Harlem Stage CEO Patricia Cruz stepping down after 25 years of leadership
Harlem Stage, the local performing arts center, is marking the end of an era as its CEO and Artistic Director Patricia Cruz steps down from her position, closing the chapter on a 25-year legacy of artistic innovation and representation.
“This is at a point where we’re celebrating the incredible achievements that the institution has had in the past, and looking to what will happen in the future with excitement and real enthusiasm for the change that’s in front of us,” said Cruz.
The performing arts center on Convent Avenue supports artists of color through various programs and opportunities. Cruz is responsible for pioneering efforts to restore the building, an achievement she views with utmost pride.
“The most important thing that I’ve been able to do was to lead the campaign that we did in 1998 when I first came, which was to restore the Harlem Stage gatehouse,” she said, “Our facility is our chief treasure. It is the place where our community gathers, where artists are able to make very important work.”
Several other initiatives have emerged under Cruz’s leadership, including the commissioning program WaterWorks and the dance series E-Moves.
WaterWorks plays a crucial role in supporting artists financially, allowing them to create new art and connect with the community through residencies and educational activities.
“People have this misunderstanding that just because you know an artist’s name means they’ve got money, money, money rolling in,” said Courtney Lee Mitchell, president of the Harlem Stage Board of Directors.
Mitchell started working for Harlem Stage eight years ago, over a decade after Cruz assumed her position. She found Cruz’s influence—known for providing spaces for artists of color and representing of Harlem’s cultural diversity—easily observable
“I think both in terms of the artists that we present, as well as the audiences that we’re working with, we are a community,” Cruz said. “And that community is diverse in terms of age, in terms of economic standing, in terms of racial identity, and the places that they come from. And we’re living in a Harlem that is rapidly changing as well.”
Yet the organization never loses sight of its original priority—the Black community.
“While we’re being inclusive and making sure that we include other groups of color into what we do, [we’re] also remembering our foundation and the African diaspora that exists in Harlem, and never forgetting that component of who we are at Harlem Stage,” said Mitchell.
Craig Harris, a trombonist who’s been with Harlem Stage for 40 years, praised Cruz for her sincere diversity efforts, contrasting them with the performative diversity of other organizations.
“[At] a lot of organizations, there’s an insincere sense of diversity—I’m talking about the most prestigious organizations in the world. They need some African people in February, and they need some women in March,” said Harris. “[At Harlem Stage], I have a home, and I know people are sincere about the work and that they’re very sincere about the work and my growth.”
Cruz’s transition comes in the middle of the organization’s strategic five-year plan, which details the succession process. The plan includes a Succession Committee that is responsible for facilitating the transition and raising $25 million to support programming and staffing.
The organization will announce Cruz’s successor at its 40th Anniversary Gala on June 3, 2024.
“We always thought that this would be a good time for me to step aside and bring new leadership and look to the future of our incredible institution,” said Cruz.
Cruz will take a smaller advisory role within the organization on officially stepping down in July, offering her continued guidance and influence as the organization navigates its next chapter.
For more info, visit www.harlemstage.org.
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