Marian (she/her) is a Boston-based* artist, arts and culture, and higher ed nurturer. Her work utilizes art as a mechanism to build and support inclusive and equitable communities, investigating art as a means for healing, collective action, and creative justice. Her discontent with oppressive systems, alongside her eternal optimism and belief in what we can collectively create, heal and nurture, keep her on the path.

*resides in Dorchester, lands of the Massachusett peoples.

In 2014 Marian founded and is now the co-director of collective abundance at, the Boston-based non-profit Arts Connect International (ACI).

ACI is focused on building cultural equity and creative justice, and over the years the work has taken many forms, including:

1) Leadership Nurturing for arts leaders via residencies, grants, retreats, etc.

2) Community Convening, spanning myriad types and forms of programming, with our national Arts Equity Summit the most well-known,

3) Research through the Transformative Research Collective, with several publications and community findings reports, and

4) Sector Supports, including our consulting arm — Consult With ACI, collective action shared workspace with the Cultural Equity Incubator, and intersectional anti-racism training through the Cultural Equity Learning Community.

ACI was honored as a “Model Equity Organization” by the Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture, City of Boston (2019).

Please feel free to reach out to Marian or any of ACI’s co-directors to get involved.

Marian takes great joy in supporting [arts] leaders on their paths toward creative justice. This includes teaching as a college lecturer and innovating in higher education.

Marian is an Adjunct Lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a Visiting Researcher at the University of Massachusetts Boston - School for Global Inclusion & Social Development.

Marian taught as a visiting Assistant Professor at Heilbronn University (2021 — 2022) in the School of Arts Management, and in the Honors College at UMass Boston as an Associate Lecturer, focused on systems leadership for social change (2019 — 2020).

Marian is open to Assistant Professor and Professor of Practice positions in [arts] management, [arts in] education, and transdisciplinary and social justice-focused programs starting in the fall of 2024.

Marian works as a coach with sector leaders, and as a consultant for arts and culture organizations.

Marian specializes in systems analysis, asset-mapping, strategic planning, organizational transformation, leadership development, research, monitoring and evaluation, grant making, systems leadership models, and application and programmatic development.

Marian has worked with the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Massachusetts College of Art & Design, the New England Museum Association, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Harvard EdPortal, Now + There, MASSCreative, Open Door Arts, Laughter League, The Dance Complex, New Rep Theater and MassMoca by way of MassAssembly.

Please reach out with any consulting inquiries.

2017 - 2019 | Open Door Arts, Change Management Consultant

2016 - 2017 | Institute of Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston, Research Assistant

2013 - 2014 | Art & Global Health Center Africa, Research and Development Global Health Corps Fellow

2012 - 2013 | Hearthstone Alzheimer Care’s research division, Research Associate

2021 - 2013 | ARTZ: Artist’s for Alzheimer’s, Associate Director

2011 - 2012 | Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Research Assistant

2011 - 2012 | Open Door Arts, Research Assistant

2008 - 2012 | Private Ski Instructor & Competitive Mogul Skiing Coach for Vail Resorts, Aspen Skiing Company & Team Breckenridge

2020 | candidate for Fulbright Scholars program, Germany

2019 | awarded “Model Equity Organization” for ACI by the Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture, City of Boston

2017 - 2018 | awarded Social Science Research Center - Transdisciplinary Fellowship

2013 - 2014 | awarded Global Health Corps Fellowship

2009 - 2010 | awarded for outstanding customer service and work ethic by Vail Resorts

2009 | graduated with distinction in Studio Art from Colorado College

2014 - 2024 | 3.5M+ awarded in support of Arts Connect International from: Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture, The Boston Foundation, New England Foundation for the Arts, The Boston Cultural Council, Foley Hoag Foundation, Living Closer Foundation, MassHumanities, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Barr Foundation, Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, Cambridge Community Foundation, Cambridge Arts Council, Shinnyo-en Foundation, University of Massachusetts Boston, Social Science Research Center, and more.

2013 - 2014 | 38K+ awarded in support of ArtGlo from: the US Embassy and the Segal Family Foundation.

2012 - 2013 | 160K+ awarded in support of ARTZ: Artists for Alzheimer’s from: The Cummings Foundation and the Skal Club.

2023 | Live Arts Boston Redesign, The Boston Foundation

2022, 2021, 2020 | Live Arts Boston, Selection, The Boston Foundation

2021, 2020 | Kahn Award, Selection, Boston University

2019 | Boston Artist in Residence, Selection, Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture

2016, 2015, 2014 | International Artist in Residence, Selection, Arts Connect International

2024 | In process, short-form book: Creative Justice & Collective Action. Global Creative Economy, Routledge, UK., co-author Andrea Gordillo

2022 | From Grassroots to Systems Change: Art for Social Justice published in the Journal of Arts Management, Law and Society, co-authors Hyppolite Ntigurirwa, Andrea Gordillo, micah rose

2021 | Embodied, Intergenerational Knowledge: Reconceptualizing Leadership Nurturing in Arts and Culture Management Education published in the American Journal of Arts Management, co-authors micah rose and Mel Taing

2020 | Examining Cultural Equity: Boston’s Arts & Culture Sector published on ProQuest, dissertation, School for Global Inclusion & Social Development, University of Massachusetts Boston

2019 | Moves Toward Equity: Perspectives from Arts Leaders of Color published by Arts Connect International, community findings report, co-authors Hanako Brais, Allegra Fletcher

2018 | Examining Cultural Equity in the Arts published by Arts Connect International, community findings report, co-author Hanako Brais

Recent presentations (2020-2023):

2023 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology Guest Lecture, Value of Values

2023 | University of Michigan Guest Lecture, Ethical Arts Leadership

2023 | Associated Grant Makers, Panel, Art Service Organizations & Cultural Equity

2023 | The Harvard Graduate School of Education Guest Lecture, Arts in Learning

2022 | Massachusetts Cultural Council Workshop, Cultural Equity Learning Community

2022 | Americans for the Arts Equity Salon Workshop, Exploring Systems Leadership Models

2022 | Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation Workshop, Exploring Systems Leadership Models

2022 | University of Massachusetts Boston Guest Lecture, Transdisciplinary Research

2021 | Massachusetts Cultural Council Workshop, Decolonizing Arts & Culture

2021 | University of Massachusetts Boston Guest Lecture, Social Entrepreneurship

2020 | Creative Justice Initiative Panel, Unifying Equity Activations

2020 | Revolutionary Spaces Panel, Arts & Healing

2020 | ArtistsThrive Summit Panel, Building Equitable Boards (2020)

2020 | Association of Arts Administration Educators Workshop, Pipelines in Arts Administration

2020 | Alumni of Color Conference Workshop, Harvard University, Youth United Artists

2020 | Boston Cultural Council Workshop, Cultural Equity Learning Community

2020 | Massachusetts Cultural Council Workshop, Creative Youth Development

2020 | Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation Workshop, Artist-Relief National Leaders

2020 | Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture Workshop, COVID relief meeting, Racial Equity

2020 | Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture Workshop, COVID relief meeting, Cultural Equity

2016 - 2020 | Doctorate of Philosophy, Global Inclusion & Social Development, University of Massachusetts Boston

2011 - 2012 | Master’s in Education, Arts in Education, The Harvard Graduate School of Education

2005 - 2009 | Bachelor’s in Studio Art, minor in Education, Colorado College

Other Certifications & Accreditations

2014 | Nonprofit Management & Leadership Core Certificate, Questrom School of Business, Boston University

2008 - 2011 | Level II Alpine Skiing, Children’s Level II & Freestyle Level I accreditations through Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA)

Visual Art Shows

2023 | CHRONIC, collaborating artists: Allegra Fletcher, Ellice Patterson & Andrew Choe, Cultural Equity Incubator, Boston, MA

2013 | Our Malawi, Our Vision, collaborating artist: Mwizalero Nyirenda, Art & Global Health Center Africa, Zomba, Malawi

2012 | Coming Home, collaborating artist: Ernest Bud Brown, Genesee Center for Arts and Education, Rochester, NY

2012 | Fabrics of Meaning, solo show, Open Door Gallery, Boston, MA

2012 | Family Tree, solo show, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA

2009 | Recycled Intuition, solo show, Colorado College Gallery, Colorado Springs, CO

2008 | One Left-Handed Footprint, solo show, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO

2008 | Prints, group show, Valland School for the Arts, Gothenburg, Sweden

Curation

2021 | Somewhere… Away, featured artist: Alyssa Liles-Amponsah, Cultural Equity Incubator, Boston, MA

2020 | Language and Literacy, featured artist: Maung Nyeu, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA

2015 | Shades of Inclusion, collaborative show, featured artists: Basil Kincaid, Alia Ali, Andre Mestre, Miho Tsujii, Stephen Hamilton, Bes Young, Alva Mooses, Open Door Gallery, Boston, MA

2015 | Love Art, featuring Basil Kincaid, Los Angeles, CA

Performance Pieces

2020 | Breaking Open, arts and healing community activation

2015 | 7 Dresses 4 Health, year-long arts and health advocacy campaign

Residencies

2010 | Colorado Center for Handmade Paper, Colorado Springs, CO

2010 | Genesee Center for Arts and Education, Rochester, NY

Marian adores being in nature and with animals, is a Buddhist practitioner, proud auntie and goddy to many nibblings, and above all, is a fierce lover of people. She spends much of her free time in the mountains, with family and friends, and at various community (arts) events.

Marian’s life is dedicated to living with courage, laughter, and love in honor of her beloved best friend, Sara Marie Ferrarone, 10.7.86 - 11.25.12. Marian presently calls Dorchester, MA, home; the lands of the Massachusett peoples, where she lives with her life partner, Avanish (he/him), and their fur babies Junior, Bond, and Kittu.

Marian asserts no work is free from bias, acknowledging that our ways of being and navigating the world is deeply connected to our intersectional identities. With this, she offers her identities as a queer, multi-disabled, educated, white, millennial, cis-gendered woman.