Mary Genis is the Artistic Director and Founder of CultureMix Arts. She is a visual and performance artist, a musician, writer, designer and producer devising and delivering projects, activities and digital content that celebrate the arts by drawing inspiration from different cultures.
Mary started out as a fashion and theatre costume designer and a touring freelance musician. In 1997 she set up a community steel band RASPO in Reading Berkshire and in 2017 won a British Association of Steelband (BAS) Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her sustained and continuous work over many years promoting steel pan, and inspiring and leading others.
She is a Clore Fellow and Kings College London alumni, the chair of Black mentoring charity Reading Refocus and a trustee for arts charity Jelly and London Notting Hill Carnival organiser Carnival Village Trust.
Today CultureMix Arts is one of the UK’s leading lights in professional Black music entertainment, education and arts development fulfilling Mary’s vision to offer vocational training and realistic employment opportunities in a growing creative industry.
‘I believe everyone has the right to take part in the arts, we create employment and with performance opportunities artists can fulfil their creative ambitions whilst earning a living doing something they love.’
