The arts are an integral and powerful tool in helping communities reflect, grow, and heal, but first, we need to examine how our local arts community excludes some of the most relevant voices of our time. The first two community-guided conversations will:
- Take an honest look at the issues and challenges in our own arts communities
- Identify strategies to improve equity, accessibility, and representation in our own practices, programs, operations, and organizational cultures
- Recognize gaps and identify existing resources and support for artists and arts professionals
- Cultivate space for the voices of black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) and other underrepresented community members to be heard
Following roundtables will be planned in response to the needs that arise from those initial conversations. Ultimately, we hope participants will gain new perspectives and information, find inspiration to create change in their organizations and communities, and garner a newfound connection with other artists and arts professionals for support and resource-sharing.
Your contribution helps us continue our community outreach, develop the conversation series, and pay our facilitators, presenters and guest artists.
http://lanearts.org/roundtables/
Image: Photo by Athena Delene of Springfield mural by artist Alison McNair with students from Gateway, Springfield, and Thurston High Schools
Title: Jessie Bostelle Memorial Mural
Date: 2001 Location: 448 Main Street