The Strength & Courage Series: Arts & Culture in Boston

Speakers include:

• Elizabeth Devlin is an independent curator, art consultant, and founder of FLUX. Boston, an online resource for artists and art enthusiasts in the Boston area and beyond. Through weekly event coverage, artist interviews, and educational posts, Elizabeth enables FLUX. readers to feel informed, engaged in, and connected to the pulse of Boston Arts. As a trusted resource and friend to the Arts community, a certified BRA artist and curator of several critically acclaimed exhibitions to-date, Elizabeth strives to make the art world more accessible and to champion the endeavors of Boston's creative community.
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• Donna Dodson is a graduate of Wellesley College, and she is an internationally exhibited sculptor. Dodson enjoys public speaking, and has been a guest speaker at conferences and panels in museums and universities throughout North America. Donna regularly contributes articles to the Boston Globe’s Global Business Hub blog that demonstrate the economic impact and global reach of the arts sector. In 2011 she participated in the Verbier 3D Foundation’s Artist Residency and Sculpture Park in the Swiss Alps where she created monumental outdoor sculpture. In 2012 & 2013, she exhibited at the Fountain Art Fair NYC in the historic 69th Regiment Armory Building. In 2013, she returned to Europe, to exhibit her artwork in the Netherlands and to complete a private commission for a Swiss collector. In addition, she participated in a residency in Cusco Peru at the Escuela de Bellas Artes that will culminate in an exhibition at Qorikancha Museum in February 2014. She is looking forward to exhibiting in NYC in 2014 with the Fountain Art Fair. In 2015 she will return to Austria to exhibit her art work, and she has been invited back to Qorikancha in Cusco Peru to do a residency with Andy Moerlein, as the Myth Makers.
  
  
• Malia Lazu, Upon completing a two-year fellowship at MIT, Malia Lazu joined Future Boston with over two decades of experience establishing grass roots involvement in political advocacy and civic engagement.
  Malia took over as Executive Director in November 2011 where she serves as chief operation officer of Future Boston, credited for taking Future Boston from concept into reality. As Executive Director, Malia is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the organization’s strategic planning, program development, fundraising, and reporting to the Board of Directors.
  The passion and success of Malia’s work has earned her a reputation as one of the most insightful and critical organizers of her generation, and caught the attention of MTV, Showtime, ABC-TV’s Chronicle, Fox News, and print publications such as Newsweek, The Boston Globe, and Boston Magazine.
  
  
•   Destiny Palmer is a graduate of Massachusetts College of Art and Design. In 2010, graduating with distinction,she received her BFA in painting. Destiny is the co-founder of Traditions Remixed, an artist collective whose goal is to create a supportive community for young artists, especially artists of color, encouraging collaboration and networking.
  Palmer has been involved in the arts community for the past ten years. Exploring and investigating what it means to be an advocate for the arts. Destiny Palmer has worked for organizations focused on developing young artists, such as College Bound Dorchester and Creative Arts Workshop. Palmer has played roles in helping close gaps between administration and the artist, by serving as President of The Black Artist Union, Treasurer of Student Government and a member of the Student Advisory Board during her time at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Most recently she is serving on Boston's Arts and Culture Team under new elected Mayor Marty Walsh. Palmer has also worked with organizations like Discover Roxbury, Dorchester Arts Collective and TLC Arts and Sciences Foundation, while also participating in exhibitions at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and Museum of Fine Arts.