What We’re Up to This Summer!

From making and presenting work to participating in professional development, NYFA Staff and Interns are keeping busy during the summer months.

NYFA is staffed by artists and arts administrators who serve, educate, and uplift artists and cultural workers of all disciplines. As we plan for the fall, we are highlighting some of the ways in which staff and interns are expanding their work and practices this spring and summer. Learn more about them and what they’ve been up to here:

Audrey Thao Berger, Arts Administrator and Choreographer 

Audrey Thao Berger is a New York City-based arts administrator and choreographer whose work centers on themes of interdependence. At NYFA, she serves as a Program Officer on the NYFA Grants team.

Berger recently completed a yearlong residency at University Settlement, culminating in the premiere of her first evening-length dance work, Murmurations II. 

Inspired by the enchanting flight patterns of starlings, formed without central authority or fixed direction, the piece explores how mutual reliance enables survival in ever-shifting environments. 

“In nature,” says Berger, “the small moments are just as important as the colossal. Birds are able to migrate unimaginable distances, not because of grand movements, but because of the shared leadership and subtle, micro-adjustments they make in response to the birds in their immediate field of vision. These small, interconnected moments of responsiveness are central to Murmurations II and are a greater metaphor for the importance of localized relationship building and community organizing in order to make big changes.”

As an Artist-in-Residence, Berger also collaborated with University Settlement’s early childhood department, leading creative movement workshops for children ages 3-5.

With a deep belief in the transformative power of the arts, Berger is dedicated to fostering its growth and accessibility. She brings extensive experience to NYFA from her administrative roles at Sleep No More and the Brooklyn Arts Exchange, where she supported innovative programming and multidisciplinary artists. She holds a BA degree in Dance from the London Contemporary Dance School.

Talia Czuchlewski, Princeton Internships in Civic Service (PICS) Intern and Opera Singer

Besides getting to work with NYFA staff this summer, Czuchlewski is using her time in the city to take full advantage of the art and culture on offer. 

Says Czuchlewski: “Being an opera singer, the first thing I made sure to see was an opera at the Met before their season ended: Antony and Cleopatra by John Adams. This was the first contemporary opera I’d heard, but it’s not the last one I’ll see this summer.”

Once she finishes her time with NYFA, she will head to Salzburg on a Princeton-funded trip to see their annual summer opera festival and explore the intersections of culture with diplomacy.

Czuchlewski is a senior at Princeton University pursuing degrees in Comparative Literature, opera performance, and Humanistic Studies. She has previously interned at All Faiths Children’s Advocacy Center and works at Richardson Auditorium as a house manager while at school.

Alicia Ehni, Arts Administrator and Multidisciplinary Artist

Alicia Ehni is a Peruvian multidisciplinary artist based in New York, NY, and a Program Officer in NYFA Fiscal Sponsorship.

She is currently working on a public sculpture to be presented at the Hudson River Park in New York, NY, in September 2026, as part of The Art Students League “Works in Public” program. Stay tuned for more details! 

She also started a new series of paintings inspired by her walks in NYC and its architecture. 

She says: “In these paintings, the sandstorms of the desert of Paracas in Peru come to New York. The color pink derives from the cochineal insect dye in textiles and the flamingos from that area that inspired the first Peruvian flag.”

Ehni’s work addresses themes of migration, displacement and shifting landscapes. Her art practice draws on personal and collective experiences of living in the Peruvian desert of Paracas. Ehni explores sculptural forms through combining distinct and often mutually exclusive cultural references, like superstition, Pre-Columbian iconography, and architecture. She studied at Universidad Catolica Peru, received a BFA degree from Pratt Institute and an MFA degree from Hunter College. 

Chelsea Goding-Doty; Arts Administrator, Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC, ACC); and Nonprofit Lifecycles Consultant

Chelsea Goding-Doty is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach who recently completed the Co-Active Leadership program, a 10-month leadership training in Sonoma, CA. 

Says Goding-Doty: “The program was transformational and made me a bolder leader and coach. To me, the Co-Active approach to leadership is all about creativity, meaning leaders must connect to the drive and resourcefulness to create from whatever is in front of us, while navigating the relationship to mission, whether that’s personal or professional. To be able to practice that style of leadership, which is completely human-centered, was a gift, and absolutely critical for the arts!”

Before joining NYFA, Goding-Doty worked with Kaneza Schaal as Managing Director to produce and tour works of opera and theater. She served as Managing Director at Gallim and Interim Director of Education at New York City Center. In 2010, she co-founded Harlem Arts Festival, a multidisciplinary performing and visual arts festival presented annually in Harlem, NY. Chelsea holds a BS degree in Arts Administration from Butler University. She is also a member of the Creative and Independent Producer Alliance.

Carolyn Lockhart Schoerner; Arts Administrator, Artist, Dancer, and Choreographer

Carolyn Lockhart Schoerner is an artist, dancer, and choreographer living in Brooklyn, NY. She is an Officer in the Development and Communications department who has also worked on the Finance and Administration team.

Lockhart Schoerner is currently in the group exhibition Summer 25 at 839 (Los Angeles, CA) and has a solo exhibition opening at 839 in January 2026.

Lockhart Schoerner received her ballet training from the Kirov Academy of Ballet and her BA degree in Art History from Indiana University. Examining dance within domestic settings, she explores ballet intimately, allowing it to serve as a performative, diaristic view of life. 

Her video pieces have been screened at Lubov (New York, NY) and Ed. Varie (New York, NY). She has also performed collaboratively with various artists at Cleopatra’s (Brooklyn, NY), Simone Subal (New York, NY), Essex Flowers (New York, NY), Signal (Brooklyn, NY), and Mass MoCA (North Adams, MA).

Kelly Olshan, Arts Administrator and Visual Artist

Kelly Olshan is a NYC-based visual artist, arts manager, and artist advocate. As Program Officer in NYFA Learning, Olshan oversees professional development programs for individual artists globally—including NYFA’s Artist as Entrepreneur, NYFA Coaching and Consulting, and workshop programs. She sees being an artist as essential to her work: “it makes me intimately familiar with artists’ perspectives: the aspirations, challenges, and immense amount of hard work that goes into maintaining a practice.” 

Olshan’s interactive piece Amethyst Staircase (Puzzle Installation) is currently on view as part of Unknown Entry Point at The Bellslip in Brooklyn, NY.  The exhibition is curated by Romi Studio and on view through August 31. Visitors to Olshan’s work are invited to rearrange magnetic, geometric shapes.

Her solo exhibition, Endless Ascent, is on view with Chashama at 733 3rd Avenue in New York, NY, through August 6.

Olshan is currently preparing for her debut museum show at Long Island Children’s Museum, where she plans to push the interactive, immersive elements of her work by enabling children to co-construct imagined landscapes.

A career advisor for artists, Olshan has given professional practices talks at art schools and organizations nationally. As a reviewer, she serves as a frequent panelist for artists’ exhibitions, public art commissions, grants, and residencies. Her 3D paintings, installations, and public art works have been exhibited nationally. Prior to joining the NYFA staff, she participated in NYFA’s Emerging Leaders program. She graduated Valedictorian from UNC Asheville with a BFA degree in painting and holds an MA degree in Arts Administration from Columbia University. 

Learn more about Olshan and get her career tips and insights here, courtesy of CanvasRebel.

Kendra Shiloh Russell, Arts Administrator and Visual Artist

Kendra Shiloh Russell is an arts administrator and visual artist based in Brooklyn, NY. Their artistic practice is deeply rooted in community and cultural exploration, with a focus on amplifying Black, Latine, and Queer narratives. 

Russell holds a BS degree in Textile Development with a minor in Latin American Studies from the Fashion Institute of Technology. Their exhibition history includes group exhibitions at Columbia University, Brooklyn Art Cave, and Thames Art Center. 

This summer, Russell is continuing to develop their talent and further their education in the photography field through active memberships in Black Woman Photographers and Diversify Photo.

Daniel Tantalean, Arts Administrator and Film Producer

Daniel Tantalean is an award-winning Latinx Producer based in Brooklyn, NY, and a Film and Media Consultant in NYFA Fiscal Sponsorship. He is the founder of Yellow Nest Films.

From July 14-19, Tantalean was one of 11 producers selected to participate in The Sundance Institute’s prestigious Producers Lab program at Ucross Foundation in Wyoming. There, Tantalean received support for his feature-length project, Birthright. The film follows a pregnant Métis woman who is suddenly abandoned at her sister-in-law’s home in Alberta, Canada. The woman uncovers a sinister plan for her unborn child, igniting a desperate fight for both of their lives.

The Producers Lab is the focal point of the Producers Program, which champions indie producers across career stages and empowers them to refine their craft in recognition of their pivotal role in the storytelling ecosystem. It kicks off a yearlong fellowship that creates a community for fiction and nonfiction film producers as they network and participate in professional development opportunities while working on their feature-length project.

Prior to NYFA, Tantalean was a 2023 Film Independent Producing Lab Fellow and producer of IN THE SUMMERS (U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize, Sundance ’24). He is a NALIP Latino Media Market Fellow, and was chosen for the prestigious 2024 Tribeca Creator’s Market with his documentary REBEL WITHOUT A PAUSE. His work has been featured at top film festivals including Sundance, Tribeca, SFFilm, and Hot Docs. Tantalean produced the award-winning short doc ALE LIBRE, which has been distributed by The New Yorker.

Mollie Quinlan-Hayes, Arts Administrator

Mollie Quinlan-Hayes works with two institutions committed to the readiness and recovery of artists and arts organizations. 

For NYFA, she is a Program Officer leading Emergency Grants for individual artists. For NCAPER, the National Coalition for Arts Preparedness and Emergency Response, she was recently promoted to Executive Director. NCAPER addresses policy and practice to build resiliency in the national arts sector and serves as a clearinghouse and responder. 

She became involved in emergency readiness and response as Deputy Director of South Arts, guiding activities following the 2005 devastation wrought by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Quinlan-Hayes was recently quoted in the Chorus America article “Responding In Harmony: How Choruses Become Lifelines after National Disasters.”

Sarah Wilson; Arts Administrator, Independent Film Producer, and Comedian

Sarah Wilson is an independent film producer, filmmaker, and comedian based in Brooklyn, NY. She is Executive Assistant to NYFA CEO Michael Royce.

Wilson co-founded and runs Life World in Bushwick, a DIY performance space that was originally located in Gowanus, Brooklyn (2021-2023) and recently reopened in Bushwick, Brooklyn (June 2025). 

Life World’s mission is to provide a space for artists from diverse backgrounds and disciplines to experiment, share their work, and be in community. The Bushwick space has a greater technical capacity (they now have a lighting grid, an updated sound system, a green room and two high-end projectors!) and the same intentions: to eliminate the financial barriers to sharing work, to provide flexibility and creative freedom to artists within the space, and to support artists working under a DIY ethos. The organization is collectively run by Wilson, Alex Bliss, Caroline Yost, and Julia Mounsey.

Wilson has worked in documentary and film production for National Geographic, PBS, Hulu, NPR, and the Smithsonian Institutions, and has produced a range of shorts and features for independent filmmakers. Some of her favorite projects include: India Donaldson’s Good One, Tynan DeLong’s Dad & Step-Dad, and Simple Town’s forthcoming horror-comedy Big Break.

–Compiled by Amy Aronoff, Senior Communications Officer