“I had the pleasure of working with Durell Cooper on a small project and truly appreciated his availability, fast-turnaround on deliverables, and high level of professionalism. Durell was a thoughtful in his approach and clearly demonstrated a broad understanding of equity. He was generous with his time, easy to work with, and able to provide valuable guidance based on our specific needs.” 

Nikki Estes
Director, Presenting & Touring
South Arts

“Durell Cooper is an extraordinarily thoughtful leader and connector. I've had the great pleasure of working with Durell when he consulted for the International Contemporary Ensemble, first as a guest speaker at our Virtual Town Hall on equity in the time of COVID-19, and then through his designing and moderating a panel discussion on Leadership and Allyship for our emerging artists program, Ensemble Evolution. His care and passion for the arts is inspiring, and he brings a curiosity to his work that motivates us to think in new ways about imagining our future. He's deeply thoughtful about building connections in the arts field and finding ways to expand and embrace justice at every level of arts organizations.”

Jennifer Kessler
​Executive Director 
International Contemporary Ensemble 
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“Although, our collaboration was cut short due to COVID-19 we were  impressed with Durell’s proposal and clear understanding of what our goals were in evaluating a diverse array of data from our community engagement programs in neighborhoods and boroughs across NYC. Once we resume our programming we fully intend to work with Cultural Innovation Group.”

Daniel Renner
Director of Education and Public Engagement 
Theatre Development Fund

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“I had the privilege of collaborating with Cultural Innovation Group on several occasions. He delivered a very engaging and thought-provoking discussion, which created a welcoming and safe environment for the participants to reveal their true feelings and fears.  I am intrigued by Cultural Innovation Group's impact on the community in a short amount of time.  The fact that Durell has had the opportunity to interview well-known artists and arts professionals speaks for itself.  I look forward to collaborating with Durell again in the future.”  

Veronica Loomis
Co-Founder and Executive Director
It's a She Thing, Inc.

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"Durell Cooper and Cultural Innovation Group LLC led a fantastic training for National Queer Theater and a group of other small arts organizations. With deep patience and skill, Durell helped educate our group on anti-racist theater practices, and guided us towards crafting our own strategic plans to combat racism within our organizations. I can't recommend Durell and his company more highly!" -Adam Odsess-Rubin, Founding Artistic Director of National Queer Theater.” 

Adam Odsess-Rubin
Founding Artistic Director
National Queer Theater 

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"Durell Cooper is thoughtful, provocative and carries himself with grace.  I've had the fortunate opportunity to collaborate with him on a few occasions and will always leave space to work with him moving forward.  His work ethic combined with his intelligence and purposeful nature make him highly qualified and a joy to work with." 

Sobha Kavanakudiyil
Director, Graduate Program in Educational Theatre at The City College of New York
Board Co-Chair, The New York City Arts in Education Roundtable