Our Vision

The arts provide the prism through which we can first envision, and then build, a better and more just world.

– Camille Zamora

Turn The Spotlight was created to identify, nurture, and empower leaders – and in turn, to illuminate the path to a more equitable future in the arts.

The Spotlight Team – comprising national leaders in performance, media, creation, advocacy, and arts administration – is committed to building a network of inspiring women, people of color, and members of other equity-seeking groups.

We believe that one-on-one mentoring can have real impact, particularly in an industry where so many professionals are freelancers working outside an established institutional framework. To that end, we offer mentorship by and for exceptional arts professionals, with a particular interest in supporting active change-makers.

Turn The Spotlight Fellows are visionary artists and activists who use their distinctive voices to create opportunities in their communities. Turn The Spotlight Fellowships pair them with inspiring industry leaders to further their work.

We are immensely honored to be able to share their continued growth with you. Meet our 2023 Spotlight Fellows in the gallery below!

Beth Stewart
Founder

CARLOS CARRILLO

URBANA, IL

Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Carlos writes music that navigates the space between simplicity and complexity – and the results of this conflict.

“Every year during the admissions process at the University of Illinois, I see the consequences of an unequal educational system that fails students who live in poor neighborhoods. It is disheartening to deny admission to clearly talented students who have not had a chance to take the necessary prerequisites at their school. Last year a colleague and I started a project to offer Illinois high schoolers music theory classes free of charge. We called this project Musicianship for All. I plan to keep pushing my peers at the university for more programs for the community.”

MENTORSHIP CO-CREATED WITH MONICA YUNUS

JAIME SHARP

CHICAGO, IL

Jaime is a Black queer arts leader, creative, and advocate who strives to evolve organizational culture through dynamic leadership rooted in equity and inclusivity.

“As an active performer, I seek to invite artists to explore their entrepreneurial talents in order to craft change on and off the stage. I imagine an artist-centric structure that asks creatives what they need, as opposed to telling them. I believe the key to progressing the field begins with representation at the executive level; requiring not only thorough knowledge of the sector and a nuanced perspective on social issues, but the immovable promise to prioritize people before all else.”

MENTORSHIP CO-CREATED WITH AFA DWORKIN & MELISSA WEGNER

KIA SMITH

CHICAGO, IL

Kia envisions her company, choreographic work, and community-based programs as catalysts for cross-cultural understanding and supporting young people as they find purpose through personal and professional development.

“Within the culture of my company, I value the celebration of diverse voices in the choreographers that I commission, artists that I hire, and partners who I invite to participate in our programming. For decades, the dance field has worked to separate companies by race and culture. I hope that in purposely curating an organization where all people can find themselves at home, I will in turn help people to use the art of dance to better understand one another.”

MENTORSHIP CO-CREATED WITH NICOLE PAIEMENT

PALA GARCIA

NEW YORK CITY

Pala approaches her love of adventurous music-making with questions about artistic relationships, embodied selves, and meaning-making at the instrument.

“My artistic practice has been shaped by my work as an advocate of socially engaged artistry, my interest in gender studies and feminist theory, and the widely varied perspectives of my fellow listeners, learners, artists, and music creators with whom I have collaborated.”

MENTORSHIP CO-CREATED WITH JESSICA JAHN

PAULINE TAN

CHICAGO, IL

Filipino-Chinese mezzo-soprano Pauline Tan uses her voice to open channels of honest communication with audiences – and to create artistic bridges to little-known musical worlds.

“I seek out artists and organizations that share my vision of bringing more diversity, re-imagining, and compassion into the arts. I’ve followed my artistic compass to collaborations with non-profit organizations like LYNX Project, Collaborative Arts Institute Chicago, Aural Compass Projects, and Wear Yellow Proudly. I particularly enjoy performing in non-standard adaptations of familiar operas and creating roles in new works by living BIPOC creators.”

MENTORSHIP CO-CREATED WITH HEIDI MELTON

SHARON SU

LOS ANGELES

Sharon is an advocate for expanding the existing musical canon to include traditionally marginalized voices. She has become known for her approachable, humorous musical storytelling on social media.

“For the past several years I've been committed to a 50/50 gender balance on my solo recital programs, to prove that underplayed works by marginalized composers can be programmed alongside canonic favorites and that audiences do enjoy this type of programming. I hope that by advocating for these composers, and getting audiences used to hearing and liking new things, I can contribute in some small way to changing the culture of ‘safe,’ narrow- minded classical music programming.”

MENTORSHIP CO-CREATED WITH KATHLEEN KELLY