Connecting the arts, fostering collaboration and building community.
Calendar courtesy of The Dirt.
There are several other great resources for finding arts and culture events, exhibits, performances, and other creative activities in the Davis area:
Davis Enterprise | UC Davis Arts & Entertainment | YoloArts | Visit Yolo
Speaking from her unique point of view as the first Black woman principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, Copeland will share how strong women mentors helped her achieve her dreams, and how she strives to do the same for young people today. A trailblazer in the world of dance, Copeland is known for her iconic classical ballet roles including Odette/Odile in “Swan Lake”; Juliet in “Romeo and Juliet”; and Firebird, to name a few.
She is the New York Times bestselling author of several books, including The Wind at My Back, Life in Motion, Ballerina Body and Black Ballerinas, and the picture books Bunheads and Firebird. Her production company, Life in Motion Productions, focuses on representative stories of artists—past, present and future—and normalizing the arts experience for everyone.
Copeland is also an avid philanthropist. In 2022, she launched The Misty Copeland Foundation with BE BOLD, a program to bring greater diversity, equity and inclusion to dance, especially ballet. She is an ambassador to and alum of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and an ambassador to MindLeaps, a Rwanda-based arts program that helps young people get off the streets and into an academic setting.
Copeland has been named one of the Time 100, and received both a Glamour Women of the Year Award and a Black Girls Rock! Award. In 2021, Copeland received the Spingarn Medal, the NAACP’s highest honor, and in 2023 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from New York University.
This program is part of the Wisdom of Women (WoW) event series presented by Women & Philanthropy at UC Davis, which unites women as leaders dedicated to using our collective talents and resources for the good of all. Women & Philanthropy empowers women by convening communities and amplifying stories of achievement and impact. We have a dynamic vision for the world we want to build, and the determination to do so.