MOMENTUM 2026 Speaker Series to Launch Across Universities and TCG Conference
Douglas Clayton and Calida N. Jones lead human-centered leadership convenings at the University of Oklahoma.
Creative Evolutions has officially launched MOMENTUM 2026, a national convening series designed to reimagine board governance, leadership structures, and collaborative models for the arts and nonprofit sectors. The initiative kicked off at the 2026 Theatre Communications Group National Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico, before expanding into a series of regional gatherings across the United States and the Bahamas.
Created by Creative Evolutions Co-Founders and Managing Collaborators Douglas Clayton and Calida N. Jones, MOMENTUM 2026 was developed in response to conversations with artists, academics, and nonprofit leaders seeking more sustained opportunities to examine leadership and organizational change beyond the traditional conference format.
Rather than limiting discussions to individual conference sessions, the initiative connects participants across multiple convenings, allowing each gathering to build upon ideas and conversations from previous events. Each convening features national speakers responding to a shared prompt exploring the cultural ecosystem through the metaphor of a lighthouse, encouraging participants to examine the roles of artists, leaders, communities, and institutions in sustaining creative futures.
Jones opened the series during the Theatre Communications Group Conference on June 13 with a keynote asking, "What if artists are only one part of a much larger constellation of people responsible for possibility?"
The first full MOMENTUM convening followed June 26–27 at the University of Oklahoma School of Drama in Norman, where Dr. Lee Bynum expanded on the initiative's central themes while responding to dialogue generated during the opening gathering.
Future convenings will take place at the University of the Bahamas, Cornish College of the Arts at Seattle University, and the Minneapolis College of Art and Design before concluding with a virtual dialogue on September 8. Throughout the series, Creative Evolutions will publish speaker reflections and additional resources through its website and Sourcebook.
MOMENTUM 2026 Schedule
University of Oklahoma
June 26–27, 2026
The inaugural regional convening brought together artists, educators, and nonprofit leaders for discussions on governance, leadership, and collaborative organizational models. Featured speaker: Dr. Lee Bynum.
University of the Bahamas
July 14–15, 2026
The series continues with programming featuring Dr. Heather Sauyag Jean Kwamboka Gordon, building on themes established during the opening convenings.
Cornish College of the Arts at Seattle University
July 24–25, 2026
Seattle's gathering will feature Lauren Ruffin as the national speaker, continuing the evolving conversation on leadership and organizational transformation.
Minneapolis College of Art and Design
August 5–6, 2026
The Minneapolis convening welcomes Lanxing Fu for the fourth installment of the series.
Virtual Culminating Webinar
September 8, 2026
The five-convening initiative concludes with a virtual dialogue bringing together participants and ideas developed throughout MOMENTUM 2026.
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