Americans for the Arts

The topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion have gained momentum and are now positioned at the forefront of many conversations among organizations and arts administrators. From research reports to Twitter chats, from conference workshops to inter-office training sessions, members of the field have accepted the challenge of adapting to our country’s demographic changes and to adopting the language to improve how we engage diverse communities—as audiences and as employees.

However, despite these progressive and much needed efforts of equity and inclusion of diverse communities I am concerned. As a person of color, I am excited to see these topics become organizational priorities, but in many instances these efforts seem more suited as the step-sibling of “outreach” and “community engagement” rather than a conscious shift in organizational culture.

I've been listening to the audiobook of Shonda Rhimes' Year of Yes, which includes a recording of her amazing speech at the Human Rights Campaign Gala in 2015. In this speech she talks about how she sees her work as "normalizing" rather than diversifying. She is showing us the world we actually live in, not the whitewashed world we're used to seeing on television (in film, in theatre, etc.).

YES!

I've been pretty optimistic since learning about the release of our cultural equity statement. I feel that this was a necessary and appropriate first step if we want our work to continue to be purposeful and are serious about making the arts accessible to all.

Having worked with arts organizations both large and small, I have learned that it is the leaders at the grassroots level who actually represent and reflect the diverse communities that their programs and organizations aim to serve. Meanwhile, the larger institutions—such as museums, operas and symphonies—are facilitating conversations around the need for greater diversity in arts leadership, but most have not yet overhauled their own practices for cultivating diverse leaders. The arts field needs to invest in developing the necessary leadership skills of emerging professionals whose marginalization is keeping them out of the running for leadership positions at larger arts institutions.  

One of the issues arts presenters face when programming for social change is that of follow-up. Often, we bring in an impactful work that delivers a clear and concise message to our audience. But once the performers leave our city, there is no follow-up. The topic of the work is forgotten and we move on to our next presentation. Given this, I was fascinated to read the 11 qualities in the recently published Aesthetic Perspectives: Attributes of Excellence in Arts for Change. Right there … attribute number 11. Something called stickiness.

At the age of 5 I could recite the definition of genocide and explain to people the history of California and its first actions to eliminate Native Americans as a state. My knowledge of the events that are commonly hidden from textbooks did not make me the popular kid in school. I was picked on, not only by kids, but by teachers. I was a know-it-all and viewed by my teachers as a challenge. My mom, the executive director of the California Indian Museum and Cultural Center, recognized that the problems Native children face today are not different from the ones that she faced as a child. To combat the misinformation and stereotypes surrounding our people, she turned to the arts.