PROGRAM‍ ‍SPEAKERS‍ ‍WHAT’S NEXT

Welcome

Artists generate inspiration—the civic technology that drives belonging, empathy, and collective imagination.

Unfortunately, the funding math is… not mathing.

California ranks 35th in per-capita arts funding; the California Arts Council distributes just $21M annually—63% less (inflation-adjusted) than 25 years ago. In the Bay Area, where artists and creative work forces power neighborhood vitality and innovation in one of the nation’s most expensive regions, this gap is deeply systemic.

So today, we’re gathering to explore the value of creative labor, connect local realities to national conversations shaping the future of creative work, and ask: what do empowered artists make possible?

We’re glad you’re here. Stay til the end.

With Love & Light, 

ROOM FOR LIGHT Co-Chairs

Rika Iino
Founder & CEO
SOZO Impact

Lane Sugata
Senior Program Officer
Ford Foundation

Olivia Malabuyo Tablante
Program Director
Gerbode Foundation

PROGRAM

Times are approximate and subject to change!

Kaitlyn Boyer & Rika Iino, Co-MCs

  • Arrival and Conversations over Boxed Lunch

  • Opening Performances
    Destiny Muhammad, Babatunji Johnson, Charmaine Butcher, Marc Bamuthi Joseph

    Beyond the Seed
    Speaker: Rika Iino

    Coordinated Abundance
    Moderated by Adam Fong
    Speakers: Aimee Sueko Eng, Nataki Garrett, Liz O'Malley

    ~Break~

    Artist Stories:
    Moderated by Rika Iino
    Speakers: M Eilo, Melecio Estrella

    Inspiration as Currency
    Moderated by Marc Bamuthi Joseph
    Speakers: Keba Konte, Vinitha Watson

  • ROOM 1:
    The Body as a Site of Abundance: Somatic Practice
    led by brooke smiley

    ROOM 2:
    Abundant Vision: Leadership Development for Artists & Culture Workers
    led by Nataki Garrett

    ROOM 3:
    Circulating Abundance: Revenue Strategies for Creative Work
    led by Nina Robinson

    ROOM 4:
    Abundant Imagination: AI, Technology & Hopeful Futures
    led by Vinitha Watson

    ROOM 5:
    Abundant Ecosystem: Labor and Policy
    led by Lane Sugata

    ROOM 6:
    Abundant Stillness: Journal on your own & Rest.
    led by you

  • Reflections and Shared Possibilities
    The Future of Inspiration Economy

    Speakers: Rika Iino, Marc Bamuthi Joseph

  • Deepen connections over sushi & sake, special announcements, and closing performance by seiji oda.

    Speakers: Rika Iino, Lane Sugata, Olivia Malabuyo Tablante

  • Get home safely!

PEOPLE

OPENING

Destiny Muhammad
Harpist & Composer

Babatunji Johnson
Dancer & Choreographer

Marc Bamuthi Joseph
Spoken Word Artist & Chief of Impact, SOZO

SPEAKERS

In order of appearance

Rika Iino
Founder & CEO
SOZO Impact

Kaitlyn Boyer
Program Manager
SOZO Impact

Adam Fong
Program Officer,
Performing Arts
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

Liz O’Malley
Director, Arts Strategy & Ventures, Kenneth Rainin Foundation

Nataki Garrett
Artist and Founder of The Ladder Leadership Services

Aimee Sueko Eng
Executive Director
Gerbode Foundation

M Eilo
Artist, Designer and Creative Technologist

Melecio Estrella
Artistic Director
BANDALOOP

Marc Bamuthi Joseph
Spoken Word Artist & Chief of Impact, SOZO

Vinitha Watson
Philanthropist & Founder
Zoo Labs

Keba Konte
Artist and Founder
Red Bay Coffee

BREAKOUT STEWARDS

brooke smiley
Osage body & earth artist

Nataki Garrett
Artist and Founder of The Ladder Leadership Services

Nina Robinson
Managing Director
Real People’s Fund

Vinitha Watson
Philanthropist & Founder Zoo Labs

Lane Sugata
Senior Program Officer Ford Foundation

Your Heart

CLOSING

seiji oda
Music Artist

WHAT’S NEXT:

Exclusive offers and first looks from SOZO and our partners for Room For Light participants.

FIRST LOOKS

FIRST LOOK:
ARTIST IN(TER)DEPENDENCE MATRIX

A look at SOZO's unique methodology for measuring long-term artist sustainability

FIRST LOOK:
SOZO EMPATHY LABS

SOZO's multi-year national initiative weaving artists, creative technologists, institutions, and health practitioners to cultivate empathy and long-term civic and cultural renewal

FIRST LOOK:
BAY AREA ARTS GRANT RESOURCE GUIDE

Explore this living resource guide of Bay Area grants and support programs for artists and producers by Gerbode Foundation

FREE WORKSHOPS

FREE WORKSHOP:
THEORY OF MOVEMENT

A primer for constructing your personal or organizational theory of change

Led by Marc Bamuthi Joseph

FREE WORKSHOP:
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT FOR ARTISTS AND CULTURAL LEADERS

Led by Nataki Garrett

FREE WORKSHOP:
ABUNDANCE MINDSET FOR ARTISTS AND CULTURAL LEADERS

Led by Rika Iino

WE THANK

OUR SUPPORTING PARTNERS

We are grateful to our partners who make this gathering possible:

SOZO Forum: Room For Light was collaboratively conceived and executed by the SOZO team, our artists, and partners.


Curated by Rika Iino and Marc Bamuthi Joseph, in collaboration with Olivia Malabuyo Tablante and Lane Sugata.

PRODUCTION TEAM

ABOUT SOZO

SOZO Impact, Inc. is an international contemporary arts agency and incubator at the intersection of social impact, innovation, and culture. Our portfolio of trailblazing artistic productions, experiences, and educational initiatives implements holistic approaches that cultivate equitable and liberatory creative ecosystems.

SOZO is a tax-exempt organization recognized under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code in the United States, EIN 82-4956112. Your contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

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