95948
On Allyship as Practice
Just as our staff retreat ended up being a valuable and necessary exercise in laying down a foundation from which we, as an organization, hopefully act, I realized taking part in this salon could be a personal exercise in acknowledgement, accountability, and commitment—a more solid foundation from which I can act.
95941
Dismantling, Not Reinforcing, Privilege
By consciously and continuously identifying the needs of the field, exposing our blind spots, assessing our fuller diversity, and building and/or dismantling the structures that reinforce privilege, we can all take a little credit in the work of steering our society in a more equitable direction—even if we already think we are doing a good job.
95938
Standing at the Gates
Americans for the Arts cannot grow if we all look alike, think alike, see alike, smell alike. We need the different perspectives. And it starts with helping our hiring managers buying into this idea that we’re broadening, improving.
95939
Digging In: Cultivating Equity through Personal Responsibility
Systems don’t change themselves. Equity can’t happen without commitment from the individuals who comprise organizations, communities, and society and understanding where each other is coming from.
95910
What Can You Do? No, What Can YOU Do?
I think there are plenty of people like me, sitting in that room at the staff retreat, who felt like they had never been asked, “What can you do? Nobody knows your job better than you, nobody knows your daily work better than you. So what can you do?”
95911
Our Cultural Equity Statement: My Thoughts Moving Forward
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.
95909
The View from Another Perspective
Growing up in small town Iowa, I was taught to never discuss race, religion or politics in "polite society." I guess the idea behind this was that one should not talk about topics that are "sensitive" or "controversial" in nature as they can upset or make others feel uncomfortable. Alas, this is not always the best practice.
95908
What Are You Here For, and What Are You Going to Do About It?
It’s about commitment. Commitment to this place, commitment to doing some of this work. When you’re at Americans for the Arts and you’re participating in this work, it puts us in the forefront. So it’s good that we’re out there saying we’re tackling this—it’s a sore topic, but at the end of the day somebody has to do it.
95932
Creative Aging Takes Hold
Mesa Arts Center has just concluded its fourth year of Creative Aging programming, in partnership with several local organizations that serve seniors, people with dementia, and their caregivers. Creative Aging is a process where organizations utilize the arts to reach seniors, and employ trained teaching artists to engage them in creative activities that benefit their physical, mental, and emotional health.
95907
Thirteen Letters and Counting
It is of the utmost importance for this organization, and any other other that calls upon itself to embark upon this work, to get on our hands and knees in the trenches. My challenge for us all … Get to work.
95906
A Commitment to Moving Forward Together
The world is in turmoil and I want to work at a place that is invested in making positive change and where the staff is committed to growing, learning, and deeply caring about each other. I hoped our staff retreat would reaffirm these characteristics of Americans for the Arts while giving me the faith I need to keep moving forward.
