Pieter

YEAR

Being Pieter’s Executive Director represents one of the professional accomplishments I am most proud of, and one of the hardest projects I’ve undertaken. As the first Black and Disabled leader of this historically white-led and inaccessible organization, I was tasked with changing Pieter into the organization it had claimed to be on paper but had yet to embody in real life. Shifting an historically white led and ableist organization is an all consuming project that frankly took an unsustainable amount from my Black, Disabled, and Queer body. But despite the personal cost, I am unbelievably proud of the outcome. May we find ways to change systems that do not require the sacrifice of Black people; that do not require ignoring us privately while making public statements of gratitude and praise. 

I spearheaded moving Pieter into an accessible and gorgeous historic brick building constructed in 1911. The studio itself is a roughly 3,000 square foot ballroom with hardwood floors, 20+ foot high ceilings, natural light, and cityscape views. I was able to move two wonderful values aligned organizations onto our shared floor to create an Eastside hub for the gender diverse BIPOC community in Los Angeles. I burnt out in just a year and a half due to the scale of the job I was navigating on top of my traditional duties as an Executive Director of a tiny and mighty organization.

I went through reparative justice processes to navigate racism towards me from renters, figured out the world of commercial rentals to get Pieter into its new space, developed and oversaw operations with our new floor mates, took over as Pieter’s grant writer, as well as furnished, designed and implemented systems in our new space from the curtains to the door lock systems. I struggled with the board to come up with a succession plan that honored the hard work I had done to move Pieter into centering access and Black leadership, and having the toll this role had taken on me largely ignored.

I was unbelievably grateful to pass the baton to Rosalie, a brilliant leader who has overseen the transformation of Pieter into the organization I dreamed of: Pieter is a Black & Queer-led space for people of all kinds to dance, heal and create, rooted in the belief that embodiment liberates.

Pieter centers Justice, Community, Care, Solidarity & Reciprocity and seeks to uplift and support those who have been historically excluded from arts spaces, including BIPOC, Disabled, LGBTQIA+, Immigrants and other marginalized people.

We offer classes, workshops, events and studio space for body-based practice, artistic exploration, multi-media performance, cultural cultivation and communal healing.

As an expansive community of dancers, artists, healers and activists, we envision a future where reciprocity replaces competition and every body has the abundant resources to explore creative expression and collective healing.

LINKS
Pieter website