Art, Actually: Lecture with Yoleidy Rosario-Hernandez

Why Arts Matter Now: Power, Politics, and the Business of Creativity

Wednesday, February 11 @ 11am

In today’s cultural landscape, the arts are more than entertainment—they are vessels of memory, resistance, and possibility. Yet behind every performance, exhibition, or program lies a complex reality: balancing vision with operations, creativity with sustainability, and passion with the politics that shape funding and public perception.

In this engaging talk, Yoleidy Rosario-Hernandez, Founding Executive Artistic Director of Mosaic Movements, pulls back the curtain on the business of the arts. From wearing multiple hats to navigating shifting political climates, ze shares candid reflections on what it takes to build and sustain an arts organization today. Through stories rooted in Sarasota’s vibrant cultural identity and broader national currents, Yoleidy invites the community to consider why the arts matter now more than ever—and how artists, patrons, and cultural leaders together can spark resilience and change.

Yoleidy Rosario-Hernandez (ze/zir/zirs/ellx) is a trans Afro-Dominican and Taíno artist, educator, and cultural strategist with over a decade of experience in higher education, DEI, and the arts. Ze is the Founder and Executive Artistic Director of Mosaic Movements, an interdisciplinary organization amplifying diasporic narratives through performance, storytelling, and artist development. Ze has held leadership roles at institutions including New College of Florida, Ringling College, Rutgers University–Newark, and the University of Arizona. Yoleidy’s creative practice spans performance, film, and photography. Across all of zir work, Yoleidy builds justice-centered ecosystems where art is resistance, education is liberation, and community is healing.

Register today!  $15 for Non-Members, FREE for Members