Emily Arden

Arts management specialist with10+ years experience curating exceptional community-based spaces, places, programs, and events.

My work exists at the intersection of artist management, event management, and design, which allows me to view the Public Programming + Performing Arts fields from multiple lenses. While working for organizations that were combining all modes of artistic expression with community-based events, I found my passion for curating programs where unlikely and unexpected connections are ignited. I bring a commitment of authenticity and joy to all of the work I do, and I am deeply interested in exploring innovative ways of engaging new and diverse audiences.

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I seek to help artists and organizations tell their stories in new and meaningful ways, and to provide opportunities for unexpected and eye-opening collaborations. I am committed to creating space for artists to make and share their work. I love a good challenge, and thrive in settings that ask us to think about a problem from a new angle.

In the same way a chef uses food to show love, creating beautiful, welcoming, comfortable s p a c e  is the way I best know to contribute to making the world a better place. Whether it's a stage or a living room, designing and programming spaces is the foundation upon which I know how to build community. I do so with a commitment to curiosity, sustainability, and with a DIY spirit. 

And as my mom would say,

'Dance is a thing I do,' too.