Cherrie Woods’ dedication to and passion for promoting the visual arts/visual artists and arts and culture organizations led her down her current career path. With her public relations prowess, Woods aims to remove some of the struggle from the life of the artist to help them make way for greater creative achievement; and to bring arts and culture organizations closer to their communities. Woods consults in communications and has worked for national and international clients. Canadian organizations have included Stratford Theatre (Ontario, Canada) and Toronto Public Health. In Detroit, she represented Poor Man’s Art Collective, TV personality/author Ed Foxworth III, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and Culture and PuppetART Detroit Puppet Theater. In Baltimore, Woods represents illustrator/carver Espi Frazier and until recently served as the Director of Marketing and Public Relations at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum where she created their first communications department.
Woods helps clients increase the quality and results of their marketing programs by establishing a stronger presence in the media, through strategic marketing strategies and on social networking sites. With customized campaigns, Woods helps clients become more relevant through portfolio development, event coordination and consistent outreach efforts. Woods has more than 12 years of communications experience, but didn’t start out on this path. Woods originally worked in the fields of human resources and social services. But an opportunity to return to school for communications coursework arose, and Woods entered the arts and culture world in 1999.
“I’m on a journey,” Woods says. “Working in the arts feels like the right fit for me. I find that arts and culture, especially visual art and spoken word, has a way of pulling me in and getting me very excited. The fact that a visual artist can communicate so much without ever having to say a word is fascinating to me. My second love, words, has led me down the path to spoken word. I am still refining it and am beginning to build a small following in Baltimore.” Check out her talents at www.cherrieamour.com.
My Greatest Accomplishment To Date Has Been:
Being one of the founding members of the Detroit Institute of Arts Community Outreach Committee (the committee built relationships with populations with low attendance to the museum). These populations included African Americans, Latinos and Arab Americans (the Detroit area has the largest Arab population outside the Middle East). “I believe it is important for arts institutions to have connections with all communities,” says Woods
The Most Challenging Thing I Ever Experienced Was:
Being able to adapt to life in the U.S. as a foreign-born black woman. My roots are in Trinidad, and I was brought up and educated in Canada….My first experience with the U.S. was in Detroit. It was overwhelming and challenging. I did not fit in and was unaccustomed to overt racism, but I made myself stick it out and was able to attain a very good reputation in my field, which helped me get my job in Baltimore.
Most Valuable Lesson:
That being unique and different can be really hard for people to understand and that it is very important to get comfortable with and like yourself because there is always someone who will challenge you for who you are. Be sure to stand for something.
Final Remarks:
I feel so blessed to have found something that I am passionate about that can also be my profession. I help individuals become profitable through their natural talents. I also assist arts and culture organizations connect with the communities they serve. This is my second profession and I did find it later in life, so I want everyone to know it’s never too late to find your passion. “I am seeking consulting opportunities in which to use my promotion and public relations skills.”
To hire Cherrie for consulting work, go to www.eclecticpr.com
BOND Inc Spotlight features ordinary African American women from all over who are doing extra-ordinary things. If you or anyone you know would like to be featured, send your requests for more information to iambondinc@gmail.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment