Revision as of 23:31, 30 March 2016

SAWCC

The South Asian Women’s Creative Collective -- SAWCC has served South Asian women since 1997 and has earned a reputation for showcasing cutting-edge work that deals intelligently with issues of gender and cultural representation. It is a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to the advancement, visibility, and development of emerging and established South Asian women artists and creative professionals by providing a physical and virtual space to profile their creative and intellectual work across disciplines.^[1]

Early Life

Work

Projects

References

^ "Mission Statement". SAWCC. Retrieved 30 March 2016.

[1] "Mission Statement". SAWCC. Retrieved 30 March 2016.

[1]

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-= Kemi Ilesanmi =
+= SAWCC =
+[http://www.sawcc.org/about/ The South Asian Women’s Creative Collective] -- SAWCC has served South Asian women since 1997 and has earned a reputation for showcasing cutting-edge work that deals intelligently with issues of gender and cultural representation. It is a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to the advancement, visibility, and development of emerging and established South Asian women artists and creative professionals by providing a physical and virtual space to profile their creative and intellectual work across disciplines.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sawcc.org/about/|title=Mission Statement|last=|first=|date=|website=|publisher=SAWCC|access-date=30 March 2016}}</ref>
-'''Kemi Ilesanmi''' is the executive director of the Laundromat Project which it offers programs that allows artists and communities to connect in a significant way. They envision building a corps of artists inspired and equipped to work alongside everyday folks in creative endeavors right where they live. The Laundromat Project amplifies communities’ creativity by bringing art, artists, and arts programming into community spaces. Kemi came to the position with nearly twenty years of experience working in similar capacities.
 = Early Life =
-She first started out in New York in 2004 and was invited to be part of this project by the founder—Rise Wilson.Formerly, she worked as a curator with the Walker Art Center, and Director of Grants and Services at Creative Capital—both wonderful organizations, yet quite different from The LP. The experience at the Walker and Creative Capital informed her work with The LP.    Also, she live in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn currently and what she loves about it is that it’s a small town in the big city—with trees, lawns, small businesses, and an incredibly diverse mix of neighbors that she has gotten to know over the last eight years.
-= Education =
-Ilesanmi attended Smith College from 1995- 1998 where she received her Bachelors of Arts in Afro-American Studies<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://openengagement.info/09-kemi-ilesanmi/|title=09: Kemi Ilesanmi {{!}} Open Engagement|website=openengagement.info|access-date=2016-03-29}}</ref>. After receiving her bachelors degree in 1998, Ilesanmi went on to complete the Coro Leadership New York XXI program from 2009- 2010<ref name=":2" />. She then continued on to the NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service where she received her Masters of Publication Administration degree from 2010-2012<ref name=":2" />. While at NYU, her extracurricular activities included community development and urban planning. Most recently she attended the Arts Leadership Institute for Arts & Buisness Council NY in 2012<ref name=":2" />.
-= The Laundromat Project =
-[http://laundromatproject.org/who-we-are/about/ The Laundromat Project] amplifies the creativity that already exists within communities by using arts and culture to build community networks, solve problems, and enhance the sense of ownership in the places where we live, work, and grow.
 = Work =
-Ilesanmi currently works as the Executive Director of the Laundromat Project which is a movement to bring the arts, artists, and art programs to common spaces<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://blog.creative-capital.org/author/kemiilesanmi/|title=Kemi Ilesanmi - Creative Capital Blog|website=blog.creative-capital.org|access-date=2016-03-27}}</ref>. The goal is to increase the creativity and exploration that has been existing within communities. It strives to improve and expand the quality of life for for low to moderate income families of color across the greater New York area. It does this by bringing art and artists into their communities and neighborhoods to build community networks while solving problems in order to enhance the communities sense of belonging, ownership, and honor to the place where they work, live, and grow<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://laundromatproject.org/who-we-are/about/|title=About  {{!}}  The Laundromat Project|website=laundromatproject.org|access-date=2016-03-27}}</ref>. It brings art programing to laundromats and everyday community spaces. This increases the ability for artists to be realized as a valuable asset to their community and the people within these communities will gain the ability to realize their own creative talents  to make change within their lives, relationships, and their environment. Overtime community members whether artists or everyday people, become more involved in civic and cultural matters of their communities making them feel a deeper connection to where they live and their neighbors.
-Ilesanmi's experience includes two decades of organizing and volunteering in the cultural arena<ref name=":0" />. Prior to The Laundromat Project, Ilesanmi was Director of Grants and Services at Creative Capital Foundation, a service where she had the opportunity to support the work of American artists creating innovative and daring artworks. From 1998-2004, she was a visual arts curator at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis where she organized and curated many exhibitions and ran the visual arts residency program<ref name=":1" />. Her most noted exhibitions while there is The Squared Circle: Boxing in the Contemporary Art<ref name=":0" />. In 2015 Ilesanmi was appointed by the Mayer of New York City to become a member of the Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission. She does this while also serving on the board of EMC Arts, an organization that works alongside people, organizations, and communities to help them work through their challenges to become a stronger self and unit<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.emcarts.org/index.cfm?pagepath=About_Us|title=EmcArts {{!}} Home|website=www.emcarts.org|access-date=2016-03-27}}</ref>.
 = Projects =
-{| class="wikitable"
-!Projects
-!Year
-|-
-|''The Squared Circle: Boxing in Contemporary Art -''  Walker Art Center in Minneapolis
-|2013-2014
-|-
-|''Arts Entrepreneurship Awards -'' Fractured Atlas
-|2015
-|-
-|Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission Honorary
-|2015
-|-
-|Rocket Grants
-|2014
-|-
-|LGBTQ Africans Speak Out
-|2009
-|-
-|Ideas City Conference
-|2013
-|-
-|Building Resilience Through the Arts
-|2013
-|-
-|POWArts Colleagues and Friends Breakfast
-|2015
-|-
-|''The Event of a Thread''
-|2012
-|-
-|Astraea Global Arts Fund
-|2015
-|-
-|Arts Entrepreneurship Award
-|2015
-|-
-|Propeller Fund
-|2014
-|-
-|Whisper or Shout Panel Discussion
-|2016
-|-
-|Going Fast!: Treeless Mountain
-|2009
-|-
-|Kelly Street Initiative
-|2016
-|-
-|Field Day Festival
-|2015
-|-
-|SOAPBOX
-|2015
-|-
-|Greening The City
-|2015
-|}
 = References =
-Ilesanmi, K. (2014, May 12). How do I reconcile the expectations of different stakeholders? Retrieved March 28, 2016, from http://openengagement.info/09-kemi-ilesanmi/
-I. (2014). EmcArts | Home. Retrieved March 26, 2016, from http://www.emcarts.org/index.cfm?pagepath=About_Us
-T. (2014). About | The Laundromat Project. Retrieved March 26, 2016, from http://laundromatproject.org/who-we-are/about/
-Ilesanmi, K. (n.d.). Creative Capital Blog. Retrieved March 26, 2016, from http://blog.creative-capital.org/author/kemiilesanmi/