Rasu Jilani, Executive Director of Brooklyn Arts Council. Photo by Stephanie Mei-Ling.
The board of directors of Brooklyn Arts Council is pleased to announce Rasu Jilani as the organization’s new Executive Director. Rasu will enhance the Council’s influence as a cornerstone arts organization in Brooklyn by expanding its network of artists, arts organizations, and programs. He will lead efforts to support and empower local artists toward achieving the Council's vision of generating a self-sustaining and integral creative community that fosters connectedness and engagement in society.
A native New Yorker of Caribbean heritage, Rasu brings more than 15 years of experience advocating for the Brooklyn cultural and creative community to the organization. Most recently, Rasu applied his dynamic cross-cultural curatorial skills as the Cultural Network Curator at Lambent Foundation, where he translated Lambent’s core values and organizational practice to foster collaboration and exchange among grant partners in New York City, New Orleans, and Nairobi, Kenya. Prior to Lambent, he served as Director of Recruitment and Community Engagement for the New Museum’s art and tech incubator, NEW INC, where he built a professional network of artists, designers, technologists, and entrepreneurs into a cohesive workspace that reflects New York’s diverse and multi-faceted artists. Rasu is also a reputable facilitator in the cultural sector, the founder of Coup d’état BROOKLYN and Coup d’état Arts, and was a producer for Afropunk.
Rasu shared, “In this leadership role, I am eager to catalyze, nurture, and spotlight Brooklyn’s already thriving creative ecosystem. Local artists have made Brooklyn a global cultural epicenter, but they still lack adequate support and recognition for their work in the borough. Artists are the driving force behind our authentic and connected community, and we must prioritize their livelihoods and creative practice, rather than exploiting their culture for our benefit. Therefore, it is imperative that Brooklyn Arts Council remains aware of the ever-changing cultural landscape and actively contributes to its development by finding innovative ways to support and facilitate the circulation of culture.”
Board Chair Toni Yuille Williams expressed, “We are thrilled to have Rasu as our new leader. His experience, commitment, and passion for Brooklyn’s creative economy will help to build and support this burgeoning sector. We look forward to his fresh perspective and novel ideas that will transform Brooklyn Arts Council into a model 21st century council serving the many artists and creatives that live in this great borough.”
“The Department of Cultural Affairs has worked with Brooklyn Arts Council for decades to serve and support the amazing artists and cultural community that call this dynamic borough home. I congratulate Rasu Jilani on assuming this exciting new role and I look forward to working with him as we continue to uplift Brooklyn’s diverse, vibrant cultural life,” said Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo.
Esteemed Brooklyn-based artist Nathaniel Mary Quinn commented, “The living exemplar of cultivating collaboration and engagement in Brooklyn’s cultural and creative community; the possessor of dynamic cross-cultural and curatorial skills, sharpened to near flawlessness; a seasoned facilitator of a diversity of multi-talented artists; a nurturer prioritizing and searching for innovative ways to acknowledge and support the livelihoods and creative practices of those at the helm of Brooklyn’s evolving landscape: this is Rasu Jilani. He is an empathetic leader; a tender warrior whose magnetic wholesomeness is virtually impossible to match or rival.”
Executive Director of The Laundromat Project, Ayesha Williams, opined, “Rasu embodies the qualities we should all seek in our cultural leaders: radical vision, care for community, courage to pursue the uncomfortable, and drive to reimagine our world. I have learned so much from Rasu over the years as a peer, colleague, and friend, and I look forward to collaboratively advancing our shared commitment to ensuring that support and resources for artists who dedicate their practice to community are limitless.”