EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Hello! As NBAF’s Executive Director, it is my honor to bring you greetings on behalf of NBAF’s Board of Directors, Staff and Community. We are so excited to be in our 35th year of providing engaging programming to the Atlanta community in alignment with our mission to expose, educate, engage, and entertain audiences as we present and support the art and artists of African descent. We continue to remain steadfast and dedicated to this work, evolving with the needs of our community while consistently creating with excellence. NBAF has a tremendous legacy of providing excellent artistic and educational programming across music, dance, theater, film, visual and literary arts, showcasing talented Black artists who create, innovate, and produce extraordinary work. We are honored to build upon this legacy in 2023 and we are committed to innovatively presenting the best in Black art in innovative ways.

NBAF seeks to ensure that the art and stories of Black people are increasingly highlighted and valued as we help shape a more equitable and impactful arts ecosystem. By remaining focused on our mission and through your continued support, we’ve been able to highlight the impact Black art has made on our world in transformative ways, and we continue in this effort through our three main programming pillars: engaging youth arts education programs, relevant artistic development opportunities for emerging artists and quality public programs for the community. This year, as we transition back to larger scaled, festival style events, and establish annual Black History Month and Black Music Month programs, we remain focused on presenting the best in Black art in innovative ways and look forward to continuing to make an impact in the community with your partnership.

NBAF’s 2023 theme is “A Call to Art” and we are centering this in the idea that a call to art, is a call to action. Join us this year and support Black art by attending upcoming NBAF events, donating to NBAF programming and enjoying this artistic content as we continue to purposefully and meaningfully celebrate Black art that inspires and creates the change that we want to see in the world.

For the love of art,

Stephanie R. Owens