Arts For All welcomed the new year with a new member of our team! Meet our Development Associate, Casey Dath!
Get to know a bit about Casey’s artistic journey, his talents with pen and paper, strings, and keys and his excitement to work with Arts For All in the Q&A below:
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Casey: My name is Casey Dath, I was born in Vermont, but for the most part grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas and Putnam Valley, New York. My hobbies include playing music on piano or guitar, writing fiction, and watching classic movies.
Q: How did you enjoy and experience art as a child?
Casey: I was quite hyperactive as a child! In fact, my mother put me in my first tap class alongside my sister just to have a brief respite from my mischief. This was followed by piano lessons, then musical theater at school. I still remember many of those early art teachers and cherish those memories with them. They taught me important lessons about identity and self-confidence that impact me to this day.
Q: What does art mean to you?
Casey: Art is the ultimate method of self-expression. It’s a practice that lets the artist understand themselves, to be mindful of what they are feeling and release them in not only a healthy way, but a way that brings value to the world and has the opportunity to let people connect through a shared sentiment.
Q: What disciplines of art were you drawn to and why?
Casey: The performing arts drew me in particular, mostly theater and piano. Doing Death of a Salesman in high school completely opened my world to what acting truly entailed and the artistry needed to deliver an authentic performance. My time as a pianist in a jazz band was exciting and gave me the confidence to realize that I was capable of creating my own art and delivering it in a compelling way.
Q: Do you have a favorite art memory?
Casey: I had the opportunity of doing West Side Story when I was 16, and being part of that production is by far the best theater experience I’ve ever had. It was the perfect combination of an incredible cast, inspiring creative team, and sense of true community that affected me deeply as a performer and as a person.
Q: Now an author of several published novels and short stories, when did you discover that you were a writer?
Casey: I had always enjoyed writing since I was a kid, but I had never tried anything serious until several years ago, when I had a few friends who began publishing books and stories. I thought to myself, “Hm, I wonder if I could do that.” So, I gave it a shot, and quickly realized that I could engage strongly with the medium.
Q: What genre do you write? Which authors have influenced your writing?
Casey: I enjoy writing fiction most of all. There are many authors I admire, and I have very far to go to perfect my craft, but I would say the perfect novel would incorporate the themes of absurdism and magic realism from Kafka and Murakami with the clarity and precision of Dostoevsky. As a big fan of science fiction, adding in a dash of Vonnegut’s humour couldn’t hurt!
Q: You’re also a player of piano and guitar and you earned your BA in Management of Music Enterprise at CUNY Baruch. Can you share what drew you to that specific major versus say, music theory?
Casey: I knew I wanted to incorporate my love for the arts with an understanding of the entertainment business, after all, there wouldn’t be art without someone who knew how to attract an audience. Having a holistic understanding of what makes good art and how it gets distributed to the public is crucial in the current climate of the performing arts industry.
Q: Being involved in the performing arts since you were six, it was only natural that the calling to bringing arts to all children has led you to working with Arts For All. What inspires you most about AFA’s mission?
Casey: Accessibility to arts programs is highly important, and I was lucky to be granted that as a child. However, there are many children and families who face great challenges in finding and engaging with the arts. I am most inspired by Arts For All’s awareness of that challenge, and its ability to make it easy for children to have that first step into expressing themselves through art.
Q: How will you use your prior experiences with other NYC and arts-based non-profits to help you in your new role at AFA?
Casey: Having worked with many wonderful non-profits, especially those specialized in theater, I have learned how much effort from each team member goes into a project and serves the mission of the organization. There’s a tremendous amount of organization and planning behind the scenes, and as a Development Associate, I intend to prevent these efforts from going unnoticed. Being aware of the size to impact ratio of an organization is key to telling its story, and securing funding for sustainable growth based on these metrics guarantees a thriving environment.
Q: While working with AFA on an administrative level, you are still an active artist as a musician and a published author. What is the most important reason to you to remain involved in your personal art?
Casey: Every person on Earth should be an artist! It’s not just performative: it’s meditation, and it’s therapeutic. Playing a song, or building a narrative in a novel clears the way for a tap of creativity that exists inside all of us. With ideas flowing freely, suddenly it makes it much easier to be creative in all other aspects of life that aren’t necessarily related to art.
Q: What are you most excited about in working with AFA?
Casey: I am most excited to feel like I am making an impact in a mission that I resonate deeply with. I wouldn’t be successful or who I am today without the arts as a child, and Arts For All provides that gift to thousands of children each year. Arts For All has a clear, measurable impact on the youth of New York City, there’s no question about it. It’s rare to see that sort of impact, and I’m deeply motivated to work knowing that I am directly supporting these vital programs for the benefit of children and families in the greatest city in the world!
