Michigan Arts and Culture Council Rising Leaders Program

Michigan’s arts and culture scene can be found in all corners of the state, adding vibrancy to communities while providing an excellent quality of life and thriving economy. The Michigan Arts and Culture Council (MACC) is the state’s conduit for arts and cultural information, grant funding and more.

Rising Leaders, which assists young arts professionals in developing strong leadership skills, is one of MACC’s programs that has been making an impact on the next generation of Michiganders since 2018. Program participants from across the state of Michigan strengthen their leadership skills and develop relationships with a cohort of peers dedicated to advancing the arts and culture field.

Alongside the traditional arts disciplines, MACC has a broad definition of arts and culture that includes libraries, science centers, zoos and history museums.

Over a six-month period, participants engage in a series of activities that include three intensives focusing on self-awareness and self-management, mutual influence and gaining tools to create communities and a state where everyone can experience and express creativity in their daily lives. 

In the program’s first five cohorts, Rising Leaders has fostered collaboration and professional growth for over 72 individuals working in museums, theaters, cultural organizations, community centers and creative businesses throughout Michigan.

Now entering its sixth cohort, running October 2025-April 2026, Rising Leaders will be preparing 16 early to mid-career professionals to shape the future of arts and culture across Michigan.

Meet MACC Rising Leaders

Two of those alumnae are Amy Spadafore and Nafeesah Symonette, who each participated in early cohorts of the Rising Leaders program and have continued their commitment as MACC council members.

Spadafore currently serves as managing director for the Pit & Balcony Community Theatre in Saginaw, and she says her experience with the Rising Leaders program has made an enduring impact on her career.

“I always tell my colleagues and anyone who will listen that the Rising Leaders program is the best thing I've done for my career,” said Spadafore. “Even now, seven years later, I use the skills and lessons I learned during my time with the cohort. My first big takeaway was the importance of balance and boundaries; that to be a strong leader you have to do what you can to remain physically and mentally strong as well. Another important lesson I learned is that leadership isn't telling people what to do, it's empowering people to become leaders themselves.”

Spadafore says some of her strongest career connections were made in the Rising Leaders program.

“The Rising Leaders program is an investment in yourself and your community,” Spadafore says. “Continuing education opportunities are offered, often free-of-charge, to alumni so you're able to keep your skills sharp. The network of cultural leaders across the state is a huge asset to anyone in the field.”

Symonette, co-founder and executive director of DEYA-Detroit Excellent in Youth Arts, a collective impact initiative and former adjunct professor and university supervisor at Oakland University, first learned about the program in 2019 while working as the art school manager for Paint Creek Center in Rochester, Michigan. She says she also found value in the networking opportunities available from the Rising Leaders program.

“What I love most about being a Rising Leaders alum is the growing network of colleagues in the arts and culture sector around the state of Michigan,” Symonette said. “Through this program the MACC is being intentional about fostering connectivity in the field. This is so important to sustaining growth and engagement. Now as an appointed MACC councilmember, I am an ambassador of the work of this office. The MACC supports the work of artists, creatives and communities across the entire state to contribute to the wellbeing of all Michiganders. What could be more important than breathing life and nurturing joy in the people of this great state through the arts.”

The Rising Leaders program also helped Symonette reflect on what she honors and values as an individual, while identifying the expectations she has for herself in the arts and culture ecosystem.

With the arts and culture sector found in all 83 of Michigan’s counties, MACC’s work continues to be an important asset for storytelling in the state. “It celebrates the unique aspects of Michigan and champions the underdog,” Spadafore says.

Learn more about the Michigan Arts and Culture Council and its Rising Leaders program.