A New Chapter For BYA
After 11 years, we're sharing leadership. Here's what that means (and what isn't changing)
From Gianna and Dave
Gianna Rodriguez, Founder and Co-Executive Director, and Dave Eassa, Co-Executive Director, at the BYA Community Studio.
To the BYA community,
In 2015, BYA began in one classroom inside the Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center. Since then, more than 2,700 young people have come through our programs, and more than 270 have been paid as Apprentices. You helped make that happen.
Today we want to tell you about a change in how we lead. As of this week, we are sharing the Executive Director role as Co-Executive Directors.
Gianna founded BYA in 2015 and has served as its sole Executive Director, growing it from a single classroom into a year-round program that brings arts-based programming into Maryland Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) facilities and employs youth Apprentices at our BYA Community Studio. She is a Baltimore Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree and a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, among other honors.
Dave joined as Deputy Director in June, after serving as Director of Philanthropy and Engagement at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library in San Diego and Director of Public Engagement at the Baltimore Museum of Art. His work has focused on building sustainable spaces and platforms for creatives, including the BMA’s Lexington Market branch.
We’ve also made art together since 2015 under the name The Blank Page Project. We are both Open Society Institute-Baltimore Community Fellows, Salzburg Global Fellows, Rubys Artist Project Grant recipients, Grit Fund awardees, Maryland State Arts Council Public Art Grantees, and two-time recipients of the Mayor’s Individual Artist Award from the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts. We have fifteen-plus years of artistic production and building community initiatives, here and abroad, individually and together. This is not a new partnership, just a new form of one.
Why now: we ask BYA youth to take on real responsibility and share leadership with each other. Our structure should model that, not just talk about it.
What that means for the BYA community: nothing changes in the studio. Two directors means we can keep building the financial and operational backbone BYA needs without pausing programming.
One ask as we enter our 12th year. We’re raising $15,000 by December 31, and an anonymous donor is matching every dollar. Your $50 becomes $100 for Apprentice wages, materials, and staff. Donate directly to Baltimore Youth Arts here.
Save the date: our 12th anniversary celebration and art auction, December 3, 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the BYA Community Studio, with work from 12 Baltimore artists. Invitation coming soon.
Thank you for the last 11 years. We can't wait to show you what's next.
Gianna Rodriguez & Dave Eassa
Co-Executive Directors, BYA
P.S. To every Apprentice, alum, donor, volunteer, teaching artist, and family member, community partner: if you've been part of BYA at any point in these 11 years, December 3 is the night to come back. We'd love to see you.