Lisa Mount

What happens when a founding artistic director moves on? Whether the move is a departure or a shift in roles within the organization, leadership change presents a daunting — and inevitable — challenge. As the nonprofit arts field matures and faces unprecedented economic challenges, the question of how to survive and embrace significant transitions in the leadership of an organization becomes pressing.

Alternate ROOTS is a coalition of artists and cultural workers in the Southeastern USA; addressing racism and other oppressions has been integral to our mission for a long time. At our 2004 Annual Meeting this past August a panel of ROOTS' founding members discussed the function of ROOTS as a cultural continuation of the civil rights movement - beginning with our founding at the legendary Highlander Center in New Market, Tennessee.