ST. LOUIS, MO – Dec. 11, 2018 – The Arts and Education Council (A&E) has named Jenisha McDonald the 2019 Katherine Dunham Fellow. McDonald, a junior studying business administration at University of Missouri-St. Louis, currently works at the Fabulous Fox Theatre. The Katherine Dunham Fellowship, created and funded by Sara and Jack Burke and managed by A&E, promotes diversity in arts leadership by giving African-American students and opportunity to explore, gain experience and be mentored in arts administration.
“Jenisha is an exceptional young woman whose commitment to the power of the arts and arts education to shape a more vibrant community aligns with A&E’s mission. We are thrilled to help her in her journey to become one of our community’s next generation of arts leaders,” said Cynthia A. Prost, A&E president and CEO.
The program is named in honor of legendary dancer, choreographer, educator and social activist, Katherine Dunham. Considered one of the most successful dancers of the 20th century, Dunham founded the Performing Arts Training Center (PATC) at the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville East St. Louis Center (an A&E grantee). Dunham taught dance, along with foreign language, cultural history and anthropology at the PATC.
The 2019 fellowship begins in January and continues through the spring semester. McDonald will receive a $3,000 stipend, experience in all the critical skills needed to manage an arts organization – including fundraising, corporate relations, database management, fiscal and board management – and mentorship from current arts administrators and leaders. McDonald is expected to graduate from UMSL with a bachelor’s of science in business administration in spring 2020. Following graduation, she hopes to open nonprofit focused on art education for St. Louis youth. McDonald is the 10th individual to be named a Katherine Dunham Fellow. The inaugural recipient in 2011 was Antionette D. Carroll, a TED Fellow and founder and CEO of Creative Reaction Lab.
For more information about A&E’s Katherine Dunham Fellowship, visit KeepArtHappening.org/KatherineDunham.
