Continuing the Conversation on Increasing Equity in the Arts

When: 
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
12:00pm to 1:30pm EST
Where: 
Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council
810 Penn Ave
Pittsburgh
PA 15222
Add to Calendar

In September 2012, the GWP Arts Funders Roundtable hosted an important discussion on the growing national dialogue on issues of equity in arts funding, including the National Committee on Responsive Philanthropy’s Fusing Arts, Culture and Social Change report (2011). To continue the conversation, we’ve invited representatives from Theatre Communications Group to join us via Skype to share the story of their multi-year Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Initiative. The Initiative includes the Diversity & Inclusion Institute, a national peer-learning community of 22 organizations dedicated to implementing diversity and inclusion action plans at their theatres and advancing equity field wide.

They will share how the Institute’s resources and skills-building tools have impacted the theatres’ organizational cultures as well as the personal development of the individuals involved. Another component of the initiative is REPRESENT, a demographic survey platform where people self-identify across the intersections of race/ethnicity, gender, religion/spirituality, class, ability, age, sexual orientation, and nation of origin. TCG's Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Initiative is cultivating a complex, and nuanced approach to understanding identity, privilege, oppression, and areas of difference and how these play out in the arts and beyond.

Following the main presentation by TCG, Justin Laing will share updates about the ongoing work happening through national Grantmakers in the Arts and the launch of a local racial justice working group for funders here in the region, and Tiffany Wilhelm will briefly talk about the racial justice and accessibility work happening at the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council.

Presenters:

Dafina McMillian, Director of Communications & Conferences, Theatre Communications Group

Justin Laing, Senior Program Officer, The Heinz Endowments

Tiffany Wilhelm, Deputy Director, Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council