Gratitude and Growth at NCAPER
- kristen155
- Jun 8
- 4 min read
Celebrating A Legacy
As I prepare to retire from my role as Executive Director of the National Coalition of Arts
Preparedness and Emergency Response, a position I have been honored to hold since
January 2018, I am filled with gratitude and pride for all we have accomplished together. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to our remarkable steering committee members and dedicated staff, whose passion and commitment have been the driving force behind
our mission. It is with great confidence and excitement that I welcome Mollie Quinlan-Hayes as the incoming Executive Director of NCAPER, effective July 1. Mollie’s vision and leadership will undoubtedly guide the organization to new heights. As I step into this next chapter, I urge everyone to continue fostering a culture of readiness—not only within our arts community but also among your families and neighborhoods. Preparedness is a gift we give ourselves and those we care about, strengthening our resilience and ensuring that the arts can thrive in any circumstance. Thank you for allowing me to be part of this extraordinary journey.
Anna Lisa Escobedo has joined the NCAPER Team as the Local Coordinator for BAARN, the Bay Area Arts Readiness Network. Based in the Bay area, Anna Lisa brings experience in the arts community, advocacy skills, and many local connections to the project. A California native, dynamic creative leader and
cultural strategist, Anna Lisa Escobedo is a visual artist, muralist, artivist, event producer, cultural worker, and networker. With over a decade of experience, Anna Lisa has played a pivotal role in shaping the cultural fabric of the San Francisco Bay Area.
She is the co-founder of Calle 24 Latino Cultural District and served as the chair of its
Cultural Arts and Assets Committee, where she led efforts to preserve and celebrate the
Mission District’s rich cultural heritage. Her leadership extended to revitalizing
community events such as Fiestas de Las Américas, where she successfully raised
funds and fostered partnerships to sustain vibrant public celebrations.
Anna Lisa will work with the NCAPER team and our Local Advisory Committee
[https://www.ncaper.org/baarn-team] to implement this pilot program which is supported
by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. BAARN will build Bay Area artists’
resiliency through Readiness, and Networking over the next three years, through
preparedness training, networking and funding.
Read more about Anna Lisa here!
Our Thanks to Michael Orlove
We want to offer our deep gratitude to departing Steering Committee member Michael Orlove, former Director of Regional, State & Local Partnerships + International Activities at the National Endowment for the Arts. Michael was a voice for preparedness at the federal level, and through numerous disasters carried information from those impacted locally to federal officials. Michael and his colleague, Steering Committee Member Eleanor Billington, ensured that the Endowment’s partnerships with other federal agencies continued and strengthened disaster response to the arts sector. He will be greatly missed by many in the field. Thank you, Michael!
NCAPER’s Been on the Road
NCAPER team members have been crisscrossing the country to connect artists,
creatives and arts organizations with information, resources and collaborative
discussions about preparedness and resiliency, including:
Moving From Procrastination to Preparedness, CreativeWest, January 29
How to Get Ready for Anything! Easy Steps for Artists and Creatives, Kentucky Arts Council Creative Industry Summit Series, March 18
Global Cultural Districts Network convening at the Music Center in LA on May 19
Readiness, Response and Recovery Partners with Craft Emergency Relief Fund and
Performing Arts Readiness, Creative States Coalition, March 20
Disaster Preparedness for Artists and Creatives with City of Los Angeles
Department of Arts and Culture, Majestic Collaborations and Performing Arts
Readiness, California for the Arts Summit, Sacramento, April 22
The Role of Arts and Culture in Disaster Management with Education Foundation of
America, Invest Appalachia and Kiran Singh Sirah, Bristol VA, April 24
Recovery and Resilience: Cultural Institutions in Response to Disaster, American
Alliance of Museums, Los Angeles, May 6
Leveraging the Creative Workforce + Venues as Resilience Hubs with Majestic
Collaborations and Performing Arts Readiness, for the National Association of Counties
Arts and Culture Commission, May 21
Twin Realities: The Arts as Disaster Recovery Partners and Clients, NVOAD (National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) 2025 Conference, Louisville, KY, May 22
Coming up:
Disaster Preparation and Recovery with the Asheville Symphony, Sarasota Orchestra
and Denver Young Artists Orchestra, League of American Orchestras 80th Annual
Conference, Salt Lake City, June 12
From Blue Skies to Storms: Stories, Strategies, and Systems for Readiness in the
Arts and Humanities as part of the virtual Business of the Arts: Emergency
Preparedness Symposium, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, June 27
News and Resources
June is the start of Hurricane Season, and this year is projected to have above-normal
activity. As we’ve sadly learned in recent years, hurricanes and their aftermath are not
dangerous rain, wind
and flooding events. It’s time to develop, or update, your readiness plan, including data
backup plans, safe facility shutdown and restart protocols, and your plan to quickly
communicate with your team when the situation is changing swiftly.
Planning resources:
dPlan/ArtsReady online planning tool Performing Arts Readiness free webinars for
Craft Emergency Relief Fund Hurricane Readiness 101 for Artists free webinar
Wildfires and winds in Los Angeles County in January impacted not only artists and arts
organizations in the burn zones; the ripple effects on arts spaces, donors, audiences
and students were vast. The Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture
analyzed data from Rapid Impact Assessment surveys hosted by NCAPER; their fifth
and final brief on the impacts, and recommendations for future arts recovery
considerations, is now available here.
The League of American Orchestras just dropped its Catalyst Guide: Orchestras in
Health & Wellness—a playbook packed with real-world tales, quick-start tips, and “wow-
factor” ideas to turn your concerts into community care.
Choreographers should document and archive their work! How? This Dance Magazine
article breaks it down, including what is an archive, storage solutions, and the copyright question.
NCAPER is grateful for the support of our generous individual supporters.
These gifts allow us to immediately respond when communities such as Los Angeles and Western North Carolina are impacted by crisis, to develop and deliver training and education content, and to advocate for policies such as FEMA Individual Assistance for Artists
that help build a better safety net for the arts. As we reach the end of our fiscal year, your contribution of any size will help us continue our work. Donate here – and thank you!
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