Viviana Vargas / Yura Sapi runs Advancing Arts Forward, a movement to advance equity, inclusion and justice through the arts by creating liberated spaces that uplift, heal, and encourage us to change the world.
Viviana Vargas / Yura Sapi (they/elle), is an artist, activist, arts manager, educator, facilitator, and entrepreneur. After finishing two degrees in the performing arts and spending time in the “diversity and inclusion” field of the U.S. American Theatre, they founded Advancing Arts Forward, a movement to advance equity, inclusion, and justice through the arts by creating liberated spaces that uplift, heal, and encourage us to explore our vast potential to change the world. Advancing Arts Forward hosts and consults for in person and online workshops, university classes, gatherings, discussions, and resource sharings across the country and worldwide. Yura Sapi is also the founder of Balistikal, a healing and arts space that centers LGBTQ+ community in Latin America. As a citizen of Ecuador, Colombia, and the United States, they actively consider their role in the fight for liberation beyond the U.S. borders thinking specifically about anti-racism, decolonization, and collective liberation. They are also a member of the Latinx Theatre Commons steering committee and is co-championing a 2023 summit on celebrating Blackness and combating colorism within the Latinx community. They are currently developing restorative justice based processes to repair relations affected by racism and white supremacy with various activist initiatives and collectives. www.yurasapi.com | www.advancingartsforward.org | www.balistikal.club | www.vivianavargas.com
