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Advisory Committee

Jyoti Argade has had many lives as a dancer, scholar, arts administrator and community-based activist. Before completing a PhD in Performance Studies and making performances with blind dancers and advocacy groups on a Fulbright Scholarship in India, she was a consultant for the Ford Foundation, Creative Capital and managed NYFA's grants initiatives as a Program Officer.

Chanika Svetvilas is an artist, cultural worker, and grant writer who has been living and working in Fort Greene for the past 10 years. She has curated and produced public cultural programs at the American Museum of Natural History and served as a program auditor and panelist for the New York State Council on the Arts' Special Arts Services as well as for the NYS Department of Cultural Affairs, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and Brooklyn Arts Council. She is the founding member of ThaiLinks, a collective that produces public programs focused on Thai issues including the biennial Thai Takes: Independent Film Festival.

Digant Bahl, CPA, is Senior Auditor at McGladrey & Pullen, LLP New York Not-for-Profit Group. He has more than 10 years of experience serving not-for-profit organizations. Prior to joining McGladrey & Pullen LLP, Bahl was the Manager of Accounting at The Synergos Institute. He also provided accounting and consulting services to various not-for-profit organizations in the tri-state area. Bahl is a licensed certified public accountant in the state of New York and also holds a Masters in Business Administration with specialization in Finance.

People

Charlotta Janssen is an international artist, businesswoman and arts advocate, who is also the founder of the Great Wall of Brooklyn. She is the proprietor of the pioneering cafe Chez Oskar in Brooklyn. This is a landmark venue in the heart of the revitalized artistic milieu of Fort Greene, which has hosted countless music, literary and art events since 1998. In 2006, Chez Oscar spawned Chez Lola, which is expanding Janssen’s focus on fine cuisine and diverse community-based art projects in the Fort Greene neighbourhood.

Shelly Bahl is an artist, educator and arts management consultant working with the Great Wall of Brooklyn team to launch this new independent artist-run public art organization. Over the past 15 years, she has worked with many non-profit arts organizations in Toronto, Canada, including the Power Plant Gallery, Open Studio, Art Gallery of Ontario and the ReelWorld Film Festival. She has also served on the Board of Directors at A Space Gallery, Mercer Union and SAVAC. Bahl is a founding member of SAVAC (South Asian Visual Arts Centre) and ZEN-MIX 2000: Pan-Asian Visual Arts Network in Toronto.