Enjoy this intimate conversation with visionary arts leader Monique Martin, recipient of the 2025 Visionary Leadership Award, as she shares her remarkable journey from stage manager to creative producer to artist. In dialogue with Jennifer Harrison Newman, Associate Artistic Director at the Schwarzman Center, Martin reveals the eight-year evolution of her groundbreaking work, Minty Fresh Circus.
This talk explores Martin's path from growing up in Oakland's vibrant arts community—where her family's laundromat served as an early example of placemaking—to becoming a champion of contemporary circus arts. Martin discusses her transition from being what she calls a "doula to other people's projects" to stepping into her own artistry with Minty Fresh, a circus work that reimagines the Underground Railroad experience through the lens of joy, transformation, and cultural celebration.