Angie Chandler

Angie Chandler is a cultural arts strategist and programming curator from Brooklyn, New York. In Brooklyn, she received both her love of the arts and her B.A. in Education and History from Brooklyn College. As a 1st generation American, her Caribbean and Afro-Latinx heritage inspires a focus on global perspectives. Angie’s time as an educator continues to fuel her passion for art education, advocacy, and arts equity. As an arts administrator, she’s worked in a variety of small and large-sized spaces increasing community engagement, curating innovative programming, and introducing new voices to institutions. Angie is the creator of Culture Mapping: San Diego, a data-driven initiative to give historically excluded artists and arts orgs increased visibility and access to resources. Angie takes great joy in creating opportunities for artists and communities to engage in impactful experiences. Currently, Angie spends her time as a consultant and facilitator based in Southern California.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. It took place in October 2022.

GM: What was your path to your current career as a cultural arts strategist?

AC: [I transitioned from a] classroom teacher, to a teaching/theatre artist, museum worker, and am now a cultural arts strategist/consultant. My work life has never really been linear, but I see a thread when I reflect on the various positions that have led me to now work as a cultural arts strategist. After nearly a decade of working full-time in the arts, my experience and skills as a problem solver and innovative public program curator has led to more freelance and consultant opportunities. I kept thinking about the “why” behind the success of the work I crafted, and I realized it was in seeing and implementing sound community-based intersectional strategies. I’ve been working consistently as a strategist on various teams and as a consultant for about five years now.

Photo by Jonathan Cooper

GM: How do you practice or advocate for creative activism? Why is it important to you?

AC: The idea of merging my artistic practice with activism began really early on in my work as a theatre artist. Working with both Black playwrights and directors to tell our stories was inherently political in terms of portraying the Black experience and advocating for funding and inclusion in place-based arts conversations and media placements. Once I shifted to [working in] museums, I was immediately drawn to social practice artists via an artist residency I worked at. While there, I helped artists create work and experiences that commented on and advocated for issues around homelessness. My next position took me to an African-American museum and cultural center; again, the bulk of my work and programming centered around social practice artists who focused on redlining, gentrification, voting, social justice movements, Black joy, and so much more. (Continued)

My approach will always bring me to communities and organizations working on the issues highlighted in their work. That community and place rooted approach, alongside my B.A. in History and advocacy practice, helps me to add context to conversations [that take place] in art spaces and bring artists’ works into the offices of elected officials and the government. This experience of moving through these seemingly different worlds has really come together in my project, Culture Mapping: San Diego.

GM: What has been your experience working on that specific project?

AC: Before I began this project, I was actually on a rest from activist-based work in the arts. I came to San Diego to catch my breath, heal from institutional trauma and burnout, explore other parts of the arts, and enjoy the weather. However, when your work is so deeply rooted in policy change, advocacy, and telling underrepresented stories, sometimes that rest is short-lived. I called out San Diego’s biggest newspaper for erasing Black voices in the arts, and then wrote a full-page op-ed, which blew up. Since I’m not originally from San Diego, I thought about how I could use that energy to support the artists that I was advocating for. I decided to create a survey that would use data to show who was here, what they added to San Diego, and what they needed support-wise. That survey turned into a 30+ page report, accompanying press, and opportunities to help connect folks to resources and consulting work for me. This upcoming January will mark two years since I launched the project. I’ve seen the goals manifest into increased visibility and access for historically excluded artists and arts organizations, helping both the city and county of San Diego think deeply about the arts [in relation to] equity and racial justice. I’ve been able to build deep connections with the project participants, regional art institutions, and media outlets, and provide some of them with artist development support. That’s a lot, and as a self-funded initiative with a staff of one, I've felt overwhelmed many times. I was and still am using my own funds to pay vendors and for materials, and lose income on the value of the time I put into the project. (Continued)

Photo by Alvin C. Jacobs

Photo by Stacey Edelstein

My experience is one of joy, validation, erasure, frustration, and satisfaction – all at once. Certain segments of the San Diego arts ecosystem have been very receptive and about that action, [but others] have used the report and the work without crediting me or offering me compensated opportunities to impact policy. [But] many are extremely grateful, and some want me to do more with the initiative than I have the capacity for. [This experience] sounds like almost every Black woman-run business, platform, or initiative, and that’s wild. This is action-based, art-driven DEI work, but done MY WAY, and I refuse to let the work kill my spirit in the same way white supremacy tries to. I take breaks, I choose who I want to work with, and say things how I want and need to say them

GM: What are your hopes for the upcoming midterm elections?

AC: Gosh, I hope for action and elections that lead to policy changes that benefit Black, Indigenous, and Southeast Asian folks. In 2016, I curated a show as part of the For Freedoms initiative called “Portraits @ the Polls” , where I asked people about the freedoms they were voting to protect. I’m so focused on freedom and autonomy for women’s bodies, trans rights, voting right rights, and equitable housing. I want to see voters come out and vote out the loud ass majority of folks who want to see us return to the 1900’s – hell, even to the 1800’s.

GM: What are some new projects that you’re working on in your practice?

AC: [I’m working on] more writing and curating projects, as well as more place-based social practice influenced programming. My next chapter will deepen my work of providing support and space for artists to connect with themselves and the community. I’m focused on consulting and institutional work that will prepare me for that yet-to-be-named initiative.