Conversations on the Black Experience in New York State

Saturday, August 28th, 2021
1:00pm - 2:00pm
Hudson Hall, West Room
327 Warren Street
Organized by: John Campbell, Sharon Duane Koomler

About the Discussion

John Campbell (movie, television and theatrical producer) and Sharon Duane Koomler (Shaker and Independent Scholar) will share an important conversation on race in New York State, starting at the 17th century to the present day. John brings his experience as a Black man coming from the corporate world into the creative world, and Sharon brings more than 25 years of studying the Shaker experience in America, including Black Shakers. Together, they will discuss real experiences relating to the Black community in New York State, including an alternative experience of Blacks within the Shaker communities of New York and Kentucky. Open disalogue on their experiences, and an inclusive conversation with the audience will begin the first panel discussion for The Hudson Eye Hot Topics series.

Sharon Duane Koomler is a Shaker scholar, small farmer, and traditional letterpress printer living in upstate New York. She has academic degrees in American Folklore from Indiana University and Western Kentucky University. Sharon has worked at Shaker Museums from Kentucky to New Hampshire as an educator, curator, consultant, and director. She has written and published on Shaker material culture and spirituality, and lectured widely on Shaker art, life, and belief. Sharon has a particular interest in the under-researched social aspects of Shaker life and ways in which Shakers practiced inclusion and intentionality. 

John Campbell is the Founder of JCINTIME, LLC, a creative management & production company, where John manages movie, theatrical & television directors, and writers, including writer Rex Pickett, author of the two time Oscar Winning movie Sideways, John is also the lead producer of Sideways The Musical, premiering concerts in Sonoma, CA in 2021. John is lead producer on ArtMattan’s feature film ‘The Sleeping Negro’ directed by Skinner Myers international premiere at Champs Elysees Film Festival in Paris 2021. John Campbell is writer and executive producer of the HBO Max and multi award winning documentary ‘The Infamous Future’. John also manages award winning writer Letitia Guillory, and is producer on two of her upcoming projects, television series gATES and her feature film HOUND DOG signed to WarnerMedia’s 150. John is co-Executive Producer on the film ‘5150’ with Executive Producer David Oyelowo, directed by Denzel Whitaker, and stars Jovan Adepo. John is also producer on the recent features, ‘A Boy, A Girl, A Dream’, and ‘Destined’ directed by Qasim Basir. John was the producer of the 2018 March on Washington Film Festival in Washington.

Associations: Board member of Youth Inc. – Former voting member and three time award winner of the Grammys Academy – Former Chair of Ailey Ambassadors Committee – Three time Gold Award recipient of President Barack Obama Volunteers Award.