As my artistic practice has grown and I’ve taken on more ambitious projects, I’ve been grateful to have wise counsel from my community, and generous backers who support my work.
Advisory Board
Ariel Ben-Amos
Ariel has nearly two decades worth of experience in community development, transportation planning, and program development. Working for the City of Philadelphia he has launched pedestrianization programs, coordinated green infrastructure investments in streetscape projects, and supported upwards of $20 million worth of investment in local transportation networks. Ariel teaches in the University of Pennsylvania’s Urban Studies Program, and has served on the boards of non-profits across the city, from Bartram’s Garden to Young Involved Philadelphia.
Hannah Sassaman
Hannah is a nationally recognized organizer for media justice. Hannah came to MMP as a volunteer, working on grassroots fundraising, and now serves as the Policy Director of the organization. As the Campaign Director at the Prometheus Radio Project, Hannah helped lead the grassroots organizing and legislative strategy that resulted in the passage of the Local Community Radio Act – a bill that opened up the FM dial to thousands more community radio stations nationwide. Hannah leads the CAP Comcast campaign – focused on holding Comcast accountable to poor and working people in Philadelphia and beyond. Hannah is a member of the Board of Directors of Allied Media Projects and at Fight for the Future; she is a trustee at the Valentine Foundation, the mom of incredible children Sara Bela Sassaman Marcus and Abigail Rose Sassaman Marcus, and the partner of brilliant community programmer Josh Marcus.
Valerie Gay
[Bio coming soon]
Julie Goodman
Julie Goodman joined the arts administration faculty at Drexel in 2011, and served as the graduate program’s director from 2012-2017. She was previously Executive Vice President for the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, where for twelve years she led advocacy, field research, community engagement, and grant-making efforts. She loves working with arts organizations and artists (like JJ!). Julie is a board member of the Association of Arts Administration Educators (AAAE), Citizens for the Arts in Pennsylvania, Tribe of Fools, and the Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation. She currently serves as Chair of the Mayor’s Cultural Advisory Council for the Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy. Julie holds a BA in Public Policy from Duke University and an MFA in Dance from Temple University.
Andy Greenhow
[Bio coming soon]
Miriam DeChant
[Bio coming soon]
Kati Sipp
Kati is also the editor of the blog Hack the Union, which focuses on the intersections of work, organizing and technology. Prior to her work with NGA, she founded the Pennsylvania affiliate of Working Families, and spent nine years working for SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, serving as the statewide Political Director and Executive Vice President of the local. Kati began working with SEIU in California in 1997, where she was an internal organizer, working with classified school employees. She left California in 1999 to move back to the East Coast, and began work for the Philadelphia Unemployment Project, where she organized mothers who were affected by changes in the state’s welfare policy. After leaving PUP, she spent time as the director of the Jobs with Justice affiliate in Philadelphia, before going back to SEIU. Kati is the proud mother of Alina and Isaac. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University.
Anna Drozdowski
Anna gets things done, creatively, in the intersection of art and societies. She cares deeply about structure and process; seeking collaborators who are asking throbbing cultural questions to work with rather than clients to work for. Anna is tickled to be in this outstanding community of JJ’s advisors, all of whom refuse to boss him about (but are chock-full of opinions). Ask her about Abigail, a hinterland homestead. If you’d like to dream something non-traditional into being you can find her at www.AnnaDrozdowski.com
Ann & Alex Peltz
[Bio coming soon]
Melissa Miller
[Bio coming soon]
Backers, Participants & Helpers
Many amazing people have contributed to my work in a wide variety of ways.
Some have made contributions to crowdfunding campaigns or made onetime donations. Some have been photographed for my projects. Some have volunteered time to make those projects happen. Some have believed enough in my work to invest monthly in it. I’m grateful for all of them, and for you.
Below is a list of the generous folks who’ve made contributions to support my work recently.
This list is far from complete, as some folks have made cash or in-kind contributions that I haven’t been able to track easily. If you know of a name that is missing here, please get in touch.