Marjuan Canady
MA Arts Politics Class of 2010
BA Theater Performance and Africana Studies, Fordham University
Marjuan Canady is an award winning author, director, producer, actress, educator entrepreneur and creative consultant. A native of Washington, DC with Trinidadian roots, Marjuan is the founder of her production company Sepia Works, LLC. She is the CEO / Author and Co-Creator of "Callaloo", a children’s media brand that promotes cultural education for kids. She has held fellowships at The Schomburg Center for Black Culture and Research and The Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute. With over ten years of arts education, performance, directing and creative consulting experience, Ms. Canady is dedicated to using the arts to facilitate positive change in community and within youth. She is the founder and president of her 501c3 non-profit, Canady Foundation for the Arts, which serves young people of color in arts education and mentorship. Marjuan Canady is a graduate of Duke Ellington School of the Arts and holds a B.A. in Theater / African Studies from Fordham University and an M.A. in Arts Politics from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
What drew you to the MA Arts Politics program?
I wanted a program that combined all of my interests: theater, community activism, African Diaspora studies, Women's studies and arts education. When i found this program, I knew it was perfect for me.
How do you describe or identify your practice/ work?
My creative work is connected to my community, to my outlook and experiences as a first generation Caribbean-American women. I create work that is of high artistic integrity that reflects the reality of the world that I see as a woman of color.
How did your experience in the program shape your work?
The program shaped my current work because it gave me time and space to think critically and deepen the pedagogy in my original work.
What are you doing now?
I am a director, writer, producer and performer in film and theater. I own my production company, Sepia Works and cultural arts non-profit, Canady Foundation for the Arts. I teach theater and film at organizations around the Washington DC area.