Arts Administrator Speaking at UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music Graduation Ceremony
Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson, a renowned urban planning and cultural policy expert, will deliver the keynote address at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music's 2022 commencement celebration. The event takes place on Friday, June 10 at 4 p.m. PT.
As the Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Dr. Jackson is at the forefront of shaping arts policy and promoting public engagement with the arts. The NEA, an independent federal agency, is the largest funder of the arts and arts education in communities nationwide and acts as a catalyst of public and private support for the arts.
Dr. Jackson's career has been marked by a commitment to fostering equitable opportunities for arts participation and practice. She has dedicated her life to bringing arts-based strategies to urban and community planning to restructure and improve inequitable systems. Her work has been instrumental in supporting equity in arts and culture for all Americans.
Prior to her role at the NEA, Dr. Jackson spent nearly 20 years at the Urban Institute, a public policy research organization based in Washington, D.C. There, she served as a senior research associate and founded the Culture, Creativity and Communities Program. She has also advised philanthropy, government, and nonprofit organizations on local, statewide, and federal levels.
Dr. Jackson's expertise extends to comprehensive community revitalization and systems change. She is recognised for her ability to integrate arts and culture within broader urban planning and community development frameworks. Her research has led to pioneering work in various areas, including arts and culture indicators, cultural vitality measurement, and art spaces development.
The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music's class of 2022 comprises graduates from the departments of ethnomusicology, global jazz studies, music, music industry, and musicology. The graduates are set to embark on their careers with a strong foundation in the arts, inspired by Dr. Jackson's commitment to equitable arts opportunities and her dedication to restructuring and improving inequitable systems.
In recognition of her career and impact, President Obama appointed her to the National Council on the Arts in 2013, and President Joseph R. Biden nominated her to lead the NEA in 2021. Dr. Jackson is the first African American and Mexican American woman to be appointed as chair of the NEA.
Dr. Jackson's keynote address at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music's commencement celebration promises to be a memorable event, as she shares her insights and experiences in the world of arts, culture, and urban planning.
The keynote address delivered by Dr. Jackson, an advocate for equitable arts opportunities and champion of skills training in arts and culture, will inspire the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music's class of 2022 as they embark on their personal growth and career development in the arts. As the Chair of the NEA, Dr. Jackson's work has significantly contributed to education-and-self-development, fostering a restructured and improved system for arts and culture Nationwide.
