Staff
John Weeden, Executive Director
jweeden@urbanartcommission.org
John Weeden received his BA in Art History from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1997. He completed an MA in Contemporary Art at the Sotheby's Institute of Art, London, after which he finished another MA degree with the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College in New York state. He has worked in London, Paris, New York, Scotland and Memphis in the field of contemporary visual art, including Delta Axis and the Memphis Brooks Museum. He has also organized numerous freelance exhibitions locally and internationally. Among the museum catalogues to which he has contributed writing or production assistance are 'Les annees pop,' Centre Pompidou, Paris, 2001, and 'Highlights of the Brooks Museum,' Memphis, 2004. In 2004 he founded Lantana Projects, an international artists’ residency program in Memphis, TN. Most recently, Weeden worked towards the cultivation of future leaders in the arts as Assistant Director of the Rhodes College Center for Outreach in the Development of the Arts (CODA). As Executive Director of the UrbanArt Commission, Weeden currently works to further the organization's mission to create a dynamic, vibrant and nuturing community through art and design.
Rodney Coleman, Project Coordinator
rcoleman@urbanartcommission.org
A Midtown Memphis native and graduate of Central High School, Rodney works with UrbanArt as a freelance project coordinator, bringing several years of project management experience to the role. Rodney began his non-profit career during his studies at the University of Memphis. As a student of Professor David Acey, he was a key contributor during the early stages of the Africa in April Festival, and established processes and procedures, which lent to the great success it has become today. He was one of the founders, and former president, of the Hollywood-Chelsea Business Development Corporation, and has worked with other non-profit organizations such as MIFA, the Salvation Army, Memphis Junior Health Careers and Opportunities, and the American Red Cross. Rodney loves the rich and diverse heritage of our community, and strives to make Memphis an amazing place with public art and design.