About Onyx Center for the Performing Arts
The Onyx Center for the Performing Arts is a Detroit-based multidisciplinary arts institution dedicated to advancing artistic excellence, arts education, cultural preservation, and community transformation through theatre, music, dance, and visual arts.
Mission & Vision
Our Mission
The Onyx Center for the Performing Arts is a Detroit-based multidisciplinary arts institution dedicated to advancing artistic excellence, arts education, cultural preservation, and community transformation through theatre, music, dance, and visual arts. Rooted in Detroit's rich cultural legacy and connected to the creative capital of New York City, the Center cultivates emerging and established artists, provides transformative opportunities for youth and adults, and serves as a national bridge connecting communities, cultures, and generations through the power of the arts.
Our Vision
The Onyx Center for the Performing Arts envisions a future where Detroit and New York City are connected through a vibrant artistic exchange that elevates Black artistic traditions, nurtures the next generation of creative leaders, and expands access to world-class arts experiences. We aspire to become a nationally recognized cultural institution that serves as a catalyst for artistic innovation, educational excellence, economic development, and community engagement while creating pathways from local talent to national and global stages.
Founder's Vision
The Onyx Center for the Performing Arts was created to build a lasting bridge between the artistic soul of Detroit and the global creative influence of New York City. Through education, performance, cultural exchange, and community engagement, we will create opportunities for artists of all ages while preserving and celebrating the rich legacy of Black arts and culture. Our goal is not simply to present the arts, but to transform lives through them.
This is not a startup. This is a return.
Dr. Evelyn Collins is a Detroit native and a graduate of Pershing High School. With the Onyx Center for the Performing Arts, she is reinvesting a national career in arts education and theatre in the city that shaped her.
Detroit is in the midst of a cultural renaissance, yet its arts-education infrastructure has not kept pace. The Center exists to close specific gaps:
- Arts education The loss of sustained arts programming in public schools.
- Career pathways Limited pipelines for Detroit youth into professional arts careers.
- Cultural institutions Underinvestment in Black cultural institutions.
The Center's institutional model draws on Dr. Collins's deep study of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, the subject of her doctoral dissertation and her book Out of the Shadows.
The Onyx Center for the Performing Arts is distinct from rental venues: it is a long-term arts hub with a recording studio, after-school programming, master classes for youth, and original Detroit-anchored content.
Founder & Executive Director
Dr. Evelyn Collins is an educator, director, author, and motivational speaker. Her career in education spans roles as teacher, assistant principal, principal, and district administrator in Detroit, New York City, Mount Vernon (NY), and Ann Arbor.
She was the founder and founding principal of the Performing & Visual Arts Magnet School in Mount Vernon, later renamed the Denzel Washington School of the Arts, and the founder and architect of the Phylicia Rashad Auditorium. She is the founder and executive director of Harlem Ensemble Company and CEO of Onyx Production Company, and has directed more than 60 theatrical productions, including the 50th Anniversary production of Raisin at the Axelrod Performing Arts Center.
Credentials
- Ed.D Urban Education and School Leadership, Fordham University. Her dissertation was a case study of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts.
- MA Directing for the Theatre, University of Michigan.
- MS Educational Leadership, College of New Rochelle.
- MFA candidate Theatre Arts Management/Producing, Columbia University.
- BA Education & Theatre, University of Michigan.
Books by Dr. Collins
- Out of the Shadows: The Duke Ellington School of the Arts
- 10 Things Your Mama Should Have Told You
- 8 Women of Distinction: Standing on Their Shoulders
- Princess Loves to Dance
- Onward and Upward: Essays on Arts Leadership, Black Theatre, and the Transformative Power of the Arts
Awards & Recognition
-
Excellence in Theatre Education Award, Honorable Mention
Presented by The Tony Awards and Carnegie Mellon University for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Dr. Collins was selected from more than 700 applicants nationwide and ranked among the Top 16 theatre educators in the United States two consecutive years.
"Based on the strength and qualifications of your entry and materials, we are thrilled to award you with an Honorable Mention."
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Josephine Abady Award, Inaugural Recipient
Presented to Dr. Collins. The award is presented by The League of Professional Theatre Women, which advances the visibility and leadership of women in professional theatre. Established in honor of director and producer Josephine Abady, it recognizes a mid-career director, producer, or creative leader for excellence in professional theatre and commitment to cultural diversity in storytelling. As the first-ever recipient, Dr. Collins set the standard for future honorees.
Selected Honors
- Eagle Award, Arts Entrepreneurship Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce.
- Bethune Woman of Distinction National Council of Negro Women.
- The Legacy Award Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Zeta Nu Omega Chapter.
- Standing on Their Shoulder's Award Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
- Community Trail Blazer Award Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Pi Kappa Omega.
