The Larger Conversation

Theo Tyson

Theo Tyson interrogates the sociocultural aspects of race, gender, and sexuality through the lens of fashion, its histories, and theories. Her research is firmly rooted in historical and contemporary photography and the performativity of fashioning an identity. She uses fashion, art, and sociology to employ visual and material culture as an accessible, universal language to offer sartorial narratives that provide unique points of entry for civil discourse. 

Tyson, who has held posts at Spelman College Museum of Fine Art and SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film, is currently the Polly Thayer Starr Fellow in American Art and Culture at the Boston Athenæum where she engages and interprets their special collections through innovative and inclusive exhibitions and presentations.

Harold Steward

Harold Steward is a cultural organizer and arts administrator from Dallas, TX. He joined The Theater Offensive in Boston as the Managing Director in June of 2017 and currently serves as Co-Producing Executive Director and oversees fund development, communications, and operations throughout the organization. Harold most recently served as Manager of the South Dallas Cultural Center, a division of the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs, which provides instruction and enrichment in the arts with an emphasis on the Africa contribution to world culture. Harold also founded Fahari Arts Institute in Dallas in 2009, after recognizing a gap in the landscape for local LGBTQ+ artists of color in Dallas. Fahari Arts Institute celebrated, displayed, and produced the work of queer artists from the African Diaspora.

Chanel Thervil

Chanel Thervil is a Haitian-American artist and educator obsessed with all things art, community, and history. She had a BFA in Painting from Pace University, and an MA in Art Education from MassArt. Recently, she's been making a splash in Boston via her public art, portraiture, and collaborations with institutions like the Urbano Project, Museum of Fine Arts, DeCordova Museum, and the Boston Center for the Arts. In addition to her community-based work as an educator, she currently serves as the Program Manager at The Art Connection. To find out more about her work, visit her website at www.chanelthervil.com.

Paul Goodnight

Paul Goodnight is a legendary visual artist and the Co-Founder of Color Circle Art Publishing, Inc. After serving an extended and traumatic tour of duty during the Vietnam War, Goodnight returned to Boston and began to pursue a career as an artist, first and foremost as a way of seeking self-healing and balance.  

Goodnight makes vibrantly colored, multi-layered, shimmering drawings and paintings laced with African themes. His sumptuous application of acrylic paint, pastels, and other media help convey his own unique aesthetic philosophy to document the humanity of people around the world. Goodnight’s work has been featured in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the Museum of Fine Arts, and The Museum of the National Center of African American Artists in Boston. He was also selected as part of the permanent collection at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. Goodnight received his BFA and an honorary MFA from MassArt.