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DECEMBER/JANUARY 2017 MACON MAGAZINE | 33 purge a little so I can make room for new stuff," Wilder said with a laugh. "I love everything I do so much. None of it is frivolous, and leaving is never easy – but I have to give myself space to focus elsewhere." Her commitment and dedication haven't gone unnoticed – she's earned an impressive list of recognitions, among them a 2004 Macon Arts Alliance Cultural Award, a spot on Macon Magazine's 2011 Five under 40 list, and a 2014 Wesleyan College Young Alumna award. The list goes on, but Wilder is modest and seems a little uncomfortable when listing her accomplishments. She's not in it for the glory. On the other hand, she is very comfortable exploring crucial issues that many shy away from: how to bridge some of the divides that exist in our community and how to intentionally create more diversity wherever possible. "We're still so segregated in our performing arts," she said, "and in other ways too, but since I'm a performing artist, that's where I focus. I don't believe for a second that there's any malice, or that people don't want to be more inclusive – either they're comfortable with how things are, or they're busy. But you can't be so busy that you forget to be a part of your community. Macon isn't monolithic – it's important that our cultural events accurately represent what our city actually looks like." When Wilder first moved here in 1997, she felt a little rattled by the lack of diversity in some Macon spaces; there's been significant growth since then, but there's always more to be done. Wilder is happy to note progress in the form of several local events that draw diverse crowds, among them Bragg Jam's Second Sunday Concert Series, the Cherry Blossom Festival and the Thriller parade – a beloved Halloween tradition choreographed by Wilder and founded by Brad and Hayiya Dance Theatre Moye Photography