Theme: Now What?

Unprecedented changes have wrought havoc on our world, continually pushing and pulling humanity through challenging situations such as a global pandemic, racial tension, mass shootings, and extreme political division. In spite of these challenges, we must listen to one another and forge onward, seeking answers to quell turmoil with safety, unity, justice, and peace.

Wyatt Center for the Arts
Alumni Drive
Louisville, Kentucky, 40205
United States

Dave Clark

Saxophonist and Speaker

Dave Clark is the Director of Jazz Studies at Bellarmine University. Besides teaching an array of classes, Dave directs Bellarmine's Nouveau Gumbo ensemble. Having earned a bachelor’s degree in music education and a master’s in jazz performance, Dave is currently a doctoral student in Bellarmine’s School of Education and is the Executive Director of the Louisville Jazz Initiative, a diverse, inter-generational coalition of musicians and educators committed to the authentic teaching and performing of jazz, seeking to preserve the connection between the music and its cultural and historical contexts. Together, the Initiative highlights the inherent value in individual experience and expression, empowering its participants to advocate for social and racial justice.

James Wilkerson

Title IX Coordinator

James Wilkerson is the Director of Equity and Diversity and Deputy Title IX Coordinator at Indiana University Southeast. He is the author of the best-selling book The Title IX Guy and was named Best Local Writer in the 2021 LEO Weekly’s Readers’ Choice Awards.

Jess Walker

Co-owner and Head Coach, Rough Hands

Jesse Walker has been coaching martial arts and combat sports for 15 years. As the head coach at Rough Hands, Jesse’s focus is providing a conceptual and principle-based framework with the goal of making fighting and self-defense skills accessible to anyone who walks in the door.

Julian Thomas

Author

Julian Thomas is a multimodal artist from Kentucky and the author of the graphic novel epic Black Heart. When not creating or teaching writing courses for youth, Julian spends time immersed in community outreach and raising his daughter.

Lee Look

Firefighter, PhD

Lee Look is a company officer with St. Matthews Fire Department and a department director at Cedar Lake Lodge, a facility for people with intellectual disabilities. He spent the pandemic running Incident Management Teams, writing, and cooking.

Samantha Perkins

Author

Samantha Perkins is an author, speaker, wellness coach, and proud advocate for living alcohol free. Her first book, Alive AF: One Anxious Mom's Journey to Becoming Alcohol Free explored her relationship with alcohol and how she began to heal from lifelong anxiety through eliminating alcohol and embracing self-care.