IDA congratulates Artist-in-Residence amara tabor smith, who was recently named a Creative Power Award Winner by theWalter & Elise Haas Fund. Founded on the belief that art and culture is essential to a connected Bay Area, Creative Power Awards recognize the leadership and contributions of individual artists working in the arts ecosystem for both the…

On May 1, 2025, we welcomed our community back to campus to celebrate our first gala in support of the Institute for Diversity in the Arts Hosted by the IDA Champions: Yvette Lee Bowser ’87, Jan Barker Alexander, Jeff Chang, and Alex Fialho ’11. Performances by Grammy Award Winners Tank and the Bangas, Bay Area…

From our Friends at Stanford Live! “Every Wednesday during her 25–26 Stanford residency, Chinaka Hodge hopped off a plane from a Hollywood writer’s room to teach at Harmony House. As a Visiting Artist with the Institute for Diversity in the Arts, her course Hella Cinematic taught students that the best art comes from total authenticity…

Visiting artist Chinaka Hodge’s winter quarter course explored screenwriting basics through a Bay Area lens. Ask anyone who’s worked with Chinaka Hodge, the poet, screenwriter, and executive producer behind Marvel’s Ironheart television series, and the words you’ll hear on repeat are charismatic, confident, and authentic. But ask Hodge about herself, and she’s more likely to…

As Stanford’s Institute for Diversity in the Arts celebrates its 25th year, directors A-lan Holt and Adam Banks look toward a future of nurturing student artists and deepening relationships with Bay Area communities. Part of what makes Institute for Diversity in the Arts (IDA) Director A-lan Holt such an effective champion of the organization is…

The Institute for Diversity in the Arts (IDA) at Stanford University is celebrating 25 years of artistic excellence. IDA has been a transformative home for artists across multiple generations, providing mentorship, community, and creative freedom to shape future arts leaders. In this video, Students, faculty, and staff reflect on what makes IDA special, from interdisciplinary…

On April 8, 1968, four days after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., 70 Black Student Union (BSU) members went on stage during a panel, took the mic, and read off a list of 10 demands which included better treatment of Black Stanford students, Black Stanford faculty, and residents of East Palo Alto. This…

Reflections by Alexis Jones “Long day?”  These are the words that greeted me when I walked into the Tressider Oak lounge and fell into my seat, exhaling with such audible force that it elicited a response of humorous inquiry from the fellow attendee beside me. “Yes,” I laughed, feeling slightly embarrassed that my exhaustion was…

This month’s IDA First FrIDAy brought together 111 people on October 3, 2025— students, alumni, fellows, and friends — for an evening filled with creativity, laughter, and connection. The energy inside Harmony House was electric, a celebration of community that reminded everyone why these gatherings matter so deeply. This was a great start of events…

This morning the New Yorker Documentary premiered “The Game God(S)” by IDA visiting artist Adrian L. Burrell. The New Yorker reports that the film “pries open myths of modern Blackness and ties one of America’s greatest beliefs back to its greatest sin.” Watch the film and read the accompanying article below. Shaking The Foundations of the…