Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacey Glassman Mizener.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Stacey. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am grateful to my grandparents, Lorraine and Gerald William, who were patrons of classical music, theater, ballet and opera, and who introduced me to the arts at a young age. I was a competitive figure skater and always had a passion for the performing arts. I chose my own music, often made my own costumes and liked to collaborate with my coach on the choreography.
As an adult, the arts chose me when Toby Ansin offered me a role in development with the incredible Miami City Ballet. I truly thank her for introducing me to what would be my future and my passion for the arts. I started Partners En Pointe and focused on engaging the next generation of ballet supporters, with Tina and Dan Carlo as the Chairs.
The next mentors that greatly impacted my life were Howard Herring and Victoria Rogers at the New World Symphony. Howard expressed the need to generate excitement around classical music and cultivate a new and younger audience. I then founded the Friends of NWS, an innovative membership program with more than 1,000 patrons that engages the next generation with classical music. This experience was magical because it merged the beautiful art form with a brilliant group of supporters and a new campus to expand the classical music footprint.
During my ten-year career at New World Symphony, I had the pleasure of working with the fellows and exploring how they could fuse classical music with other genres including rock, funk, soul, reggae and more. Sam Hyken, now the co-founder of Nu Deco Ensemble, excelled in this role and wrote arrangements for the fellows to perform contemporary songs with classical instruments. I was proud to serve as a founding Board member for his amazing organization and am so impressed with their talent and mission.
I was asked to be a judge for the prestigious Silver Knight Awards and met outstanding and inspired high-school students. I enjoyed every interview I had that day and hoped I would have the opportunity to support youth at this stage in their artistic journey again in the future. I didn’t know it at the time, but my dream came true a few years later when the National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) reached out to me.
After I had my first child, I took a break from my non-profit career and jumped into real estate and development. I was grateful to be mentored by my dear friend Tony Cho, President and CEO of Metro 1. I managed his marketing and business development, earned my real estate license and actively learned a new business. This chapter felt like an MBA in business, and I gained much perspective from this for-profit setting. I helped him launch Metro 1 Community and managed his corporate social responsibility platform. I raised money for his non-profit, won grants, engaged a jury and launched a design competition. I am grateful for this three-year immersion in the business world and still maintain my real estate license.
After I had my second child, I felt inspired to follow my passion and return to the arts. I knew this was my calling and joined the Faena Art team. I raised funds for the non-profit, introduced partners to the hotel and the District and managed the opening of the Faena Forum. This was a very exciting chapter that blended my passion for the arts with my real estate experience. I really enjoyed learning about the operations of the hotel and restaurant business. I admire Alan and Ximena Faena’s imagination and ability to bring together interesting artists, innovators, architects and an international community of arts patrons.
I had always wanted to work at YoungArts. In fact, I attended the YoungArts Backyard Ball gala and performance at Bayfront Park approximately 12 years ago and was blown away by Lin Arison’s speech and her vision for creating a life-changing experience for thousands of the most talented young artists from around the country. I remember the words of the master teachers Michael Tilson Thomas and Plácido Domingo, along with YoungArts alumna Vanessa Williams. They shared how lonely the path of an artist can be and told the audience about the difference the YoungArts program makes as it creates a community where the winners find “their kind,” form life-long friendships and meet future collaborators. They really made the audience understand how important it is to support artists at this time in their lives, so they feel confident to pursue their passion, often against the opinions of their families. I saw the young artists perform, heard their life-changing stories and was forever moved. Many years later, when YoungArts presented the opportunity for me to serve as Vice President of Development, I was immediately thrilled. I am excited to work for a national organization that serves young artists across ten disciplines. I was grateful to join such an accomplished group of professionals and felt lucky to have such an extraordinary Board of Trustees to offer counsel. I was optimistic about the authentic mission that has been serving the most accomplished young artists for more than 38 years. I felt I was groomed for this role, as this would be the first time I could help to serve artists in high school and help to reaffirm their path as artists. I also realized that many of the YoungArts winners would go on to dance at the Miami City Ballet or win a fellowship at New World Symphony and that YoungArts is the pipeline to organizations I worked so hard for to continue their impact and growth.
I am truly grateful and feel that I am able to fulfill my calling.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the YoungArts story. Tell us more about the business.
YoungArts was established in 1981 by Lin and Ted Arison to identify and nurture the most accomplished young artists in the visual, literary, design and performing arts, and assist them at critical junctures in their educational and professional development. Through a wide range of annual programs, performances, and partnerships with some of the nation’s leading cultural institutions such as New World Symphony and Miami Theater center in Miami, the Baryshnikov Art Center and MoMA PS1 in New York and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C., YoungArts aspires to create a strong community of alumni and a platform for a lifetime of encouragement, opportunity and support.
YoungArts is a truly unique organization serving young artists – whether composers, dancers, filmmakers, musicians, writers or painters, sculptors or designers – around the country. I am deeply honored to spearhead the development efforts for this most prestigious organization and am equally passionate about providing young artists from around the country with support at critical junctures during their educational and professional journeys.
Along with Sarah Arison, the Chairman of the Board and the Board of Trustees, my role is to determine the strategic direction of the organization’s development efforts. I am striving to strengthen the national community of YoungArts supporters and alumni, build bridges in the arts and business sectors, and cultivate new audiences throughout the country.
Contact Info:
- Address: YoungArts
2100 Biscayne Blvd
Miami, FL 33137 - Website: YoungArts.org
- Email: sglassman@youngarts.org
- Instagram: Staceyadventures
Image Credit:
Gesi Schilling, BFA, Jason Koerner and Greg Clark, Gesi Schilling and World Red Eye
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
