What if you could change the way people experience art?

Who gets invited? Who gets heard? Who gets to feel like they belong? And what would it look like if the next generation didn’t just show up for the arts—but helped shape what comes next?

Join Donna Walker-Kuhne, author of Champions for the Arts, and Cris Scorza, Helena Rubinstein Chair of Education at the Whitney Museum of American Art, for a conversation about turning ideas into action. Together, they’ll unpack some of the biggest lessons from Champions for the Arts and explore how young people can build community, challenge the status quo, create new possibilities, and become Champions for the Arts in their own way.

Then, hear from Art Champion Scholars Kia Rogers, Imani Carr, and Denzel Fields, who will share their experiences and perspectives on why the arts matter—and what needs to change. This is a conversation about more than museums and galleries. It’s about creativity, identity, community, access, and having a voice in the culture around you.

And then it’s your turn.

Break into small-group conversations to talk, question, connect, and share ideas with other audience members. What makes you feel welcome in a cultural space? What would you change? Where do you see yourself in the arts? And what does being a Champion for the Arts mean to you?

We’ll bring the conversation back together and hear what you’re thinking.

Come with questions. Leave with ideas. Find your people. Be a Champion for the Arts.

Signed copies of Champions for the Arts will be available for purchase at the Whitney Shop. 

Speaker Bios

Donna Walker-Kuhne 
Donna Walker-Kuhne is an award-winning thought leader, writer, and strategist for community engagement, audience development, and social justice. She is President of Walker International Communications Group and Senior Advisor for Community Engagement at New Jersey Performing Arts Center. A veteran of more than 22 Broadway productions, she is the author of Champions for the Arts and Invitation to the Party and has received 50 awards, including the 2019 League of Professional Theatre Women Rachel Crothers Leadership Award.

Cris Scorza 
Cris Scorza is the Helena Rubinstein Chair of Education at the Whitney Museum of American Art, providing vision and strategic leadership across interpretation, public programs, academic engagement, social impact, learning, and access. Her work centers diverse communities, inquiry, equity, inclusion, and belonging, with a particular focus on Latinx initiatives and bilingual Spanish-language engagement. She is also an adjunct professor at Baruch College, CUNY.

Champion Scholars:

Kia Rogers 
Kia Rogers is a Skidmore College graduate who earned a degree in Psychology and Art History. Her interests lie at the intersection of artistic inquiry and cultural engagement. She hopes to open public dialogue around the impact of visual culture on social understanding. 

Imani Carr 
Imani Carr is a senior Theatre and Journalism Major at Fordham University. She is an actress and behind the scenes creator always on the go. She loves film, theatre, and everything media.

Denzel Fields 
Denzel Fields is a multidisciplinary artist and arts administrator whose work spans stage, screen, music, and cultural leadership. A Morehouse College and Penn State University alumnus, his career encompasses acclaimed theatrical productions, national commercial campaigns, PBS’s Great Performances, and leadership within New York City’s cultural arts landscape. Rooted in purpose and Southern soul, Fields is building a body of work defined by artistic excellence, cultural impact, and an enduring commitment to the arts.

Juilliard Station, the new venue just off the 66th Street 1 train subway stop at Broadway, gives New Yorkers and other passersby an opportunity to step away for free music, dance, drama, talks, and master classes. The intimate, glass-walled studio fuses the daily rhythm of New York City with glimpses of the artistry cultivated within Juilliard’s halls. 

The Station offers inspiring, 45-minute lunchtime and evening rush hour performances and other events—serving as a gateway to the iconic Lincoln Center campus. 

After last season’s launch, Juilliard Station quickly became a highly in-demand ticket. Except, there are no tickets. Performances are all free, open to all ages, and first come, first served.  

The next generation of great artists showcase their passion and artistry in more than 200 free performances each year. Discover performances of orchestral, choral, chamber, opera, and solo repertoire.

Check Juilliard Event Calendar for weekly lineup.

Juilliard Wind Orchestra
Raymond Mase, Conductor
William Short, Conductor

STARER Serenade for Brass
ERB Sonneries
DVOŘÁK Serenade for Winds in D Minor, Op. 44

Juilliard students perform wind repertoire spanning a range of eras and styles, led by Juilliard faculty members William Short, principal bassoonist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and Raymond Mase, acclaimed trumpet player and former member of the American Brass Quintet. Check back for program information.

Watch on the source url at the scheduled date and time. This performance won’t be available to stream afterward on demand.

The Juilliard Jazz Small Ensembles celebrate two foundational figures whose creativity helped define the language of early jazz—a language filled with character, emotion, and, above all, swing. Cornetist Joe “King” Oliver was a bandleader and mentor to Louis Armstrong; pianist, composer, and arranger Jelly Roll Morton demonstrated that a style rooted in improvisation could retain its essential elements when notated. As composers, one gave their collaborators more musical freedom, while the other wanted all musicians to simply “cut the dots,” or play exactly what the composer wrote.

Dave Brubeck Ensemble
Ulysses Owens, Coach

Nicklas Caldwell, Tenor Saxophone
Gustavo Cruz, Tenor Saxophone
Al Romanillos, Trumpet
Grace Rock, Trombone
Nathan Mesler, Vibraphone
William Schwartzman, Piano
Daniel Song, Bass
Max Simas, Drums

Max Roach Ensemble
Charenee Wade, Coach

Miriam Goroff-Behel, Alto Saxophone
Connor MacLeod, Tenor Saxophone
Nathaniel Williford, Trumpet
Luke Ramee, Trombone
Blake Slaughter, Guitar
José André Montaño, Piano
Ahmed McLemore, Bass
Vinton Hines, Drums

The seven Juilliard Jazz Ensembles are each named after a jazz legend, Mary Lou Williams, Duke Ellington, Dave Brubeck, and Jelly Roll Morton among them. Throughout the season, these ensembles perform music by a wide range of artists including their respective namesakes, alongside original works and arrangements by ensemble members, embodying the history and interconnectedness of these legends and jazz universally.

The named ensembles and their coaches:  

Dave Brubeck Ensemble, in the spirit of integrating the arts, coached by Jennifer Krupa

Betty Carter Ensemble, in the spirit of scatting, musical freedom, and reimagination, coached by Donald Vega

Dizzy Gillespie Ensemble, in the spirit of innovation, dance, Afro-Latin music, humor, and teaching, coached by Elio Villafranca

Jelly Roll Morton Ensemble, in the spirit of interpreting the original meanings of jazz, coached by Doug Wamble

Max Roach Ensemble, in the spirit of Civil Rights experimentation and understanding of the African Diaspora, coached by Isaiah J. Thompson

Mary Lou Williams Ensemble, in the spirit of stride piano, arranging, and intellectual discourse about music techniques and meaning, coached by Bruce Williams

Duke Ellington Ensemble (Artist Diploma Ensemble), in the spirit of being ambassadors to the world, coached by Ben Wolfe