2017, he had a brief but impactful career in the NFL, honing skills that would serve him well in his subsequent ventures. Wynn authored Summer Juice, a coming-of-age novel exploring themes of identity, friendship, and self-discovery. His role as a barista and Events and Communications Lead at All People Coffee & Beverage Hall deepened his connection with the local community, making it a hub for creativity and collaboration. Alongside co-founder Christian Sinclair, he helped establish Soul’d Creative Collective, dedicated to nurturing artistic expression and community engagement. With a passion for personal growth, he journals about his journey and dreams up fresh ideas for future projects. Through his multifaceted career and dedication to his community, Wynn continues to inspire those around him, proving that with heart, creativity, and perseverance, anything is possible.

Mark Murphy (Nashville, TN) is the Executive and Artistic Director of OZ Arts Nashville, a contemporary cultural center that produces and presents a diverse range of international and local performances and exhibitions. Mark was previously the founding Executive Director of REDCAT (Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater) in downtown Los Angeles, where he initiated a wide range of adventurous programming for the influential center for contemporary art, performance, film, and media (2002-2019). He was the Artistic Director of On the Boards, a contemporary performing arts center in Seattle (1986-2001), was chairman of the Choreographer’s Fellowship Panel for the National Endowment for the Arts, was a founding board member of the National Performance Network, an inaugural advisor to the National Dance Project, and a member of the Advisory Board for the Japan Foundation’s Performing Arts Program. Mark is the recipient of a First Place Curatorial Award from AICA/US, the Association of International Art Critics (2009).

Pioneer Winter (Miami, FL) is a choreographer and director of Pioneer Winter Collective, an intergenerational and physically integrated dance-theater company rooted in social practice and community, queer excellence, and beauty beyond the mainstream. Recognized by Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch”, Pioneer's work democratizes performance in public spaces, museums, galleries, stage, and film. Their work has developed through the support of NCCAkron, NEFA, Knight Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Creative Capital, and Miami-Dade County Cultural Affairs. An extension of their creative practice, Pioneer curates ScreenDance Miami Festival presented by Miami Light Project. Pioneer is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Honors College and College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts at Florida International University.

Pictured (L to R): Cover art for Artists on Creative Administration and CAR alumni artist and contributing author Banning Bouldin (photo courtesy of New Dialect).