Arts Alive San Antonio

By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor —

You have been with the Carver for years. How does it feel to be the executive director now?
I am excited to be in this role, and it’s certainly helpful that that I was here for 11 years before. True, there were things that I wasn’t involved with before and that I had to get up to speed on, but it feels really good and the team is wonderful and supportive.

What plans do you have for the Carver going forward?
We are fortunate that the Carver has such a strong legacy, history and reputation for excellent programming and strong community engagement. There isn’t a lot that I want to change. So, for me is more about how to continue to build upon those things and make sure that the Carver continues to be responsive to the changing dynamics, such as a changing neighborhood and changing trends in the industry. I need to look at the artists we are bringing in and make sure we are staying on top of what’s happening now in terms of innovative newer artists.

Are you the one who chooses the artists and companies presented?
It’s predominantly up to me, yes. In my former capacity, the executive director and I did that together. But I have not replaced myself yet (chuckles), so that person (Cultural Center Supervisor) is not on board yet. So far, I’ve relied on the team here. We have had brainstorming sessions. I liked the input and was introduced to artists I wasn’t familiar with. It’s good for everyone to feel invested and involved in the process.

We are a small team, 14 people when we are fully staffed, and we present a lot of programming here. One thing I have been looking at are ways to get the whole team more involved in the entire operation beyond their primary responsibilities.

How many shows and other programs to you have per season?
 We do 14-16 mainstage shows, and we usually have 4-6 shows in our more intimate space, The Little Carver. And that’s just the public, ticketed performances. We also do 8-10 free matinees held during school time, mostly for kids, but we also have a dedicated group of elders who come to those performances. Plus, we have classes, camps and other educational programs

What kind of shows sell the best?
Well, that varies a bit. Next Friday we are going to have The Hiplet Ballerinas and that’s probably going to sell out. It’s already our highest selling show of the season. And it’s not because people know who the Hiplet Ballerinas are but because it is something different that you are not going to see anywhere else. (Days after the interview the show had to be cancelled due to COVID-19 fears.) That’s often the case here. It’s the shows that are different that people are really interested in seeing at the Carver. And, of course, artists who have huge name recognition. That reputation (for scheduling new and innovative programs) was already established by (longtime former director) Jo Long years ago.

You were a theater major. Have you performed on stage beyond the college years?
Ever so often, not as much as I would like. I started working right after graduation, at the Majestic. It was difficult for me to get to auditions…I was just thinking about that the other day. My daughter is now 13 and she doesn’t need me that much anymore, so maybe now I could start auditioning. But, yes, being on stage was my first love.

You are now pursuing a master’s in arts administration. What can it possibly teach you that your experience has not already taught you?
I get that question a lot, including from one of my professors (laughs). Part of it for me is that it has always been a personal goal. But when I graduated (from college) the advice was to go and get some practical experience before pursuing an arts administration degree. I did that with the job at the Majestic. As the director of theater services, I ran all of their front-of-the-house operations. Later I became their corporate sales director.

Still, my graduate studies have been valuable. It’s all online because many participants are working professionals like me. That exchange with them, has been really valuable to me. In addition, the perspective of the younger professionals has been useful, too. And I have been able to apply my new knowledge here.

Could you give us an example?
Things about marketing and trends in our industry, and about misconceptions that we have about what different age groups want. This past semester I took a course in working with multi-cultural populations, which included people from other professions. Even though, we, at the Carver, have always considered ourselves a multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural organization, the course challenged me to look where even we didn’t do as much as we could. That was eye-opening for me.

And it helped me to look at myself, too, to look at how I may be perpetuating these systems that make it difficult for some people to engage. For example: accessibility in terms of mobility. We are in an older, historic building that has accessibility limitations.  Another example: we moved to an online registration process (for the camps and other educational programs) and didn’t really think through how that impacts certain people. Who are we excluding? Some people may not have internet access; some may not have a credit card.

What type of shows are your favorites?
I am not a big fan of musicals though I do love “Rent” and I do love “Les Mis.” I am not sure that I have a favorite play because there are very few that I did not enjoy on some level.  

Let’s talk about other things. Who has influenced your life the most?
I would say, my mother. She is a strong, independent woman and a great role model but she was also very supportive of me. She provided guidance and boundaries while being open to letting me explore things for myself. I think that has a lot to do with who I am today. Another person was my high school theater teacher, Tammy Frazier. Do you know her? Her husband, Ken Frazier, runs the Vexler Theater (and she sometimes co-directs and often designs costumes). My freshman year was her first year of teaching. She is just a gifted educator all the way around. She gave us everything, and was so encouraging. We are still close.

What do you and your husband like to do for fun?
He’s an excellent cook, so I like to eat his food. But we also like to try new restaurants; we are both kind of foodies. There are so many excellent restaurants in San Antonio. In this neighborhood, we just tried the Dakota East Side Ice House – very good. It’s a bar but they have good food, too. We love several places at the Pearl, we love Bliss, we try new places, here and in Austin. We also like to attend cultural events, and we spend too much time binge-watching BBC crime dramas or Netflix (laughs).

What character traits do you appreciate in other people and what annoys you?
I appreciate people who think outside of the box; people who are willing to take risks, especially since I tend to be a little cautious myself, so I am always intrigued by people who are willing to step out into something unknown and make themselves vulnerable in that way. Also, people who have the ability to genuinely listen.

As far as things that annoy me, passive-aggressive behavior annoys me. And people who can’t accept that their way of navigating the world is not everybody’s way. I have very liberal views but if I can challenge myself to listen to someone else’s perspective, I may gain some understanding of why they feel the way they do. When we get to that place, we can have some real change.

What do you make of the current presidential race on the Democratic side?
It’s been interesting going through this election with a 13-year-old daughter. Now she has her own opinions and is well informed. I am seeing it through her eyes, and it’s discouraging, especially when Elizabeth Warren dropped out. My daughter came to me and said: “That proves that America dislikes women.” How this young generation is internalizing the messages should concern us. Our society is so polarized right now. No one is willing to listen.

What’s the best surprise you have ever experienced?
(Sighs) I want to say my daughter but she wasn’t really a surprise. Her being here, however, is sometimes a surprise to me. Just watching her evolve into her own person, is surprising. I am in a constant state of discovery with her. I am also in a constant state of awe of things. It’s something I appreciate in myself, this ability to see the magic in it all, even in everyday things. I am always surprised by the little moments of connection or when something works out really, really well.

Do you have a particularly cherished memory?
It’s probably related to my dad. My dad passed away just a few days before my daughter was born. Some of my most cherished memories are of those moments with him, not necessarily spectacular moment, just ordinary moments. Also watching my mom. I was so immensely proud of her after we lost my dad. They had been planning to build their dream retirement home. My mom continued on that path. She went ahead and built the house by herself, and watching her continue on that dream that they had together was really beautiful.

Which public figures of past or present do you admire?
Lots! I do admire Michele Obama for her intelligence and her ability to stay calm in the face a so much adversity. And someone I have no affiliation with but that I have always kind of turned to, is Maya Angelou, who passed away not long ago. She was someone who overcame horrible obstacles in life but accomplished so much. Her poetry and her work have inspired me at different points in my life. Her way of seeing the world was always refreshing to me.

After she passed away, there was a beautiful memorial service held here, a public show of appreciation for her life. It was standing room only. We had to turn people away; so many wanted to be part of that experience. Clearly, the way she impacted me was also true for so many others.

What’s the most embarrassing thing you have ever done and are willing to share with the world?
When I was a performer, the moments that caused me the most anxiety were the times when I forgot my lines on stage and couldn’t recover. Not surprisingly, in my professional life off stage, the most embarrassing moments are when I go blank suddenly during a speech or when I am doing an interview. And I am sure there are plenty of embarrassing private moments but I try to laugh them off.  

Anything else that you would like to share with our readers?
I will share this little story. When I was an undergrad at Southwestern University, they offered a class in arts administration for the first time. At that time there were very few even graduate programs and there was nothing at the undergraduate level. It was very novel. I am so glad I took  that class because it made me realize that there was so much more to the arts than acting. For our culminating project we had to envision our dream arts organization. I modeled my “organization” after the Carver. I was already familiar with the Carver. At that time no one else was focusing on multi-cultural programming and I was  so enamored with what they were doing. When I handed my paper to my professor, he said, “Wouldn’t it be great if such a place existed.” I told him it did exist, in San Antonio. So, when I accepted this position, I said: “When I tell you that this is a dream come true for me it’s because it is a dream come true.” I am in my dream job.