Brian J. Evans is a Citizen Artist, defined by the Aspen Institute Arts Program as:  Individuals who reimagine the traditional notions of art-making, and who contribute to society either through the transformative power of their artistic abilities, or through proactive social engagement with the arts in realms including education, community building, diplomacy and healthcare.   Mixing disciplines, mixing professions, and mixed race, Brian J. Evans unpacks the “moments of suspension” that reside in the spaces between spaces—convinced that connections exist between us all and it is the responsibility of the Arts to remind us to be holistically human, lest we forget. Courageous vulnerability and intentional equity keep him aloft as he finds ways to give back and add to the communities, mentors, and ancestors who blazed trails and continue to do so! Evans believes it is the responsibility of the Arts to rediscover existing connections within humanity. Evans is a 2015 McKnight Dance Fellow and a 2010 Sage Award recipient for Outstanding Performer. His career spans dance, theater, music, writing, education, and community-engaged practice. A former company member, musical director, sound editor, accompanist, and teaching artist with Stuart Pimsler Dance & Theater, he has facilitated national and international residencies with schools, caregivers, veterans, hospice and memory care communities, youth, and all-abilities populations. As a performer and collaborator, Evans has worked with companies and artists including Flying Foot Forum, Black Label Movement, Shapiro & Smith Dance, Threads Dance Project, Eclectic Edge Ensemble, Young Dance, and Gomez Dance Group. Evans now serves as Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance at Saint Olaf College and as an instructor and co-associate director of Young Dance, one of the longest-running youth dance companies and schools in the US. He is also a Teaching artist and curriculum consultant for Penumbra Theater’s Positive Racial Identity Development and Empowerment (PRIDE) program, where his ongoing research advances through access-centered pedagogy, community performance, and repair-based creative practice. His recent Saint Olaf work includes completing his DanceAbility International Teacher Certification, receiving the Gimse Striving for Peace on Horizon’s Brim Art Endowment Award, and earning a Faculty Development Grant to support his continued Busking for Reparations research.