Meet Shavanna Calder: she/her) actor, anti-racist educator, writer, creative director, stylist, human

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shavanna Calder and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shavanna, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I grew up as a theatre kid, but there wasn’t much diversity on it behind stage when I started. I was tired of reading Playbill and never seeing People of the Global majority reflected. I was tired of having to fight for basic equity and empathy. So I started Arts in Color in 2012 as an online resource to fill those gaps. We had a solid run reviewing shows, creating a space to honor BIPOC creatives in the past and the current via interviews and features. We also celebrated the future by highlighting BIPOC students during their showcase year. We started doing anti racism work back then but the terminology wasn’t widely used. This is one of our main areas now.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think with most things I do or invest time in, I’m intentional. I don’t necessarily like to box myself in, but I like to maintain the same ethos or values no matter what I am working on, whether that’s my career as an actor, facilitating Antiracism work, serving as Creative Director for Mujer! etc.

What I’m most proud of honestly isn’t business related. I’m proud of my friendships, family, the empathy and curiosity with which I approach the world. My imperfect journey and ability to stand up for myself.

I think I’ve ‘gotten to where I am’ by the people who’ve supported me as mentioned before, faith and the privilege of my time at Wellesley and NYU. I am constantly amazed at the generosity of the people in my life.

Was it easy? No. Wellesley was incredibly difficult. I got shingles and sprained my ankle senior year. I balanced a full course load whilst performing in Boston and completing a sociology internship. I had always wanted to go to NYU Tisch but when it came down to deciding b/w the two I chose Wellesley. I spent my first year wondering why I did but in retrospect it was worth it. NYU was incredibly difficult because trying to discover your artistry within the confines of a program that is not made with POC in mind, is incredibly damaging.

After this I had hip surgery and learned how to walk again. I continue to learn gratitude, empathy, patience, the importance of rest, fighting for what you believe in and maintains your morals and values. We have more power than we believe and knowledge in community. I continue to figure so many things out and remain in process. Especially through this pandemic.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Governors Island, Literally anywhere in Bedstuy, Rubirosa, The Public Theatre, Morgensterns, Kati Roll, Lincoln Center, MTC, Sample Sales, Angelika, Trader Joe’s! Haha and so much more, but the little neighborhood secrets I’m keeping to myself 😉

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My parents and family. I’d be nowhere without them and their sacrifices as well as their efforts to introduce me to faith. I’d also say the wonderful friendships I’ve been able to have. The first iteration of our website couldn’t have been completed without my friend Jessica Alonso. We had a great team of writers and social media gurus at our peak (Kimille Howard, Marcus Scott, Elijah Caldwell, Selena Burns, Aaron Komo and more).

These days when it comes to this work I’ve been strongly supported by Jonathan Schmidt Chapman at TYA/USA, Rudy Ramírez and Jenna Pastuszek at Innovative Voice Studio.

Website: www.shavannacalder.com

Instagram: Shaviexo

Other: https://www.mujerrev.com/

Image Credits
Matthew Dunivan Photography (for the headshot)