Interview with Rosie Gordon-Wallace

Interview with Rosie Gordon-Wallace, the founder and curator of Diaspora Vibe Gallery and Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator, which specialize in cultivating Caribbean and Latin American art with a focus on supporting emerging artists. Originally from Jamaica, Gordon-Wallace studied medical microbiology at the University of the West Indies and immunology and microbiology at the University of Manchester. She worked at the University of the West Indies before coming to the United States in 1978 to research at the University of Miami. She was working as a senior consultant for Searle Pharmaceuticals when she decided to focus full-time on her cultural endeavors in 1999. Since then, she has initiated and produced a variety of transnational creative programs that redefine the concept of “diaspora,” including the International Cultural Exchange program, the Caribbean Crossroads series, the Artist-In-Residence program, and numerous community-based outreach programs. Gordon-Wallace is active in the local community, serving on the boards of the National Performance Network, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, the Design & Architecture Senior High School, and Bay Shore Lutheran Church. She has received numerous awards for her contributions to the cultural community, including the In the Company of Women 2013 award for Arts and Entertainment and the Red Cross Spectrum award for culture.