Simone Monique Barnes, EdM, has been working with, for, in, and through the arts and honoring culture for more than 18 years.

Drawing on a diverse background and heritage, she maintains a strong commitment to cultural, literary, visual and performing arts access, preservation, and diversity.

As a museum professional, she has experience working with cultural protocols and building relationships with descendant communities and stakeholders. She takes a community participatory and nation-building centered curatorial approach. She has served as an assistant curator and Harvard Administrative Fellow at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University.

As an educator, Simone has worked with adult, graduate, undergraduate, K-12 and early childhood age groups, and has taught courses or workshops on the arts, African American and Native American issues, marketing and public relations.

As an artist, Simone has worked on stage, on camera, and on page (and has published work with Oxford University Press).

As a publicist and entrepreneur, Simone ran her own public relations consulting firm in New York City. She has worked with clients reflecting arts, publishing, lifestyle, and nonprofit sectors, such as HarperCollins Publishers, Aaron Davis Hall, the Thymes Ltd., and the Faith Quilts Project.

She has earned a BA (cum laude) in English Literature and Criticism, from University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, an EdM in Arts in Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and is a proud vocal music graduate of Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts also known as the “Fame” school in New York City, and received conservatory training at the Hartt School of Music under Trish McCaffrey and Deanne Meeks.

She serves/has served as:

• the board chair of the Rhode Island Black Storytellers (RIBS),
• a committee member of and judge for the Harvard Medical School’s Reflection in Action program
• a judge for the John F Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest,
• a planning committee member for the Building Community conference, part of the Continuing the Conversation series of the Arts in Education program at HGSE,
• an alumni ambassador for the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and
• Children’s Ministry Director for Bethel AME Church, Boston.

Article Mentions

• Student Curators  Highlight American Indian Cultural ‘Remix’ (Harvard Gazette)
• Digging Up Aquinnah History (The Martha’s Vineyard Times)
• As prez race heats up, Dialogues are crucial (The Bay State Banner)
• To join or not to join? Trade groups can boost business— if you pick the right one – Management Advice (Black Enterprise)
• One City Reading One Book? Not if the City is New York (New York Times)

Fellowships

• AAM Diversity Fellowship, 2009
• Harvard Administrative Fellow, 2007-2008
• Annie Ryder Fellow, 2006-2007

Artist Residencies

• Silver Lake Camp and Conference Center, Connecticut 2010
• Renaissance House, Helene Johnson and Dorothy West Foundation, 2007