Patricia Nicholson Parker is an organizer of movement, music and causes. In her role as founder and organizer of Arts for Art she has led the way in creating equitable opportunities for FreeJazz aka Creative Improvised Music and Arts with a sense of social responsibility. By the 1990’s this black led fire music had almost entirely disappeared in the US as it had received almost no support. With Ms. Nicholson’s background in civic responsibility from working door to door to elect responsible leadership to ongoing participation in anti-nuclear, civil rights and anti-war demonstrations, Ms. Nicholson spent much of her adult years supporting the kind of creativity based in improvised music that would inspire good in people. She has always worked to build a community based on the values of creative excellence, human rights, economic rights and empowerment. Her own artistic expression as a dancer and poet often carries themes in protest to injustice or to the need for healing. Ms. Nicholson was raised by a mother to be responsible to the social good. From early childhood she was drawn to improvisation and dance as healing (trained in ballet and modern) with a deep love of all music but particularly to improvised jazz music. In looking for a community of artists she discovered FreeJazz and met and married William Parker. She has raised her two brown skinned children in a systemic racist environment that denied racism as real. This has informed her work as a dancer, poet, organizer and activist.

• To protest the proliferation of Nuclear weapons, for the opening of the UN Special Sessions on Disarmament, on June 6, 1981, Ms. Nicholson conceived, choreographed, co-organized and produced A THOUSAND CRANES PEACE OPERA. This outdoor event attended by thousands of people, took place at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza at the conclusion of the Buddhist Peace March. The Opera included 20 dancers, 20 musicians with a finale of 1000 school children singing, aged 7 to 14 from schools in and around NYC.

• In 1984 and 1988, in response to a lack of opportunities to perform freejazz improvised arts, she helped organize the two iterations of the international SOUND UNITY Festival. The first in 1984 at C.U.A.N.D.O. 9 Second Ave. and the second in 1988 at the newly opened Knitting Factory on Houston Street and at the Kraine Gallery on East 4 Street.

• From January,1994 through June,1995 In response to the ongoing lack of venues to play improvised music, Nicholson brought together fifty diverse artists of all ages to form The IMPROVISORS COLLECTIVE with jazz improvisors, dancers, poets and visual artists. Under Ms. Nicholson’s lead the collective presented 2 bands per week that provided opportunity for cross-fertilization among artists of different disciplines and ages.

• Following the success of the Collective, in 1996, Nicholson initiated the first VISION FESTIVAL to promote and advocate for freejazz on a larger scale, to more effectively raise awareness of this multi-disciplined art while acknowledging its links to its origins in the Black experience and the civil rights movement. In 1997 she applied for and received non- profit status as Arts for Art. AFA and Vision Festival was founded on a commitment to showcase Black and multicultural music that includes at least 50% black and brown artists and links the music to social justice. The work is based in the ideals of ‘Artist Self-determination’ and community. Although it is not a collective, there are regular artist meetings and community building opportunities. It was important and continues to be important that artists are paid fairly. The idea was to bring the arts together around the highest ideals of creative excellence, spirit and social responsibility.

• Ms Nicholson developed a curation philosophy based on excellence, diversity and equity with input from various diverse artists over the years. The goal of curation is to maintain AFA’s mission of supporting Freejazz that acknowledges the originators in African American culture and shines a light on the best of the new generation. As Artistic Director and founder of AFA, Ms. Nicholson has maintained a commitment to booking at least 50% Black and Brown musicians. She continues to present a growing number of women and LGBTQ artists as they join the ranks of great freejazz players.

• By the fourth Vision Festival in 1999, Ms. Nicholson began organizing Annual Panel discussions on issues that directly concerned working artists and audiences as well as issues of social justice that concern us all. Eg. In 1999, a panel on Artist Visions, in 2001 on the prison system and on the Iraq War. Later on How money effects creative choices, on history of activism, on The Artist Role in Waging Peace, etc. Ms Nicholson began co-organizing the panels with Amiri Baraka in 2011 till 2013. Ms. Nicholson booked Amiri Baraka as a performing artist from the first Vision till his passing in January 2014.

• 9/11/01 - 12/30/01 From the Ashes – in response to 9/11 –Organized a small group of artists to clean up the largely abandoned C.U.A.N.D.O. at 9 Second Ave. Ms. Nicholson spearheaded a coalition between AFA and Dixon Place, Roulette, John Zorn, Jump Arts, Mutable Music and 7 visual artist/curators to present a creative response that included more than 200 artists, musicians, film makers, and performers representing a range of ages, backgrounds and sensibilities.

• In 2008 Ms. Nicholson inaugurated Rise Up Creative Music and Art (RUCMA) in the wakeof the closing of the venue (The Tonic) which at that time was the main venue for improvisation and experimental music in NY. RUCMA began as a separate movement of artists and audience members responding to the marginalization of creative, non-commercial artistic endeavors and a lack of venues that featured the music. In order to maintain the movement and ensure artist pay, the members asked that RUCMA become a part of Arts for Art to continue the work of advocating for affordable space as well as education programs. The early RUCMA events was the seed for AFA’s Evolving Series.

• In 2008 She began the Music Education Program - Music is Mine for ages 5 -11 initially taught in NYC Housing developments to give access to improvisation to diverse, low income youth. Currently this program takes place in public schools.

• In July, 2019 participated in a panel discussion at H0L0 Xennial Celebration on Ageism and the Culture of the Emerging Artist in American Subculture.

• In April, 2019 and in 2020, to empower young artists in self-determination, Ms Nicholson brought together 3 young musicians (Luke Stewart, James Brandon Lewis & Brandon Lopez) with mentorship by William Parker. Together they organized the Free Jazz Convention to address the need for information around healthcare and taxes, student loans as well as issues of diversity.

• January 17, 2020, in response to the misogynistic and anti-democratic leanings of newly elected Trump, Ms. Nicholson organized a group of musicians and initiated and led Artists for a Free World (AFFW) that participated as a marching band in 47 social justice demonstrations over a 2-year span.

• By mid-March of 2020, the Covid-19 crisis caused the shut-down of all performances. By April first, under Ms. Nicholson’s direction, AFA had begun regularly streaming archival performances to keep the music and art available to all of us while we were shut in. By May, AFA was hosting an ongoing, online performances to provide safe paid work for artists and streamed performances for the public. She also organized regular artist gatherings to build community and counter isolation.

• In October 2021, Ajay Heble, Director, International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation interviewed Ms. Nicholson in a conversation with women festival organizers on the subject of diversity.

• On March 18, 2022: Organized 10,000 Tones for Peace to benefit humanitarian aid for the Ukraine that raised $8000.

• In 2022, Ms. Nicholson was Invited by Ajay Heble to give the Keynote at the IF 2022 festival on “ Curating for Change: What Music Festivals Do ”

• On June 1 Ms. Nicholson curated a blog on the AFA website with music submitted by different musicians protesting the terrible cost of gun violence on children…