Today, the Kennedy Center named their first director of Hip-Hop culture and contemporary music. And we’re just delighted that it’s a Black woman. Her name is Simone Eccleston.
According to The Grio, she had this to say about the new appointment.
“With the Kennedy Center serving as the preeminent home for our nation’s arts and culture, the creation of a programming platform for Hip-Hop culture is deeply significant.”
The creation of the platform will naturally lend itself to collaborations with other art programs. Eccleston has already been tasked with leading a center-wide commitment to culture and music in Hip Hop as well as a push for community outreach.
Kennedy Center Senior Vice President, Robert van Leer said, “We are thrilled to have an arts administrator of Simone’s caliber join us — someone who can lead that exploration of what hip-hop at the Kennedy Center can become in the coming years,” van Leer said in a statement. “And we believe it is the Center’s responsibility to develop and elevate thought-leaders like Simone to champion the bright future of our nation’s cultural institutions.”
Before she was given this position, Eccleston served as the Director of Programming at Harlem Stage.
The post Kennedy Center Names Simone Eccleston First Director Of Hip-Hop Culture appeared first on MadameNoire.