Mission
To serve as a nexus of art, creativity, engagement and experimentation.
Vision
To ignite the imaginations of students, artists and citizens to create more just and vibrant systems.
Values
Equity
Acknowledge inequity. Recognize and reward multiple forms of value.
Integrity
Adhere to and serve the mission and vision
Access
Promote inclusion and multiple points of entry
Generosity
Be forthcoming of knowledge, resources and expertise
Wisdom
Act and proceed thoughtfully
Transparency
Provide the full picture whenever possible
Authenticity
Be guided by mission, vision and values
Consistency
Show up. Listen up. Talk up. Walk Your Talk.
Quality
Embrace rigor, be exceptional and make great art happen
Risk
Embrace the unknown. Value failure as a form of learning.
Creativity
Not everyone is an artist, but everyone has an imagination
Adaptability
Function as a resilient and flexible organization
Meet The Team
Clyde Valentin
Director
Clyde Valentín was born and raised in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. He is the Co-founder and former Executive Director of Hi-ARTS (formerly known as the Hip-Hop Theater Festival). He is the inaugural Director of Ignite/Arts Dallas: A Center for People, Purpose + Place at SMU Meadows School of the Arts. Clyde was a 2015 Community + Culture Fellow of the National Arts Strategies’ Chief Executive Program.
Valentín has served as a consultant and panelist for Creative Capital, has worked with Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) on their leadership development programs, served as a consultant for the YouthSpeaks/Brave New Voices Leadership Cohort and is a Senior Advisor for the New England Foundation for the Arts, National Touring Project (NTP). He is also on the Advisory Board of the Latino Theater Commons and is serves on the Board of Theater Communications Group (TCG). He has presented at numerous conferences including the National Association of Latino Arts & Culture (NALAC), Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) and the National Performance Network’s (NPN) Annual Meeting, the Alliance of Artists Communities (AAC) and for the Atlanta Regional Arts Fund. He is a member of AlternateROOTS, the regional service organization for Southern-based artists and organizations who focus on community engaged practices and social justice.
Sofia Bastidas
SMU Meadows Curatorial Fellow & Pollock Gallery Director
Sofia Bastidas Vivar works under the auspices of the Ignite/Arts Dallas initiative at SMU Meadows School of the Arts. She is conducting research with CultureBank, an initiative that places artists and their enterprises at the center of community investment strategies, and is working on two other major exhibitions and public art projects around affordable housing and criminal justice. Most recently Bastidas co-founded RISO BAR, a publishing initiative and cooperative space that facilitates collaboration and experimentation using risograph technology. She is the co-founder of the nomadic curatorial research program Port to Port and the political design company TVGOV, which recently participated in the 9th Berlin Biennale and received grants from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the Foundation for Contemporary Arts. As the current SMU Meadows curatorial fellow and Pollock Gallery director, Bastidas has curated diverse and dynamic programs from radio shows exploring the future of solar energy to creating co-working spaces for alternative forms of education. Her work focuses on supporting existing platforms that engage cultural discourses that catapult creative co-production, communication and sustainable forms of organizing. Bastidas holds a B.A. in art history and communications from Florida International University and an M.A. in sustainability and development from the SMU Lyle School of Engineering.
Liz Riley
Administrative Associate
Liz Sankarsingh
Program Manager
Liz Sankarsingh is a Texas native who currently resides in her hometown of Dallas. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater from the College of Santa Fe in New Mexico and has performed and worked with various regional theaters including Collaboraction Theatre in Chicago, Next Theatre in Evanston, Risk Theatre Initiative and Undermain Theatre in Dallas. She currently serves to advance programmatic initiatives at Ignite/Arts Dallas at SMU where she is also completing her Master of Liberal Studies degree with a concentration in Arts and Cultural Traditions. Liz is a graduate of the Business Council for the Arts Leadership Arts Institute, class of 2020.