Champions for the Arts: Your Voice. Your Community. Your Future.

What if you could change the way people experience art?

Who gets invited? Who gets heard? Who gets to feel like they belong? And what would it look like if the next generation didn’t just show up for the arts—but helped shape what comes next?

Join Donna Walker-Kuhne, author of Champions for the Arts, and Cris Scorza, Helena Rubinstein Chair of Education at the Whitney Museum of American Art, for a conversation about turning ideas into action. Together, they’ll unpack some of the biggest lessons from Champions for the Arts and explore how young people can build community, challenge the status quo, create new possibilities, and become Champions for the Arts in their own way.

Then, hear from Art Champion Scholars Kia Rogers, Imani Carr, and Denzel Fields, who will share their experiences and perspectives on why the arts matter—and what needs to change. This is a conversation about more than museums and galleries. It’s about creativity, identity, community, access, and having a voice in the culture around you.

And then it’s your turn.

Break into small-group conversations to talk, question, connect, and share ideas with other audience members. What makes you feel welcome in a cultural space? What would you change? Where do you see yourself in the arts? And what does being a Champion for the Arts mean to you?

We’ll bring the conversation back together and hear what you’re thinking.

Come with questions. Leave with ideas. Find your people. Be a Champion for the Arts.

Signed copies of Champions for the Arts will be available for purchase at the Whitney Shop. 

Speaker Bios

Donna Walker-Kuhne 
Donna Walker-Kuhne is an award-winning thought leader, writer, and strategist for community engagement, audience development, and social justice. She is President of Walker International Communications Group and Senior Advisor for Community Engagement at New Jersey Performing Arts Center. A veteran of more than 22 Broadway productions, she is the author of Champions for the Arts and Invitation to the Party and has received 50 awards, including the 2019 League of Professional Theatre Women Rachel Crothers Leadership Award.

Cris Scorza 
Cris Scorza is the Helena Rubinstein Chair of Education at the Whitney Museum of American Art, providing vision and strategic leadership across interpretation, public programs, academic engagement, social impact, learning, and access. Her work centers diverse communities, inquiry, equity, inclusion, and belonging, with a particular focus on Latinx initiatives and bilingual Spanish-language engagement. She is also an adjunct professor at Baruch College, CUNY.

Champion Scholars:

Kia Rogers 
Kia Rogers is a Skidmore College graduate who earned a degree in Psychology and Art History. Her interests lie at the intersection of artistic inquiry and cultural engagement. She hopes to open public dialogue around the impact of visual culture on social understanding. 

Imani Carr 
Imani Carr is a senior Theatre and Journalism Major at Fordham University. She is an actress and behind the scenes creator always on the go. She loves film, theatre, and everything media.

Denzel Fields 
Denzel Fields is a multidisciplinary artist and arts administrator whose work spans stage, screen, music, and cultural leadership. A Morehouse College and Penn State University alumnus, his career encompasses acclaimed theatrical productions, national commercial campaigns, PBS’s Great Performances, and leadership within New York City’s cultural arts landscape. Rooted in purpose and Southern soul, Fields is building a body of work defined by artistic excellence, cultural impact, and an enduring commitment to the arts.