The National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) has announced that Assistant Professor Tlaloc Rivas of the Department of Theatre Arts at the University of Iowa has been selected to participate in the 14th Annual NALAC Leadership Institute July 14-19, 2014, in San Antonio, Texas. The Leadership Institute convenes Latina/o arts leaders for an intensive, one-week training in nonprofit arts management and leadership development. Rivas is one of the 28 participants who will be part of the 2014 NALAC Leadership Institute, and the first to represent the University of Iowa.
Rivas, assistant professor of directing, was the first Chicano in the United States to teach directing at a program accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre. He teaches both M.F.A. and undergraduate courses in directing and related subjects. He serves on the steering committee for the Latina/o Theatre Commons, a national coalition of artists and leaders updating the narrative of Latina/os on the U.S. stage and advocating for greater inclusion in the American theatre.
Raúl Curto, Executive Associate Dean in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and its diversity officer, said that the college and the university are proud to be represented by Rivas at the institute.
“Professor Rivas is an outstanding faculty member who has brought a crucial perspective to our Department of Theatre Arts,” Curto said. “Encouraging diversity among our faculty and in our student body has long been a hallmark of the UI and CLAS, and I can’t imagine a better representative at the NALAC Leadership Institute than Professor Rivas. This experience will undoubtedly enhance his competitiveness as a theatre professional, and will positively impact his students and colleagues at Iowa.”
Participation in the Leadership Institute is vetted through a rigorous and competitive review process. The selection committee invited 28 participants, making 2014 the largest class of Leadership Institute fellows. Hailing from 14 states and Puerto Rico, the multi-generational group of arts leaders represents Arizona, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.
The NALAC Leadership Institute provides critical training to the next generation of Latina/o artists and arts administrators from across the nation. The Leadership Institute’s comprehensive arts administration curriculum is culturally rooted in the diverse Latina/o experience and prepares emerging leaders for success in the competitive national arts landscape. Since its introduction in 2001, the Leadership Institute has nurtured a cohort of 227 artists and arts administrators who are dedicated to sustaining culturally specific work at the core of Latina/o communities and dedicated to changing and shaping cultural policy.
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is the oldest and largest University of Iowa college, comprising the humanities; fine, performing and literary arts; natural and mathematical sciences; and social and communication sciences.