Sejal Mehta named to South Arts board

Indian American attorney and arts advocate Sejal Mehta has joined the Board of Directors of South Arts, a nonprofit regional arts organization empowering artists, organizations, and communities, and increasing access to arts and culture.

“These 30 leaders from our nine-state region and beyond work in and support the creative sector through their professional and volunteer efforts,” the Atlanta, Georgia-based organization said announcing Mehta’s appointment with three other new directors.

Mehta has a strong love of the arts, according to her official profile. She serves on the boards of the North Carolina Arts Council and International Focus of North Carolina.

Previously, she served on the board of the Raleigh Little Theater and Raleigh Review. Mehta also served on the fiction staff of the Raleigh Review, and she has assisted on the production of short films and various commercials in both New York and the Triangle.

In addition, Mehta worked as a contract attorney for Duke Energy, an attorney at the New York Medical Examiner’s Office, and a prosecutor in the Queens District Attorney’s Office in New York City.

She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with her husband, Jay Chaudhuri, their two teenage children, and their golden retriever Lincoln.

READ: Biden names Sunil Puri to Advisory Committee on the Arts (March 14, 2022)

South Arts says it supports artists and organizations through a rich and responsive portfolio of grants, fellowships, and programs because it “believes that the arts elevate the region, increasing connectedness and inspiring meaningful change in the process.”

It does so in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the State Arts Agencies of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee — with additional funding from other public and private donors such as the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

South Arts says it believes in the power of the arts crossing borders. “Our region birthed jazz, cultivated the traditional arts of Appalachia, and is home to some of today’s most innovative, boundary-pushing artists,” it noted.

South Arts supports and celebrates the artistry of the region with grants and fellowships for artists, communities, and organizations. It supports organizations that present and engage touring Southern artists for performances, readings, exhibits, and residencies.

South Arts says it values partnerships between artists and organizations that cross sectors, impacting areas of life including healthcare, aging, and education.

South Arts also provides fellowships to artists so that they can continue their lifelong learning, develop new work, and thrive while calling the region “home.”