The International Festival of Arts & Ideas (Festival) has selected Malakhi Eason as Director of Programming and Community Impact, following an international executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). He began his tenure on November 16, 2020.
Mr. Eason brings more than 15 years of arts administration experience to the Festival. Originally from Boston, he most recently served as Programming Manager at Omaha Performing Arts, where he maintained a large network of artist managers, agents, and promoters and curated the Jazz on the Green Series, a six-week summer community concert series with more than 50,000 people in attendance. In 2018, Mr. Eason founded Krucial Konflict Agency, which specializes in managing multi-talented artists and supplies major events with high-end entertainment. His additional experience includes Education Specialist at Upward Bound Math and Science and Academic and Behavior Specialist at Omaha Home for Boys. In these roles, he ensured excellence in programming, curriculum, and student performance, reassesed novel strategies to enhance student success, and provided behavioral prevention and intervention strategies that positively impacted youths’ academic, behavioral, and emotional success.
A former background singer for touring artists, Mr. Eason is a skilled music arranger, songwriter, and sound engineer. He was selected to participate in the 2019 Jacob’s Pillow National Dance Presenters’ Forum and the 2020 Association of Performing Arts Professionals’ Emerging Leadership Institute. Mr. Eason earned bachelor of arts degree from the University of Bridgeport, where he majored in broadcast mass communications and minored in music business, and master of arts degree in leadership from Grace University. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in interdisciplinary leadership from Creighton University.
In making the announcement, Executive Director Shelley Quiala said "I am thrilled to welcome Malakhi to the Festival! His professional experience as an artist, curator, and promoter and his familiarity with greater New England bring a unique and needed perspective to the work. Malakhi's creative and collaborative spirit will expand the Festival's breadth and depth of programming while engaging our vital New Haven community."
''I'm excited to enter this creative environment,” said Mr. Eason. “Being able to walk outside and have the whole city and its community of artists within reach will inspire me to be creative for the Festival. I'm eager to meet and collaborate with local leaders to develop original, thought-provoking, and fun events that will resonate with the community in New Haven and beyond.”
“ACG was honored to work with the International Festival of Arts & Ideas again and congratulates Malakhi Eason on his appointment as Director of Programming and Community Impact,” said ACG President Dr. Bruce D. Thibodeau. “His passion for community service and commitment to impactful programming will be instrumental in designing and implementing the Festival’s artistic and humanities programs.”
December 2020