Ulysses Owens: Bringing the world to Jacksonville through the power of mentorship
“A mentor is someone who sees more talent and ability within you than you see in yourself and helps bring it out of you.”
— Bob Proctor
Three incredible mentors have changed the path of my life. The first stumbled into my life as a young church musician. His name was Kevin Sibley and he taught me that I had more talent within me than I could even begin to understand. One of the most important lessons was this: “You are talented, but if you stop practicing, your talent will remain here; no matter your age, you want your talent to be beyond extraordinary.” I met my second mentor, Mulgrew Miller, at The Juilliard School in a jazz improvisation class. The moment was unexpected; Miller came over to the drums I was practicing on, took my hand, guided it onto the ride cymbal and said, “You have to make the cymbal dance,” followed by, “Once the world knows about you, the rest will be history.” A whole new world: Jacksonville 'theater kid' makes homecoming with 'Aladdin' Paying tribute: Green Cove Springs to honor native daughter, artist Augusta Savage with historical marker Mulgrew passed 10 years ago and within a year of his death, I was introduced to my next mentor, chef and restaurateur Alexander Smalls, who began his career at the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Following graduation, he toured the world, winning a Grammy and Tony Award for his role in the Houston Opera’s production of “Porgy and Bess.” Because of his ability to charm everyone with his incredible storytelling and delicious recipes, Alexander’s home has long been a favorite for many to come and enjoy his cooking. In 1994, Smalls launched his first fine dining restaurant, Cafe’ Beulah, in New York City, specializing in Southern Revival cooking combining Gullah and international cuisines. Since then, Alexander has opened four additional restaurants and an African Food Hall in Dubai for the Global Expo 2022. He is also a celebrated New York Times bestselling author, James Beard award-winning chef and TV personality. In 2014 when I met Alexander, he asked me, “Ulysses, what’s next for you?” I said I wanted to become the next artistic director for jazz at Lincoln Center when Wynton Marsalis decides to retire. He said, "I think that’s more than possible for you.” Smalls then asked me to come work alongside him and to mentor me and together we became a creative team that focused on the intersection of cuisine, music and travel. When I permanently moved back to Jacksonville from New York City in 2019, I committed to bringing artistic talent to my hometown. I have been incredibly fortunate to be mentored by strong individuals and now it’s time for me to do the same for the students we see daily at Don’t Miss a Beat — my family’s nonprofit — and for the residents of this great community. Every year we are committed to bringing to Jacksonville professional dancers, musicians, actors, singers and creators who hail from New York to Los Angeles as part of the Visiting Artist Series at Don’t Miss a Beat. The initiative allows artists to cultivate their talent and gain valuable experience while letting our students work alongside performing arts professionals. These artists serve as mentors to our students, encouraging and inspiring them to work hard and believe in their dreams. Additionally, our Academy of the Arts program offers a very specific combination of high-level arts training programs year-round. Youth interact with a broad range of artists such as playwrights, composers and choreographers, again promoting mentorship opportunities and guidance for our students. Inspired by my own mentors and those who we bring to Jacksonville to help our students excel, Don’t Miss a Beat created a lecture series called “Conversations with Legends.” Initiated just this year to coincide with Black History Month, my mentor Smalls was the recipient of the first Excellence in Mentorship award. His close friend, Academy Award-nominated actress Alfre Woodard, was in Jacksonville to bestow him with the honor. Knowing the impact mentorship has had on my life and seeing it firsthand in our students at Don’t Miss a Beat, inspires me to bring the best and brightest artistic talent to Jacksonville in the spirit of growing and learning. I hope you will join me in celebrating mentors everywhere. Ulysses Owens Jr. is the artistic director of Don’t Miss a Beat, a nonprofit organization in Jacksonville whose mission is to utilize musical theatre production and community engagement as tools to enlighten and activate youth of color. This guest column is the opinion of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of the Times-Union. We welcome a diversity of opinions.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Mentors help local nonprofit enlighten youth of color through the arts
