A Letter from Artistic Director Charlie Sandlan

Opportunity was always something that I took for granted. To be male and white have been my two most valuable cultural assets, but it took me more than four decades to understand what that really meant. I grew up in Cincinnati, OH, not a bastion of diversity or progressive sensibilities. My neighborhood was white, my schools were white, my church was white, and my friends were white. That said, since moving to NYC in 1993, I have been fortunate over the last thirty years to be immersed in the greatest and most diverse city in the world, and challenged often by close friends and professional colleagues to recognize my own racism and white privilege. I have been committed to being more aware of our county’s systemically racist policies, and the multitude of personal benefits that have resulted from them.

As the owner and Artistic Director of the Maggie Flanigan Studio, I have a responsibility to do more than provide my students with diverse reading lists, post BIPOC centric social media content, or record pandering videos to show off how woke I am.

Below you will find a submission form to apply for two available $625 Summer Session Scholarships, and two $3,000 First Year Scholarships for the BIPOC community.

If you are interested in being considered, please apply.

Sincerely,
Charlie Sandlan