Kemi Ilesanmi Selected for the Jandon Business of the Arts Distinguished Lecture

The Arts Management Department of Purchase College, SUNY, is pleased to host the 2026 Annual Jandon Business of the Arts Distinguished Lecture featuring Kemi Ilesanmi on Wednesday, March 18 at 6:30 p.m. This free, in-person event takes place in the Humanities Theatre on campus.

An innovative and internationally recognized arts leader, Kemi Ilesanmi has been at the forefront of global initiatives to decolonize art spaces that cultivate arts ecosystems and sustain artistic communities. The public is invited to attend an evening of discussion on art, community, and diasporas with a reception to follow.

Individuals requiring accommodations for equal access should contact Stella Kristensen a minimum of five business days prior to the event: Stella.Kristensen@purchase.edu.For updates and to register for the event, please visit the 2026 Jandon Business of the Arts Distinguished Lecture.

About Kemi Ilesanmi

Kemi Ilesanmi is an arts strategist, institution builder, and diaspora weaver. As Founder and Principal of KGI Projects, she cultivates and supports stronger Black and Brown arts ecosystems in the United States and African diaspora. For over 25 years, she has served as nonprofit leader, foundation officer, museum curator, and now consultant, advisor, and connector.

Kemi was founding executive director of The Laundromat Project, a nationally-recognized and community-based arts organization in New York City from 2012-2022. Under her leadership, The LP grew its staff, budget, and impact tenfold, including a significant award from Mackenzie Scott and attaining a long-term community home in Central Brooklyn. While there, Kemi was a founding partner of HueArts NYC, a map, directory, and report focused on POC-centered arts organizations in New York City. Prior to that, Kemi has served as Director of Grants and Services at Creative Capital Foundation and visual arts curator at the Walker Art Center. 

Kemi contributes to the field through speaking engagements, including Brooklyn Museum, Creative Time, The New School, Artnet News, and The Art World podcast, among others. She has been featured in theNew York Times, among Brooklyn Magazine's50 most fascinating people, and on The Observer’s annual list of theArts Power 50. She has been honored by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Project for Empty Space. 

Kemi served on the Mayor of New York City’s Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission for seven years, including two as chair. Currently, she serves on the boards of the Andy Warhol Foundation, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Joan Mitchell Foundation, and 32° East (Uganda), as well as several advisory boards. A graduate of Smith College, NYU, and Coro Leadership NY, she is committed to holistic cultural and community care that is deeply informed by her Nigerian and Black American roots.

Michael E. Steiper, Ph.D., President of Purchase College, said, “We are excited to welcome this year’s annual Jandon Business of the Arts lecturer, Kemi Ilesanmi, to campus for a wide-ranging conversation about art and its impact on communities, both locally and globally. Thanks to the Jandon Foundation, our students have the unique opportunity to hear from today’s arts leaders right here on campus. I am sure our students will be inspired by Ilesanmi’s incredible career and fascinated by her insights about what it means to create, curate, and advocate as a global leader across arts and cultural sectors.”

About the Jandon Business of the Arts Distinguished Lecture Series

Purchase College recognizes and thanks Jane and Donald Cecil, and their representatives, for their generous gift that created this Jandon Business of the Arts Distinguished Lecture Series.

Established in 2012 through a generous gift from the Jandon Foundation to mark the occasion of Donald Cecil’s 85th birthday, the Jandon Business of the Arts Distinguished Lecture Fund supports bringing notable leaders in the arts to speak at Purchase College and helps students in the Arts Management program and arts conservatories to develop relationships with accomplished professionals who are practicing in the fields of study in which they aspire to practice. This endowed lecture reflects Don’s lifelong commitment to excellence in education, leadership in business, and passion for the arts. The Jandon Business of the Arts Distinguished Lecture Fund also supports the Jandon Business of the Arts Student Achievement Award, which is given to a student in the Arts Management B.A. program. Over the past years, the Jandon Lecture series has highlighted the world of noted leaders, scholars, authors, and public figures from New York City and around the globe.

About Arts Management at Purchase College

The Arts Management B.A. and the Arts and Cultural Management M.A. programs at Purchase College offer a strategic mix of classroom-based and experiential learning opportunities to prepare thoughtful, innovative, and dynamic professionals across the creative industries. Offering both undergraduate and graduate degrees, the programs are led by a faculty of scholars and field practitioners, emphasizing rigorous critical inquiry while developing the problem-solving and communication skills necessary to engage meaningfully as arts managers and entrepreneurs in an ever-changing environment.

About Purchase College, SUNY

A top 10 public school, according to U.S. News & World Report, Purchase College, part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system, was founded in 1967 by Governor Nelson Rockefeller. His aspiration for Purchase was to create a dynamic campus that combined conservatory training in the visual and performing arts with programs in the liberal arts and sciences, in order to inspire an appreciation for both intellectual and artistic talents in all students. Today, Purchase College, SUNY is a community of students, faculty, and friends where open-minded engagement with the creative process leads to a lifetime of intellectual growth and professional opportunity. For more information about the college, visitwww.purchase.edu.