The arts and humanities define who we are as a people. That is their power — to remind us of what we each have to offer, and what we all have in common. To help us understand our history and imagine our future. To give us hope in the moments of struggle and to bring us together when nothing else will.
— Michelle Obama
My Purpose
I believe every child should have access to quality and equitable arts education in order to empower the next generation and improve engagement and social-emotional well-being. I do that, through strategic arts planning, coaching, professional development, curriculum design, and providing necessary resources, and artist residencies workshops in under-resourced communities. I believe in teaching artists as educators and leaders and therefore I prioritize artistic partnerships in our work.
What I Do
Strategic Arts Planning
In collaboration with arts leaders and administrators, facilitate the development of new programming, and consult on curriculum, staffing, arts materials, facilities, safety, and scheduling through goal-setting, analysis, proposals, funding such as Prop 28, and implementation.
Coaching Partnership
Dedicated one-on-one or team coaching for artists, staff, teachers, and administrators within organizations, and LEAs seeking personal and professional development in community arts programming or arts-in-schools committee and leadership teams. I use authentic, equitable, and proven coaching techniques. FREE for artists!
Curriculum Design
This a great opportunity for new single-subject Theater and Dance credentialed teachers, TOSAs, and administrators to find support with CA Arts Education Framework for content and instruction planning for arts education resources, methods, and assessments needed to help students receive diverse, inclusive, equitable, quality, and effective instruction.
Teaching Artist Placement
Collaborate with teaching artists and creative professionals to design and schedule an in-school short-term or year-long residency where students develop skills in artistic practices, critical thinking skills, social-emotional intelligence, knowledge, expression, and communication.
Meet Dionna
Here to help grow your arts-based practices!
Dionna Ndlovu currently serves as YoloArts’ Interim Education Manager in Yolo County and is developing the Theater Arts and Dance Credentialing program at Cal Poly Humboldt University in Humboldt County, CA. She also serves as Humboldt County’s Arts Now Leader with Create CA promoting arts education and advocacy. She previously served as Project Coordinator on Arts Integration with the North Coast Arts Integration Project, one of Humboldt’s Regional Coaches for Turnaround Arts: California, and lastly as a greater board member on the professional development team California Dance Education Association since 2021. Dionna is the visionary and co-founder of Black Humboldt, a cultural and community non-profit organization founded in 2018 in response to a lack of SAFE Black and Brown spaces, networks, and resources. Dionna is a physical theater and dance performance artist and teaches dance at Arcata Elementary School. As a Black woman, third culture person, first-generation Nigerian American, and first-generation college graduate, she earned a Master of Science in Instructional Design and Technology from Full Sail University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Theater Arts from Morgan State University.
What People Say
She works with humility, engaging students and their elders with respect. She is surrounded by racism and ageism, yet she never loses sight of her end goal: to teach others by accepting them where they are. Her adversities make her “real” for the people she serves. She is empathetic, not just sympathetic, yet she encourages people to take time to breathe and experience the hardship, absorb its lessons, and move forward. She understands that we don’t have the same obstacles and what is easy for her, will be difficult for someone else. She stands at your side and encourages you, helps you look for the opportunity, to plan for the future.
Stacy Young – Humboldt County Office of Education
Dionna is a leader in the county’s movement towards equity, diversity and inclusion. She amplifies and elevates the voices and actions of people of color. She is also a bridge-builder who is skilled at bringing up sensitive topics in a way white people can hear and understand and learn from. Her effervescent energy creates a sense of joy for whoever is in the room with her.
Sarah Peters Gonzalez- OpenArts
Dionna is very knowledgeable and compassionate. She is a great thinking partner. I have learned a lot of organizational and tech skills from our teaming.
Sharrone Blanck- Eureka NAACP
News
- Prop 28 MisuseThe LA TImes published Voters approved more arts money for schools. Powerful unions allege funds are being misused citing the unions, PTA’s and whistleblower concerns that “Under the new law, the money must be used by schools to increase arts programs and each school can decide how best to add on to their programs. however thereContinue reading “Prop 28 Misuse”
- CAC Reports Statewide Access to Arts Funding with Focus on Racial and Geographic EquityThe California Arts Council (CAC) has released a comprehensive field scan of the California arts and culture funding landscape, called Equity Challenges in California’s Arts Ecosystem. One major issue captured in the report by the consulting firms Scansion and WolfBrown is that the global majority or non-white/European people keep getting lumped into this acronym BIPOC causing . “Similar concernsContinue reading “CAC Reports Statewide Access to Arts Funding with Focus on Racial and Geographic Equity”
- Arcata Student is an Exemplar for Arts AdvocacyOne of our local students, Frida King from Arcata High School in Northern Humboldt Union High School District made a public comment about arts education, SEL, mental health, and Prop 28 and submitted it to the Student Voices Challenge and won! School boards should represent your community needs — so it’s important for them to hear from you. Here are some tipsContinue reading “Arcata Student is an Exemplar for Arts Advocacy”
Book a free 30-minute Consultation
Need support comprehending and implementing Prop 28? Want to know the components of arts education and increase access? Integrating the CA Arts Education framework into your curriculum? Seeking strategic planning or arts leadership team coaching?
Teaching Artists
Powerhouse Arts Consulting LLC is a proud supporter of the Teaching Artist Preparation & Instruction Project. A DreamMaker Program of the Ink People.
Are you interested in becoming or expanding your visual, performance, or Literary Teaching Artist experience? If you are looking for preparation and placement for in-school residencies/workshops, educational performances, or becoming a qualified teaching artist, please apply below!
Stay in touch!
Powerhouse Arts Consulting LLC 