Ravinia 2024 Issue 6

AUTHOR & NARRATOR Karla Estela Rivera (she/her) is a writer, per- former, activist, and arts advocate who has lev- eraged her gift of storytelling to uplift and create opportunities for, with, and in underserved communities. For over a decade, Rivera has bal- anced her artistic practice and serving in com- munity-based organizations, beginning as a teaching artist and youth worker, to making na- tional history in systems-level leadership and policy. She now proudly serves as the founding executive director of the Arts Administrators of Color Network (AAC). Before her role at AAC, she had the honor of being the executive director of the historic Free Street Theater. She is currently a company mem- ber of 2nd Story and a co-host of the Creative Generation’s Why Change? Podcast. Rivera continues to perform in venues and Zoom rooms across the country, actively teach- es storytelling and consults on arts education, social justice, and advocacy initiatives. She is a native of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, and holds a BA from Columbia College Chicago, with graduate studies at New York University. Karla Estela Rivera CHOREOGRAPHER Amy Hall Garner is an internationally known choreographer based in New York City creating works in the ballet, modern, and theatrical genres. A native of Huntsville, AL, and a gradu- ate of The Juilliard School, she has been com- missioned by numerous schools and companies, including the Joffrey, Ailey II, Collage Dance Collective, The Juilliard School, The Ailey School, Barnard College, The University of the Arts, and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. She has also created works for Columbia Ballet Collaborative and personally coached Grammy winner Beyoncé, providing additional choreog- raphy for The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour. Her theatrical choreography credits include The Color Purple for the Milwaukee Repertory Theater, and she served as the associate chore- ographer for the Off-Broadway musical Invisible Thread , directed by Tony winner Diane Paulas. In 2018, she was selected to participate in Alvin Ailey’s New Directions Choreography Lab, sup- ported by the Ford Foundation. Garner was one of the first recipients of The Joffrey Ballet’s Cho- reography of Color Award (now titled Winning Works). As a leading educator, she has taught at both American Ballet Theatre and Joffrey Ballet School summer intensives, along with numer- ous residencies and master classes across the country. Currently, Garner is an adjunct pro- fessor at New York University’s New Studio on Broadway at Tisch School of Arts. Amy Hall Garner ILLUSTRATOR, SCENIC & COSTUME DESIGNER Elisa Chavarri is an award-winning illustrator who strives to create work that inspires happi- ness, promotes inclusiveness and curiosity, and helps people of all different backgrounds feel special. She has illustrated numerous books for children, including the Pura Belpré Award hon- ored book Sharuko, El Arqueologo Peruano/ Peruvian Archeologist Julio C. Tello and the bestselling Taylor Swift: A Little Golden Book Biography . Chavarri hails from Lima, Peru, and resides in Alpena, MI, with her husband and two young children. She graduated with honors from The Savannah College of Art and Design, where she majored in Classical Animation and minored in Comics. Elisa Chavarri RAVINIA.ORG  • RAVINIAMAGAZINE 83 JOELMAISONET(RIVERA);LUISALBERTORODRIGUEZ(GARNER);MATTHEWKONICEK(CHAVARRI)