Stephanie A. Johnson-Cunningham has over 15 years experience in the museum field. She works to paint a larger portrait of the arts and culture sector as well as challenge racial inequities throughout the arts ecosystem. Her advocacy aligns with Museum Hue, supporting Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color. Stephanie received the Americans for the Arts 2019 American Express Emerging Leader Award and was also a United Nations Human Rights fellow. She works to apply the UN’s ratification of cultural rights to her work and calls for greater recognition and representation in the arts industry. She has written about her work for Curator: The Museum Journal, Museums and Social Issues Journal, and the Center for the Future of Museums. As the United Sta sdsdftes reckons with a legacy of structural racism, oppression, and discriminatory policies and practices; Stephanie centers cultural equity as an essential part of achieving social justice. She holds a Bachelors degree in Art and Art History from Brooklyn College and a Masters degree in Cultural Heritage and Preservation Studies from Rutgers University. – (www.stephanieacunningham.com)
Monica Montgomery is an arts and culture innovator using creativity and social change as a means of bridging the gap between people and movements. Monica recently delivered a TedX talk in Charlottesville entitled ‘How To Be an Upstander’ challenging everyone to stand up, speak up and act up for social good. Monica is a museum activist, curator and cultural consultant, holding a Bachelors of Arts in Broadcast Communication from Temple University and a Masters of Arts in Corporate Communication from LaSalle University. She is an assistant professor in the Museum Studies graduate schools of Pratt Institute and New York University, and Harvard University, creator of the course Museums, Public Programs & Social Change. As co founder and strategic director of Museum Hue, she advocates for people of color in arts, culture and museums, working nationally to train leaders and partner with museums to facilitate diversity, equity & inclusion initiatives. Additionally, Monica is the founding director of Museum of Impact the world’s first mobile social justice museum, curating exhibits and festivals at the intersection of art, activism, social movements. – (www.monicamontgomery.org)