GOOD GROUND: THE NEXT GENERATION OF WOMEN+ LEADERS IN THE ARTS

A Collective of Black Women and Beyond from across the US and the UK Disrupt the Field of Arts and Culture

At a time when Black women+ leaders in the arts are exiting organizations en masse, Harlem Stage launches Good Ground: The NEXT Generation of Women+ Leaders in the Arts, a bold, global initiative that is built to create a global leadership sisterhood, to strengthen leadership sustainability, and to unlock a more expansive future for the arts.

The Inaugural Fourteen Fellows of Good Ground are radically folded into a year-long initiative where their creative ideas not only take center stage, but receive investments from Harlem Stage to make those ideas a reality. Good Ground cultivates a global network of visionary early-career women+ leaders from performing arts institutions and HBCUs.

Good Ground Inaugural Fellows are Alisha Dion Artry, Kayla Bowles, Kyla Jeanne Butts, Kyria Geneva Cameron, Bethany Cintron, Zenzele Daniels, Ariana Njeri Holland, Asili N. Johnson, Julianna Faye Marquez, Taylor Mills, Lauryn Nealy, Jasmine Reed, Jaadyn Rogers, and Alexis Kulani Woodard.

Harlem Stage is proud to team up with partner institutions that nominated the Inaugural 2026 Fellows: The Billie Holiday Theatre (Brooklyn, NY), The Ensemble Theatre (Houston, TX), Howard University (Washington, DC), North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University (Greensboro, NC), Spelman College (Atlanta, GA), The Theater Offensive (Boston, MA), and tiata fahodzi (Watford, UK). Host Institutions are Spelman College and Columbia University.

Tony Award-nominated actress and director LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Chair of the Good Ground Circle and Spelman College Alumna, underscores the stakes: “Leadership inequity is not a question of capacity; it is a question of support. Good Ground is about building the systems that ensure brilliance is not only recognized, but sustained. Mentorship, networks, and knowledge are not luxuries, they are lifelines.

THINK TANK ONE

Develop, present, and elevate Black Queer and Trans playwrights in the pursuit of stories that center joy.

THINK TANK TWO

Create pathways for Black artists and arts administrators to learn, lead, and shape the future of the arts.

THINK TANK THREE

The Make Room Initiative: Making room for Black, Brown, and Indigenous women in the arts.

“Where in the world is there a sacred and safe space for fourteen remarkable early-career Black women and beyond leaders to come together to write a radically new chapter for the field of arts and culture? Good Ground is that space.” - Dr. Indira Etwaroo, CEO & Artistic Director, Harlem Stage

Good Ground is not your typical professional development. Participants have been engaged in immersive leadership labs, leadership challenges, masterclasses on practical skills with subject matter experts, site visits, and mentorship with some of the most accomplished women leaders across the arts and beyond, including Dr. Mary Schmidt-Campbell (Former President of Spelman College), Karen Brooks Hopkins (Former President of Brooklyn Academy of Music), Denise Young (Former Apple Executive), Diya Vij (NYC Commissioner of Arts and Culture), Caroline Clarke (journalist, author, and brand architect), Patricia Cruz (Former CEO & Artistic Director of Harlem Stage), and more.

The Inaugural Fellows shared:

“Initiatives like Good Ground create space for leaders to be shaped, to play, and to radically interrogate resources. Good Ground is not just about dreaming. It's about investment, care, and writing a new story of possibilities.”
- Alisha Artry (Tiata Fahodzi, UK)

“The investment that Harlem Stage has made in all of us cannot be understated. At Good Ground, I am encouraged to show up authentically in every room I find myself in; a lesson that I will carry with me for the rest of my life and career.”
- Kayla Marie Bowles (Society of Voice Arts and Sciences, New York, NY)

“When we wait for an invite to the table, we will wait forever. I’m done waiting. For Harlem Stage’s Good Ground, we are building our own table.”
- Kyla Jeanne Butts (Columbia University, New York, NY)

"Because of Good Ground, I can embrace my calling with confidence and without reservation."

Kyria Geneva Cameron (The Billie Holiday Theatre, Brooklyn, NY)

"I am evolving alongside a powerful group of women that also feel the call to change the field. The energy Good Ground nurtures is necessary and truly inspiring."

Bethany Cintron (Harlem Stage, New York, NY)

"Good Ground has taught me that we won't be silenced and we won't be still…we are coming!"

Zenzele Daniels (Harlem Stage, New York, NY)

"I am allowed. Good Ground has instilled in me the courage to take risks, to learn from mistakes, and to continue to drive myself forward. This journey with my amazing peers and the insightful leaders has been the most impactful experience for my future."

Njeri Holland (North Carolina A&T University, Greensboro, NC)

"Good Ground has helped me to not only step into my power, but do so without hesitation or overthought. There is no doubt in my mind that my cohort and I are a FORCE to be reckoned with."

Asili N. Johnson (MFA, Duke University, Durham, NC)

"Learning from not only such accomplished and visionary women leaders in the field, but also from the brilliance of the emerging leaders in this cohort, has been the opportunity of a lifetime."

Julianna Faye Márquez (Harlem Stage, New York, NY)

"Due to Good Ground, I've watched myself evolve into the groundbreaking force the world has no choice but to be ready for."

Taylor Mills (Spelman College, Atlanta, GA)

"Good Ground is evidence that when you give young Black women leaders the space and support to speak their minds, they will do so unapologetically. And what they say will shake foundations some thought were secure."

Lauryn Nealy (The Ensemble Theatre, Houston, TX)

"Good Ground's mentorship, community and direction has equipped me to meet this moment. I am deeply grateful."

Jasmine Reed (The Theater Offensive, Boston, MA)

"The power of Good Ground has reshaped my fundamentals to show up as a torch bearer for tactical leadership within the arts. There is no doubt that our execution of promising initiatives will have undercurrents of radical belief and camaraderie."

Jaadyn Rogers (Howard University)

"The personal, emotional, and financial investment Harlem Stage is making not just in us, but in our initiatives is life-changing. It is hard to grasp the depth of the commitment made to and for us."

Alexis Kulani Woodard (MFA, Yale University, New Haven, CT)