Cedar Valdez

Cedar Valdez, originally from Rogers, Arkansas, holds an MA in Arts Administration from Oklahoma City University and a BFA in Musical Theatre from Ouachita Baptist University. Passionate about the arts, Cedar brings a diverse background in theatre performance, children's theatre education, marketing, and nonprofit operations. He is committed to supporting arts nonprofits that prioritize values of accessibility and equity, and strongly believes that the arts should be available to all members of the community. Career wise, Cedar spent a few years traveling and performing professionally before moving to Kansas City to be near his sibling and best friend. He now serves as the Marketing Coordinator for Westport Center for the Arts and as a Ticketing Representative at KCRep. Cedar was inspired to curate It's Giving: Kansas City Queerness thanks to his own journey finding pride in his queerness, having grown up in a community that did not often celebrate queer joy. He is incredibly thankful for the community that he has gained over the years that helped him reclaim the pride that all queer kids deserve to feel. Cedar is excited to be coordinating this gallery with the help of ArtsKC and hopes it brings the local community an overload of queer pride and joy!