Arts Panel 2: Interdisciplinary Arts Panel: Creating Alliance
Event Details:
Location
Interdisciplinary Arts Panel: Creating Alliance
Moderator: Erica Detemmerman
Objectives: to give visibility and access to the arts for all, with opportunities to
- Build community;
- Grow self-confidence and self-awareness;
- Feel satisfaction, joy, and beauty (find your people, feel safe and heard, express oneself);
- Find genuine interests and passions;
And, for some, develop a vocation.
Julie Plasencia, Professional Development Coordinator, Creative Growth
Julie Plasencia is a Mexican-American interdisciplinary artist, educator, facilitator, academic scholar, and mother. Since 2018, Plasencia has been a bilingual facilitator at Creative Growth Art Center in Oakland. She currently coordinates and supports professional development for the center’s artists and teaching staff. Julie holds a Master of Arts in Special Education and the Autism Spectrum Disorder Specialist Certificate from San Francisco State University.
John-Mario Sevilla, Director of Development & Operations at Luna Dance & Creativity
John-Mario Sevilla is Director of Development & Operations at Luna Dance & Creativity. Formerly Director of the 92NY Harkness Dance Center, one of the historic homes of American modern dance, where he curated and produced several concert series and oversaw programs including the Dance Education Laboratory and Dance Therapy Program. He initiated Universal Pre-K arts curricula with the NYC Department of Education and developed educator licensure pathways in collaboration with SUNY Empire State College and CUNY Hunter College. John-Mario also collaborated on interdisciplinary arts projects with the Brentano String Quartet, Gabriel Calatrava, and produced performance activations for visual artists Shantell Martin and Natsuko Hattori. Prior to 92Y, he was Director of Education for New York City Ballet, managing residencies in over 300 schools. His choreography has been presented at The Met, La MaMa, 92NY, Movement Research, Counter Pulse (Unsettled/Soiled Group) and more. He is a former dancer with Pilobolus, Nikolais & Louis, Anna Sokolow, and others. Originally from Maui, he is a student of hula under Kumu Hula Kawika Alfiche, Hōkūlani Holt, and June Kaʻililani Tanoue. He was the 2021–22 Visiting Scholar at NYU’s A/P/A Institute.
Garth Herberg, Co-founder and Head of the Music Department, Spectrum Laboratory
Garth Herberg is a musician, composer, producer, and educator with nearly two decades of experience in the music and entertainment industry. His work spans records, film, television, and digital media. In 2021, he opened The Anything Box, a professional recording studio that serves a wide range of artists across genres. His work with neurodivergent artists has profoundly shaped his mission as a mentor and creative guide. Garth is the co-founder of Spectrum Laboratory (Spec Labs), a nonprofit dedicated to uplifting neurodiverse voices through music, acting, film, voiceover and live performance—empowering artists to create, grow, and thrive!
Marcy Morrison Pearce, Founder/Director, Alameda Adaptive Arts
Anticipating what she wanted to do after graduating from the public school district in 2015, Marcy’s daughter with special needs, Maddy, asked her, “Why I can’t I perform on stage with you?” With that question and the help of her husband, Matthew, Alameda Adaptive Arts was born. The Pearce family vowed to create a way that people with different performing skills could join together and entertain their community of Alameda. Marcy has dabbled in performance and theater arts all her life, but things got serious when she joined Dance10 Performing Arts about a dozen years ago and became a Tap Dancing Christmas Tree. With the entire tree farm, Marcy has tapped her way through Manhattan three times in the mother of all parades, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Marcy has also danced at cultural events surrounding the 2012 London Olympic Games, Disneyland and Disneyland, Paris. The most important lesson learned through her years of studying performance is that we all have different abilities and everyone deserves the chance to dance and sing. Beyond dance, Marcy is no stranger to performance. For many years she hosted a radio talk show on a national radio network and worked as a reporter/production assistant for a CBS affiliate in Los Angeles. She also served as a voice coach for radio and voice over professionals.
Rachel O’Kelley, Undergrad Student at University of California San Diego and member of the O’Kelley Lab
Rachel O’Kelley is a neurodivergent artist, producer, filmmaker, and undergraduate Media major at UC San Diego. She is also a Bridges Academy alumni and a twice-exceptional (2e) advocate. When not collaborating on films or in school, she advocates for 2e education and neurodivergent individuals with her family’s grassroots effort, The O’Kelley Lab. Rachel manages the outreach, design, and social media for projects like O’Kelley Legends: 2e Behind the Scenes and The Neurodiversity of Kindness performance at Vista Del Mar. She continues to write and produce films while in school under Monkey Robot Productions. She also assists/interns with marketing and outreach for non-profits like Autism Career Pathways and Ballet for All Kids. Rachel’s advocacy can be heard as an interviewee in the video project Autistic Culture 101: A 2e Perspective by Andrea Brucella Finnegan currently available on Youtube.