Washington Revels Uses The Arts To Celebrate What Makes Us Unique

This Patch article is sponsored by Washington Revels.

Local businesses are the heart of our communities. Patch had a chance to talk with Tamara C. Williams of Washington Revels.

Patch: Tell us a bit about your business or organization:
Tamara C. Williams: Washington Revels uses performance, education, and community engagement to revive, sustain, expand, and celebrate cultural traditions — in music, dance, storytelling, and drama — that bind people together in spirit and joy. We strive to illustrate the world’s common humanity, connecting all people in a community that stretches across ethnic, cultural, and religious divisions, and through time.

Patch: How long have you been doing business in town, or how long has your organization been around in the community?
Williams: Washington Revels is a nearly 40-year old cultural institution in the greater DC area.

Patch: What attracted you to the line of work you’re in, and how did you get started?
Williams: The arts have always been an integral part of my journey. I spent 6 years in the IT field after getting out of the US Air Force, but felt that I wasn't fulfilling my purpose. While working full-time, I enrolled as a full-time student in the undergraduate Music program at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (SIUE). After graduation, I got a graduate assistantship to pursue a Masters in Jazz Studies at Michigan State University (MSU), where I worked for the MSU Community Music School (CMS) in Detroit. My first experience working in nonprofit arts administration was with CMS. It was the perfect blend of all of the skills I'd learned in the military and corporate America, merged with my love for music and exposing young people to the power of the arts. That's when I felt that I had found my calling.

Patch: If you had to sum up your business mission to a stranger in five words, what would those words be?
Williams: Celebrating what makes us unique.

Patch: What’s the biggest challenge or most difficult moment you’ve faced in your job?
Williams: Taking the helm as Executive Director (ED) in the midst of COVID and uncertainty about whether or not the arts would recover. The organization itself had recently gone through a number of personnel changes in addition to downsizing to a smaller office location in Glen Echo Park. I am building the organizational staff from scratch while trying to take Washington Revels forward into its next phase.

Patch: What’s the most satisfying part of your job?
Williams: The feeling of being part of an extended family. Our Washington Revels community has generations of Revelers who have been coming since 1983 and are bringing their grandchildren into the fold. The best part about my job is knowing that I'm standing on 40 years of memories, culture and traditions while creating something for new generations to come.

Patch: How would you say your business or organization distinguishes itself from the others?
Williams: Our focus is bringing history and diverse cultural traditions to the stage and celebrating our differences. At the end of the day, it's about honoring people and the traditions that made them who they are, which I feel is the remarkable difference between Washington Revels and other performing arts organizations.

Patch: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given when it comes to success?
Williams: It wasn't just about success, but leadership as well. One of my mentors made it very clear that leadership is a choice. It is a decision that you make every single day. As long as you continue making the decision to lead, then success will follow.

Patch: Are there any new projects or endeavors you’re working on that you’re extra excited about? If so, what details can you share and what makes it so exciting?
Williams: We're working on something in partnership with Glen Echo Park that I am extremely excited to see come to fruition. Since we are in the planning stages, I don't want to share too much, but I will say that it has to do with the Civil Rights history of the park and I can't wait for it to come to life.

Patch: Do you have any events coming up in your community? If so, tell us about them.
Williams: We have our 40th annual Christmas Revels production taking place on Dec 10-11 and 16-18 at GW Lisner Auditorium in Washington, D.C. This will be our first year back at Lisner since 2019, so it's going to be a spectacular run. Christmas Revels has been a DMV area holiday favorite for nearly 40 years, so to be back at Lisner feels like coming home.

Want to know more about Washington Revels? Check out revelsdc.org, and follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! You can also email info@revelsdc.org to find out more.