(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- Four Montclair State University students will be honored at CHAMPIONS FOR THE ARTS on Thursday, March 26, 2026 at 6:00pm. This is an evening presented by MSU's PEAK Performances featuring a special conversation with nationally recognized audience development expert Donna Walker-Kuhne. The event takes place in Presentation Hall on the Montclair State University campus as part of Women's History Month.
New Jersey arts organizations and patrons are invited to join a thought-provoking discussion of Walker-Kuhne's new book, Champions for the Arts: Successful Strategies for Engaging Dynamic Communities, moderated by Tom Hall, artistic director and co-head of Montclair Film.
Admission is free but requires registration online or by calling the box office at (973) 655-5112. Presentation Hall is located at MSU's Morehead Hall, 1 Normal Avenue in Montclair, New Jersey. One can find convenient parking by entering the campus at 1 Normal Avenue and proceeding directly to the Red Hawk Parking Deck.
CHAMPIONS FOR THE ARTS is cosponsored by a coalition of Montclair arts and civic organizations including Friends of Howe House, Montclair African-American Heritage Foundation, Montclair Early Music, Montclair Film, Montclair Public Library, Montclair State College of the Arts, Out Montclair, Sharron Miller's Academy for the Performing Arts, Studio Montclair and Vanguard Theater Company.
As third spaces — places outside of work and home where people gather and connect — continue to disappear and more people turn to increasingly isolating online experiences, the arts play a vital role in bringing people together. CHAMPIONS FOR THE ARTS will share Walker's proven approaches for building an inclusive army of enthusiastic arts supporters at a critical moment for arts organizations of all kinds.
Walker-Kuhne selected Montclair State University students Audrey Lassanske, Elijah Maldonado, Ben Renfrow and Joi Suttle as Champion Scholars based on faculty recommendations recognizing their support of the arts on campus, including expanding access.
"The arts create space for people to come together, see one another and build lasting connections," said Walker-Kuhne. "At a time when so much of life feels fragmented, arts organizations have an opportunity — and a responsibility — to cultivate belonging. I'm honored to join PEAK Performances to share strategies that help organizations deepen community engagement and inspire audiences to return with others."
"Donna has spent her career showing arts organizations how to connect with communities in authentic and lasting ways," said Wiley Hausam, director of Arts + Cultural Programming at Montclair State University, who heads PEAK Performances. "I know the strength of her work firsthand from our time together at The Public Theater in New York City. This event is an opportunity for arts leaders, students and supporters to think together about how the performing arts can continue to serve as a vital gathering place and a catalyst for community.
The president of Walker International Communications Group, Inc., a boutique marketing and audience development consulting agency that has operated for more than four decades, Walker-Kuhne is currently senior advisor, social impact at New Jersey Performing Arts Center. She previously served as vice president of marketing and vice president of community engagement at NJPAC as well as director of marketing for both The Public Theater and Dance Theater of Harlem. Walker-Kuhne's clients, past or present, include New York City Opera, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Whitney Museum of Art, HARLEM WEEK, Harlem Stage and The Black Orchestral Network and 22 Broadway shows. A sought-after speaker by top performing arts organizations, Walker-Kuhne has traveled to five continents, 11 countries and 49 states sharing her expertise, skills and experiences. She is an adjunct professor at Columbia University and New York University.
Donna Walker-Kuhne is an award-winning thought leader, lawyer, scholar, educator, writer and strategist for community engagement, audience development and social justice. Acknowledged as the nation's foremost expert on audience development by the Arts & Business Council, she has worked with NJPAC, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The Public Theater, WNYC Radio, The Apollo Theater and more, and consulted on over 22 Broadway productions. Founder and president of Walker International Communications Group, Inc., she has raised over $23 million in earned income promoting the arts to diverse communities. Walker is the author of Invitation to the Party, Building Bridges to Arts, Culture and Community and Champions for the Arts: Successful Strategies for Engaging Dynamic Communities.
PEAK Performances develops, presents and produces a broad range of world-class dance, film, master classes, music, opera and music theater, talks and theater in the Alexander Kasser Theater on the campus of Montclair State University for students, faculty, staff and the public. PEAK Performances is a program of the university's Arts + Cultural Programming Department.
