Liberatory Leadership: Centering Care, Artistry, and Experimentation

An ethnographic study of BlackStar Projects in Philadelphia

This brief looks at how an organization’s leadership model prioritizes staff’s artistry and creative development while supporting well-being

May 2026

2 Min Read

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Table of Contents

Overview

Ideas In Practice

Publisher(s)
The Wallace Foundation

Page Count 2 pages

DOI Link
https://doi.org/10.59656/A-AO5833.001

Summary

How we did this

The researcher conducted focus groups and individual interviews with BlackStar Project staff members in 2023.

Established in 2011 as a Philadelphia-based film festival, the organization evolved in 2020 as BlackStar Projects, a media-arts organization. In addition to the annual film festival, BlackStar Projects now produces year-round programs, including filmmaking seminars, exhibitions, and more. Throughout this growth, researcher Davinia Gregory-Kameka, Ph.D, finds that BlackStar Projects leadership team has leaned into experimentation and creative strategic thinking. This approach has allowed artists and staff to help create collaborative ways of working, which in turn support creative thinking and community well-being.

The study points to opportunities for funders to consider supporting alternative leadership models, which can have positive outcomes related to staff, both in terms of human and organizational development..

This brief is based on a study by Davinia Gregory-Kameka, Ph.D., Teachers College, Columbia University.

BlackStar Projects leaders prioritize their staff’s artistry and see a benefit to the organization when staff bring creative thinking and their full selves to their work.