WHO WE ARE
Trinity City Arts is made up of Louisianans of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities engaging in social change through listening to and telling stories about the past, present, and future of our communities. Headquartered in New Orleans, we commission artists in all media to create works that stimulate and support our objectives.
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OUR ORIGINS
We are an expansion and transformation of The Yvonne Bechet Theatre Project, created in 2014 to tell the story of Yvonne Bechet, one of New Orleans' first Black female police officers. An original play inspired by her norm-shattering life and career, BLACK AND BLUE, had its premiere at Dillard University in 2018.
In October 2020, the play was revived in an online reading produced by HowlRound Theatre Commons, alongside a panel entitled Black and Blue 2020: Art / Activism / Transformation. Inspired by the urgent necessity for change in all areas of society, we have chosen to focus on three: community safety, climate change, and disability justice
TEAM MEMBERS
Mathew Schwarzman,
Development & Operations Director
Mathew (Mat) Schwarzman is an adult educator, theater artist and non-profit administrator with more than 30 years' experience. He is co-author with cartoonist Keith Knight of the text book Beginner's Guide to Community-Based Arts, which is used in universities, K-12 schools and community organizations across the United States and beyond. Schwarzman holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Rutgers University and a Ph.Din Transformative Learning from the California Institute for Integral Studies, and he lives in New Orleans, LA. Mat, as a volunteer, dedicates his time, connections, and passion for the arts and New Orleans in his position as the Development & Operations Director at Trinity City Arts.
Michele Brierre,
Community Ambassador
Michele Brierre has spent a lifetime acquiring experience around passionate and purposeful people grounded in service to community and giving back. After a 27 year career in Public Health management and administration, she followed her passion for education, health, arts and culture and served as the founding Executive Director of the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music in the 9th ward New Orleans for 12 years. She earned a BA from Boston University in Sociology, and graduated from Meharry Medical College with a MSPH with a concentration in Community Health Science. Her love of New Orleans culture, which reminds her of her Haitian roots, has inspired her to become and stay active in various facets of community life and service.
Saida Joshua-Smith,
Administrative Production Assistant
Saida (Sigh-e-daw) is a multi-medium artist with a deep-rooted passion for sound and storytelling. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in music with a concentration in Experimental Music and Digital Media from LSU and a Professional Certificate in Sound Technology from Yale University (Drama Graduate Department). From an early age, Saida was surrounded by art, but it was music that truly resonated, becoming a lifelong journey of creation, exploration, and self-discovery. Central to her practice is a deep belief in the power of community. Currently, at Trinity City Arts, Saida serves as Co-Producer and Sound Designer for the development of the audio description for Trinity City Comics Issue #1, ensuring accessibility for individuals with visual impairments. She is passionate about connecting people through art—art by everyone, for everyone.
Isabelle Chirls,
Outreach Coordinator
Isabelle Chirls (they/them) is an arts administrator, theatre & intimacy director, and producer based in New York City. They graduated from Wesleyan University with a B.A. in Theatre and English, and were awarded High Honors and the Outreach & Community Service Prize in Theatre. Since 2023, Isabelle has supported Trinity City Arts in outreach to the New Orleans community and marketing to all audiences.
Lisa D'Amour,
Administrative Production Director
Lisa D’Amour is a playwright and interdisciplinary artist and one half of the OBIE-Award winning performance duo PearlDamour. PearlDamour is known for creating interdisciplinary, often site-specific works which range from the intimate to large scale. Lisa’s play Detroit was a finalist for the 2011 Pulitzer Prize in Drama and the 2011 Susan Smith Blackburn prize. She is a former board member of the Tennessee Williams / New Orleans Literary Festival, and splits her time between her home in Broadmoor and New York City. Lisa, as a volunteer, contributes her time, connections, and enthusiasm for the arts and New Orleans in her role as the Administrative Production Director at Trinity City Arts.
Terry Adams, DVM, PhD, DACVP
Community Ambassador
Dr. Terry Adams is a recently retired board-certified veterinary pathologist with over 40 years of professional experience in academia, global pharmaceutical corporations, and contract research organizations. He has lectured undergraduate and graduate courses, provided pathology expertise for drug development teams, and managed scientific competitive intelligence processes for product marketing operations. He has co-authored multiple scientific papers in peer reviewed publications and presented at international professional conferences.
Since relocating back to his hometown, Terry has volunteered with Split Second Foundation, Gleason Foundation, The United Houma Nation, Trinity City Arts, and others. He is also an active member of Black Men of Labor and Laissez Boys of New Orleans.
Analiese De Saw,
Creative Learning Facilitator
Analiese De Saw is currently a graduate candidate at the Tulane School of Architecture, and a former educator. Currently, Analiese is the founding club leader for the Trinity City Artivism Club at the Orleans Justice Center working to empower incarcerated youth to blend art and activism, and channel their experiences into powerful artistic expressions.
Carolina Guadalupe,
Creative Design Director
Carolina Guadalupe, a New Orleans native, is a designer-artist holding a professional Bachelor of Architecture degree and has over 25 years of experience infusing creativity and functionality into projects across multiple industries. Since June 2022, Carolina has been collaborating with Trinity City Arts. Currently, in the role of Project Administrator, Carolina is dedicated to presenting issues 1 and 2 to young readers and actively spearheading an Artivism Lunch Club at Morris Jeff High School in New Orleans.
hrilina♡,
Water Wonderful World Creator
hrilina♡ (she/her) is a well-rounded, dynamic individual who brings a total youth perspective to this project. hrilina♡ is a core member of the project team and has been part of the project since its beginning stages.
Je'Miyah Suggs,
Intern
Je’Miyah Suggs is one of the three youth co-writers for Trinity City Comics Issue #2. Currently a sophomore at Tulane University in New Orleans, she is majoring in Social Work and Real Estate. As an integral team member of Trinity City Arts, Je’Miyah co-facilitates artivist workshops for both youth and adults, while also engaging in community outreach. A proud native of New Orleans, Je’Miyah enjoys writing, meditation, cosmetics, and working with numbers.
FOUNDING MEMBERS
Ron Bechet,
Artist, Educator & Culture-Bearer
Ron Bechet is an art maker and the Victor H. Labat Professor of Art at Xavier University, where he has taught for more than twenty years. Known for intimate large-scale drawings and paintings, he earned an MFA at Yale University. His art is grounded in the cultural practices of the African diaspora and African American New Orleans. He is the son of Yvonne Olivier Bechet.
Susan Hutson,
Orleans Parish Sheriff
Susan Hutson became the first African American woman elected Sheriff in the State of Louisiana in December 2021, following successful stints in the offices of New Orleans Independent Police Monitor (2010-21), Los Angeles Police Commission’s Office of the Inspector General and Office of the Police Monitor in Austin, Texas. Prior to working in police oversight, Ms. Hutson was a general practitioner, defense counsel, prosecutor, and assistant city attorney handling labor matters.
Ariadne Blayde,
Playwright and Author
Ariadne Blayde is a playwright and fiction writer. Her play “The Other Room” won the VSA Playwright Discovery Award and has been produced 300+ times around the world. Her other work has been recognized by Lark Playwright’s Week, The Tennessee Williams Festival and more. An excerpt from her debut novel, ASH TUESDAY, was shortlisted for the 2020 Tennessee Williams Saints and Sinners Short Fiction Prize, and an excerpt from her current novel-in-progress won the 2020 Quantum Shorts Competition’s People’s Choice Award. She was commissioned to write Black and Blue, a play inspired by the life of Yvonne Bechet and commissioned by the Yvonne Bechet Theatre Project. She writes speculative fiction, historical fiction, and work focusing on social justice.
Yvonne Olivier Bechet,
NOPD Officer
"Chief" Yvonne Olivier Bechet was one of the first and most transformative African American female police officers in New Orleans history. From 1968 to 1990, she broke new ground as an educator, mediator, organizer, talent scout, mentor, labor rights activist, parent, religious leader and undercover drug enforcement agent, all while being a cop. She co-founded the Black and Blue Story Project at age 80. She passed away amongst children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren in 2020.
