BlackStar
Catherine L. is an experienced development and operations professional with a robust background in nonprofit management. Currently serving as a Senior Director for Development & Operations at BlackStar and as a Board Member for the Asian Arts Initiative, Catherine's previous roles include Director of Development at Fleisher Art Memorial, where oversight of major gifts and membership programs was paramount, and Senior Advancement Officer at the Smithsonian Institution, focusing on fundraising infrastructure. Catherine began their career at Asian Arts Initiative, progressing from Development and Communications Associate to Manager, achieving substantial funding and enhancing external communications. With a Master of Public Administration from the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance at the University of Washington, Catherine combines academic expertise with practical experience across various organizations.
BlackStar
BlackStar creates the spaces and resources needed to uplift the work of Black, Brown and Indigenous artists working outside of the confines of genre. We do this by producing year-round programs including film screenings, exhibitions, an annual film festival, a filmmaker seminar, a film production lab, and a journal of visual culture. These programs provide artists opportunities for viable strategies for collaborations with other artists, audiences, funders, and distributors. We prioritize visionary work that is experimental in its aesthetics, content, and form and builds on the work of elders and ancestors to imagine a new world. We elevate artists who are overlooked, invisibilized or misunderstood and celebrate the wide spectrum of aesthetics, storytelling and experiences that they bring. We bring that work to new audiences as well as place it in dialog with other past and contemporary work. And, we curate every aspect of our events to be intentional community building efforts, connecting diverse audiences in a Black-led space centered on joy and thriving.