email : Webview : Reflecting on Third Coast in 2024

From Third Coast International Audio Festival
Thursday, January 2, 2025

This is the first in a series of three letters that will appear in our newsletter over the next few days, honoring transitions in 2024 and looking ahead at all that's to come for Third Coast in 2025. We're grateful that you're part of the magic of Third Coast's community. If you'd like to show your support this season, we encourage you to donate to Third Coast today.

Dear Friends,

Jocelyn Robinson, here, writing with my Chair-of-the-Board-of-Directors-at-Third-Coast hat on. Some of you might know me from my work at WYSO, or my work leading the HBCU Radio Preservation Project, or my attendance at the Third Coast Conference over the years. I joined the Board in 2022 because as a producer, I believe in the important field-building work that Third Coast has done and will continue to do in the future.

This has been a challenging time for Third Coast and for the audio community in general. Many of you know that, at Third Coast, we abruptly lost funding from our longest-running funder last year, which created a slew of new challenges for our small organization. But thanks to the support of our community through the We Need Third Coast Campaign, we were able to re-launch the Competition as an independent program. (The Call for Entries is open now: Please submit your work!) We are continuing to fundraise to keep Third Coast independent — any gifts you make to Third Coast today will help us thrive in 2025.

Keep Third Coast Independent in 2025

Closing out 2024, we have another transition happening in 2025 that I wanted to share with you: Co-Director Maya Goldberg-Safir will be leaving the organization after 11 years. She'll be embarking on a new path dedicated to producing her own creative work. We’re so grateful for her dedicated community building and the amazing programming she’s championed for over a decade. Emily Kennedy will be staying on as the sole Executive Director, and I’m so excited for her transition. She’ll provide continuity and a steady hand as we move into the future.

You'll be hearing from Maya tomorrow about her transition, and how much this work has meant to her over the past decade at the organization. And you’ll hear from Emily on Monday about what she’s looking forward to in 2025. We all share a great love for Third Coast and the community it serves, and we envision a future where an independent, thriving Third Coast continues to celebrate the art and craft of audio storytelling.

Now, more than ever, we could use your support to keep Third Coast strong. We’ve got a rich legacy of experimentation, connectivity, and creativity on which to build. We’re so excited for 2025.

Warmly yours,

Jocelyn Robinson
Chair of Third Coast's Board of Directors

Your Gift Keeps Third Coast Thriving

Illustration by Andrea Miralles (@andreamirallesart) and design by Clara May. Special thanks to Lille Allen.

Third Coast International Audio Festival
Supporting un-bounded artistry, imagination, and visionary craft since 2000.

P.O. Box 410726, Chicago, IL 60618
info@thirdcoastfestival.org | 312-948-4682 | www.thirdcoastfestival.org

Third Coast acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council and the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. This project is partially supported by a Chicago Arts Recovery Program grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events, funded by a federal award from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Thank you to the National Endowment for the Arts for
its ongoing support of Third Coast programming.

Special thanks to our many individual contributors from around the world — we love you.
Third Coast, founded in 2000 as part of WBEZ in Chicago, is an independent arts organization.

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