Emmai Alaquiva is no stranger to success.
The longtime Pittsburgh resident is a 2007 Emmy Award winner for music composition and arrangement; a seven-time Telly Award winner for film; a three-time A.I.R. Award winner for radio production; a New Pittsburgh Courier “Fab 40” and “Men of Excellence” honoree; a 2018 “Outstanding CEO of the Year” by the Pittsburgh Business Times, and just a few days ago, was recognized as a Black Enterprise magazine “Modern Man”—a member of the magazine’s “100 Men of Distinction.”
But the honor Alaquiva will receive on July 12 may take the cake.
The Courier has learned that Alaquiva was appointed, then confirmed by the state of Pennsylvania as an official member of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Governor Tom Wolf sought out Alaquiva for his decades of work in the field of arts, then appointed him for the Council position. The state Senate then confirmed the appointment on April 17, for a term to serve until at least July 1, 2020. The swearing-in ceremony will be held in Harrisburg on July 12.
“It’s surreal because I never knew the impact of the arts, and the difference that I could make in my community,” Alaquiva told the Courier in an exclusive interview, June 12. “I didn’t realize the equity of the arts of this magnitude until getting this gubernatorial appointment.”
The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts was established in 1966 with a mission “to foster the excellence, diversity, and vitality of the arts in Pennsylvania and to broaden the availability and appreciation of those arts throughout the state,” according to the agency’s website.
The agency, according to its website, believes that arts and culture play a vital role in the diverse communities across the state. Thus, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts will continue to provide support and information to enhance the delivery of cultural services to Pennsylvania’s constituents.
Council members are composed of 19 individuals—15 private citizens and four members of the state’s general assembly. According to the PCA’s website, the Council sets the mission and goals of the agency, evaluates the progress toward these goals, formulates policy, and makes final decisions on the use of funds.
Four new private citizens were confirmed by the state Senate this year, including Alaquiva, the lone member from the Pittsburgh area. He told the Courier he was selected out of “thousands” who would have admired this distinction. The other private citizens confirmed were Norman E. Stull (Bucks County), Catzie Vilayphonh (Philadelphia County), and Tim Warfield Jr. (York County).
“We are tremendously pleased with the recent additions to our Council,” PCA Executive Director Karl Blischke said. “These individuals uniquely contribute to their communities’ arts and cultural landscape, and I look forward to the valuable perspectives they will bring to the Council’s work.”
Alaquiva, current CEO of Ya Momz House Inc., now joins a Council that had Manchester Bidwell Corporation CEO Bill Strickland as a member (1975-1995), as was Dr. Selma Burke. Dr. Burke is best known internationally for sculpting a portrait of U.S. president Ben Franklin, which inspired the profile used on the American dime. In Pittsburgh, she opened the Selma Burke Art Center, known as an original art center that played a critical role in Pittsburgh’s art community. Dr. Burke was an original member of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (1966) until 1973.
“To even be in the same conversation as some of these great arts advocates is truly something I’m grateful for,” Alaquiva said.
“Everyone’s impression of him was excellent,” said Norah Johnson, director of new projects and capabilities for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, referring to a Council meeting Alaquiva attended in Harrisburg in April. “He was enthusiastic, doing really interesting and valuable work with the arts in Pittsburgh, with youth in Pittsburgh, and I think he brings a fresh perspective in terms of the Council’s work in its entirety.”
Alaquiva will soon be traveling throughout Pennsylvania, advocating on behalf of his true passion, the arts.
“A constitutional oath of office appointing me is just something that you dream about,” Alaquiva told the Courier. “You dream about having impact with what it is that you love, and arts has always been a vital part of my life.”
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