Carly Rapaport-Stein
Executive Director
Carly Rapaport-Stein (she/her) is the Executive Director of Intercultural Journeys. In addition to her work at IJ, Carly is an adjunct assistant professor in Shenandoah University’s Performing Arts Leadership & Management, and an adjunct instructor in Drexel University’s Arts Administration and Museum Leadership (graduate) and Entertainment and Arts Management (undergraduate) programs. In addition to her 15 years of experience in the nonprofit world, Carly was also a voice, piano, and music theory teacher.
Carly is passionate about Philadelphia’s civic life, with a particular interest in arts organizations that seek an intersection between creative work and social justice. She is currently on the board of the Musical Fund Society and co-chairs the Strategic Planning Committee, and has served on the board of Cedar Park Neighbors and as President of the Board of Drexel University's Arts Administration Graduate Association. Carly’s been a grant panelist for the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts, and the Musical Fund Society. Carly holds a Bachelor's of Music in Voice Performance from Westminster Choir College, a Master's of Music in Opera Performance from Temple University, and a Master's of Science in Arts Administration from Drexel University. In 2020, Carly was named to Drexel’s “40 Under 40” list, which recognizes the accomplishments of young alumni. She lives with her husband and daughter in West Philadelphia.
Marla Burkholder
Artistic Director
Marla Burkholder (she/her) is the Artistic Director for Intercultural Journeys. Marla’s work as an arts administrator, educator and advocate began with a performance focus in theater. She co-founded and led Shakespeare in Clark Park as Producing Artistic Director, performer and curator for 10 years. She also previously directed the education program at 1812 Productions; acted in and coached dialect performance for numerous Philadelphia area theater productions; and worked as a teaching artist throughout the region. As an associate instructor of Fitzmaurice Voicework, Marla teaches voice and speech technique to theater students at Temple University and Rider University. She has a particular interest in supporting small arts organizations focused on building and transforming community, and currently serves on the advisory boards for Team Sunshine Performance Corporation and Shakespeare in Clark Park. Marla holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Theater from Eastern Mennonite University and a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from Temple University. She lives with her husband and two small children in West Philly where they are active members of West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship.
Nia Benjamin
Photo: Kate Raines.
Director of creative projects
Nia Benjamin (they/them) is an agender, Black organizer, administrator, performance and multimedia artist, living and working in Philadelphia, PA. Nia is the co-artistic director of Ninth Planet, an experimental performance company that creates opportunities for people of color, women, queer and trans* people in Philadelphia to participate in the making, performing, and producing of original works of performance. Nia's work examines the intersections between culture, identity, and media, rooted in the undoing of narratives that decentralize the importance of Black and Brown people within America's larger cultural narrative.
As an artist, their aim is to create accessible, challenging work that invites non-traditional audiences in performative and creative spaces. Through collaborative making practices, Nia works with all kinds of communities in the creation of new performance and installation works. With an interest in finding new systems for generating devised work, Nia's creative practice empowers teams to employ horizontal leadership models to upset patriarchal dynamics that exist within traditional artistic practices and alienate those who are historically marginalized. Prior to their time at Intercultural Journeys, Nia worked with the Leeway Foundation, Philadelphia Young Playwrights, and Girls Who Code, and is a graduate of the Ira Brind School of Theatre at the University of the Arts.
Sweet Corey-Bey
Social Media and Marketing Coordinator
Sweet Corey-Bey (they/them/theirs) is a transgender musician, cultural organizer, and communications professional based in Southwest Philadelphia.
Across mediums of content creation, design, sound, and filmmaking, Sweet’s work applies a storytelling lens to shift cultural narratives and build more liberatory worlds in the legacy of other Gender-Variant cultural workers. In addition to working as a Social Media and Marketing Coordinator for Intercultural Journeys, Sweet supports communications for the community driven Free Brunch Program by Wholistic Art.
In 2023, they were an Artist Fellow of the Marsha P Johnson Institute in the inaugural Starship Artist fellowship Program. They completed a Residency Pink Noise Projects where they presented an evolving community visioning and performance work “Soundtracking Freedom” supported by a Leeway Foundation Art and Change Grant. They organized the event “Jazz Genealogies: Spring Sounds and Vinyl Swap” in Clark Park with the Support of the Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy for Jazz History Month. Sweet additionally scored the film “The Aunties” from the North Star to the Poplars that shares the stories of land stewards and elders Dear Donna J and Paulette Greene, that toured and was screened at Blackstar film festival. In 2022, they were a Fall Artist in Residence at the University of the Arts Inspiration lab.
They are a founding member and bandleader of the genre bending artist collaborative Black Folks Don’t Swim?, noted by DC-ist for “it’s formula of fearless experimentation.” As a performer, Sweet’s practice is based in the fundamental Black music traditions of Blues, Jazz, Funk, Gospel and Soul. They have supported artists such as YaYa Bey, Oh He Dead, and performed with local Philadelphia musicians including Omar’s Hat and Karen Smith.