Catherine joined The LP team as our new Director of Programs in May 2022. Get to know more about her!
In what neighborhood do you live?
South Orange, NJ.
How did you first become connected to The LP, or hear about The LP?
I met Risë [Wilson, LP Founder] in 2011 and immediately fell in love with the vision and mission she had for the organization.
So, what attracted you to The LP? How does working here relate to your professional goals?
I was attracted to the pedagogy of The LP, and how deeply tied to the artist community the Director of Programs role is, because I am passionate about community engagement and artist development.
Do you have your own creative practice? If so, tell us more!
Yes, I curate community engagement projects and events.
Can you tell us about an artist or project that has inspired you?
When I was in high school, I majored in fashion design and my teacher took me to see a Gianni Versace exhibition at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Seeing this show changed my life and truly inspired me to pursue a career in the arts.
What is your favorite… film? …album? …food?
Movie: The Wiz. Album: Tobe Nwigwe, Monumental Live. Food: Thieboudienne (a Senegalese dish).
Where do you do your laundry?
At home.
In your opinion, why does art matter?
Art is an important way of connecting the human experience.
What LP value do you most relate to and why?
Create Change, because I believe that we have a responsibility to use our natural gifts, talents, and abilities to manifest a more equitable future.
Catherine Mbali Green-Johnson is a cultural leader with over 20 years of experience working in arts administration and community advocacy. She is an innovative practitioner deeply rooted in curating programming that empowers and inspires communities of color to advocate for positive, sustainable transformation co-created on their terms. Prior to joining The LP, Green founded ARTs East New York, where she forwarded its mission by masterfully combining the art of community engagement and artistic expression towards the arc of social change. As a creative placemaker, alongside the New York City Economic Development Corporation, Green spearheaded the opening of the ReNew Lots Market and Artist Incubator, a pop-up marketplace and artist incubator located on formerly vacant lots using recycled shipping containers. In 2018, she was appointed by the Mayor of the City of New York to the Cultural Affairs Advisory Committee to assist in developing the City’s first cultural plan focused on equity and inclusion. She is a powerful speaker and workshop facilitator, and has presented both nationally and internationally with The Project for Public Spaces in Barcelona and Amsterdam; Trazos Libres in Cienfuegos, Cuba; Joan Mitchell Center in New Orleans; Open Engagement in Oakland; the Brooklyn Museum, and beyond. In addition to this work, Green is a visionary, healer, and life coach who has supported creatives and cultivated resources for clients through her consulting practice. Catherine believes in utilizing the power of imagination, storytelling, and ancestral research to create radical sustainability plans and steward resources for an integrative approach to societal change.