Guest Post from Pro Bono ASL: Art, Culture, Accessibility, and Accountability

June 29, 2021

We are honored to share a guest post from Pro Bono ASL, who the Guild has been working with to provide ASL interpretation for our virtual programming since fall 2020. We encourage you to reflect on the questions and calls to action shared below, and we are continuing to do so ourselves.

Stop for a moment, and reflect. How much do you know about Deaf Arts? The Deaf community is a vibrant one, with a language and culture all their own. Deaf people occupy all roles in society, just as hearing people do, including the roles of Artists and Educators. Who are these Deaf community members? What is their inspiration? How does being a part of such an oft overlooked subculture of America impact their artistic expression? How do BIPOC Deaf artists navigate through layers of audism and racism? What might we learn from their experiences? Excluding the lives and perspectives of an entire section of our community, means that we cannot enjoy the lessons they have to teach us.

The resurgence of social liberation movements after the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and multiple other precious Black lives has been a long awaited wake-up call for Educators within Cultural and Artistic spaces. The call: Accountability, and the abolition of Neutrality within the Arts. We should all be made aware that Arts and Culture would not exist without the beautifully expansive minds of Black creatives. BLM was plastered on the sides of Museums, Theatres, and Institutions; Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity statements were written; the Arts flooded timelines and headlines with support for Black Lives. However, to a large part of the Black community, this activism was, ironically, performative.

In the same vein, Deaf and Disabled community members have historically been excluded, forgotten, and disenfranchised from Arts and Cultural organizations. Furthermore, activism under the guise of inclusivity, remains performative. The lapse in accessible thinking when cultivating shared creative spaces is a systemic issue that continues to bar Deaf and Disabled visionaries from participating creatively and generously synthesizing their lived experiences. Accountability must be taken, and reparations given. In order for Educators in creative spaces to be fully inclusive in their craft, access must be made a priority, not an afterthought. Without access for ALL, the excellence of Arts and Culture will continue to fall flat.

Last fall, National Guild reached out to Pro Bono ASL, in an effort to take accountability and pay reparations. As a bit of background, Pro Bono ASL is comprised of hearing ASL interpreters using our hearing privilege to provide language justice for the Deaf community. Our work includes interpreting for the ASL-deficient hearing community, and shining the spotlight on Deaf individuals and organizations that have historically been overlooked or passed up due to audism, ableism and linguicism. We take our role as allies and accomplices seriously, holding doors that have been opened for us ajar, for Deaf people to walk through, instead. For example, when offered the opportunity to present during the Guild’s Rootwork Session, Pro Bono ASL immediately accepted the offer, and extended that platform to Deaf illustrator Awet Moges, filmmaker Jade Bryan and dancer/choreographer Tanisha Russell, all members of the Black Deaf community.

When we demand institutional recognition for Black Lives, we mean ALL Black Lives; Black Queer peoples, Black Elders, Black Deaf and Disabled folks, and all intersections within. Without providing access to artistic and cultural curriculum, programming, thinking, and performances, stories are erased, and opportunities for expansive collaboration missed.

We look forward to sharing more with you, next time, directly from Deaf artists, as they discuss access, education, inclusion and the Deaf Artist Experience.

Stay tuned for the piece mentioned above, featuring stories directly from Deaf artists, in the next issue of GuildNotes!

286 Organizations Receive Unrestricted Grants Averaging $10 Million Each

June 15, 2021

MacKenzie Scott, the third-wealthiest woman in the world, has announced that she is giving grants averaging $10 million each to 286 equity-oriented organizations. The organizations chosen focus on supporting higher education, arts and culture, and community engagement; centering ethnic and religious minorities; and fighting global poverty. The list of grantees includes many community arts education organizations, Guild members, and members of the Guild's extended "family"!

In a piece on Medium, Scott explains her unconventional approach to philanthropy, which forgoes the foundation model, aims to center organizations that work with marginalized communities and/or have been historically excluded from funding streams, and, perhaps most significantly, imposes no restrictions on how the funding can be used (Vu Le of Nonprofit AF has written extensively about the need for this):

"In this effort, we are governed by a humbling belief that it would be better if disproportionate wealth were not concentrated in a small number of hands, and that the solutions are best designed and implemented by others. Though we still have a lot to learn about how to act on these beliefs without contradicting and subverting them, we can begin by acknowledging that people working to build power from within communities are the agents of change. Their service supports and empowers people who go on to support and empower others.

…

These are people who have spent years successfully advancing humanitarian aims, often without knowing whether there will be any money in their bank accounts in two months. What do we think they might do with more cash on hand than they expected? Buy needed supplies. Find new creative ways to help. Hire a few extra team members they know they can pay for the next five years. Buy chairs for them. Stop having to work every weekend. Get some sleep.

Because we believe that teams with experience on the front lines of challenges will know best how to put the money to good use, we encouraged them to spend it however they choose. Many reported that this trust significantly increased the impact of the gift."

In the piece, Scott also explains why she considers arts and cultural institutions an important sector to invest in:

"Arts and cultural institutions can strengthen communities by transforming spaces, fostering empathy, reflecting community identity, advancing economic mobility, improving academic outcomes, lowering crime rates, and improving mental health, so we evaluated smaller arts organizations creating these benefits with artists and audiences from culturally rich regions and identity groups that donors often overlook."

We congratulate all of the organizations receiving grants, and are intrigued to see how the field of philanthropy continues to shift towards equity. Visit the Community Centric Fundraising website to learn about the movement to evolve how fundraising is done in the nonprofit sector (Community Centric Fundraising is not affiliated with MacKenzie Scott).

Read the full piece on Medium for the list of grantees and more information about how the organizations were chosen.

For more, read coverage in the New York Times.

Welcome to Jasmine Huff, the Guild’s new Learning and Engagement Manager!

June 10, 2021

We are thrilled to welcome Jasmine Huff as the newest member of the Guild staff, in the position of Learning and Engagement Manager!

Jasmine Huff headshot

Jasmine (she/her) joins our team remotely from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. An intuitive visual artist, Jasmine Huff started her career early. As the product of an artistic family, she exhibited and sold her art, photography and jewelry in her family’s gallery, Huff Art Studio. At nineteen, she graduated from Salem College where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Film and Media Studies. She continued her studies at Northwestern University where she graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in Documentary Media in 2016. In recent years, she has been teaching film courses, exhibiting her photography and assisting with art projects within her local community. Jasmine aims to bring her history as an artist and educator to her position as the Learning & Engagement Manager for the Guild.

Arts Education Council’s Response to Recent AFTA News + Upcoming National Town Hall

June 3, 2021

In a statement, the Arts Education Council speaks on Americans for the Arts (AFTA)’s lack of transparency in their failure to disclose findings from their recent investigation, and their lack of field engagement throughout the process since the council first issued a call for accountability and list of demands to AFTA in December 2020. The statement references a similar statement by the Performing Arts Alliance expressing their disappointment in "the missed opportunity for AFTA to begin the process of full transparency and accountability within the Arts community".

An excerpt from the Arts Education Council's statement: "This council publicly called for the resignations of Bob Lynch, Mara Walker, and Marc Ian Tobias in December 2020. More than six months after our calls for accountability, the public retirement of Mr. Lynch and the silent departures of Ms. Walker and Mr. Tobias are a first step to rebuilding the AFTA that this country’s arts and culture sector deserves, but it is only that: a first step. While we welcome the news that these senior leaders are no longer at the helm of Americans for the Arts, AFTA has much work yet to do to repair the harm caused — most directly to BIPOC-led arts and culture organizations — by decades of gatekeeping and resource-hoarding, spearheaded by their senior leadership…we were also disappointed to hear that there would not be a public, national search for Mr. Lynch’s replacement, and hope that Brig. Gen. Bivens spearheads a transparent and public process that will include soliciting member input so that senior operations positions will be filled with transformational community leaders who have proven their commitments to racial equity in the arts."

The Arts Education Council will now tranform from an advisory council affiliated with and in service to AFTA, into a national Progressive Arts Education Coalition working with leaders across the country to advance a more equitable arts education, creative economy, and cultural sector. They will hold an open national town hall slated for National Arts in Education Week (September 12–18) to refine a set of values and a national agenda for the arts education field. You can sign up for their mailing list to be alerted when registration for the Town Hall goes live.

Read the Arts Education Council's full statement here.

We agree with all points raised about continued lack of accountability and transparency, and look forward to seeing the Arts Education Council's next steps take shape. Our partnership with (and membership to) AFTA continue to be ceased until we see true accountability and change.

Expansion & Restructuring of the Guild’s Executive Leadership Team

June 2, 2021

We’re well on our way with the national search process for a new Executive Director, and we want to say a big THANK YOU for your support in the process and in sharing the job posting. During this time of transition, Guild staff has been working daily to continue our movement towards becoming an anti-racist organization. As we build a practice of transparency and storytelling about this journey, we’d like to share some changes to our executive leadership structure that we have implemented.

We have removed the word “Chief” from executive leadership titles. In multiple conversations with Indigenous and First Nation peoples, we’ve heard varying thoughts on whether the use of “Chief” is harmful. We believe that if it’s harmful to one, then we shouldn’t use it at all. We have decided to eliminate the language of “Chief Officer” from the titles of our executive leadership team. Now, Heather Ikemire is the Deputy Director of Learning and Engagement, Adam Johnston is the Deputy Director of Operations, and CEO has been retitled to Executive Director (this is reflected in the job posting).
We have expanded the executive leadership team to include the position of Deputy Director of Equity and Human Development. Ashley Hare (previously the Director of Leadership Development) has been promoted to this role. Ashley is the first self-identified person of color to join the Guild’s executive leadership team.

Below, Ashley shares their personal perspective on these changes, and how the changes relate to larger patterns within the nonprofit world—as well as recommendations to other organizations considering making similar shifts:

Hi Guild Fam! This story started off in an unexpected way. I had told myself I would never work for a white institution again. After tasting freedom for a few years, as a Black queer co-founder of an arts organization and a consulting firm, I was approached to join the National Guild. Being a former member, having facilitated whiteness and equity trainings for the Guild, and having met staff and board members, I was intrigued. In short, I decided to join the Guild’s journey of becoming an anti-racist institution, and here’s why:

When you’ve been a freelance racial equity consultant (or just a Black person in America) you can see the patterns and can write the script with your eyes closed. Let’s begin: An arts organization gets called in for racist practices, so they save face by hiring consultants to facilitate a couple of trainings. No other action needed, they think. However, problems persist, so the arts organization decides to “take action” and spends an exorbitant amount of money on a racial equity assessment of their organization from outside consultants, even though Black and brown folxs have told them for years where the troubles lie. Then, being shocked by the results, the organizations pours out more money for a few more trainings. They are now tens of thousands of dollars in the hole, with no structural change to be shown. Usually, the story stops here.

What I'm seeing now are white funders, nonprofits, corporations, and cities hiring a Racial Equity Officer, or Equity and Community Engagement Director, or Executive Assistant with a Racial Equity focus. However, these positions are placed into the organizational hierarchy in such a way that they have no power to enact systemic change. No decision making power. No public voice. No board relationships. (Plot twist: One day, hierarchies will be dismantled because they are inequitable.) The Guild is nowhere near dismantling hierarchies. So, understanding these dynamics, we at the Guild are experimenting with something new. It may not work, but we are staying flexible to change. Here’s a breakdown of what we’re doing to start:

I was originally hired as the Director of Leadership Development, as part of the programs team, with ONE. LITTLE. BULLET. in my job description stating “Liaison to racial equity work of the Guild”. Also a scripted move of a white institution. Hint: Don’t do this in your organization. If you are serious, do not place it as one bullet in the job description for a Black or brown staff member to see through.
So….that didn’t work. Anti-racism took over half my job, which we knew it would.
I originally reported to the Chief Program Officer (now retitled Deputy Director of Learning and Engagement), who in turn reports to the Executive Director. We moved my position up to the same level as the Deputy Director of Learning and Engagement and the Chief Operating Officer (now retitled Deputy Director of Operations). Now all three of us are in the executive team, working directly with the Executive Director. One step removed, as opposed to two. (Plot twist: There are still inequities in this model. Another conversation for another time. But a reflection point: How does a person of color on an executive team—the other members of which are white—have to move differently?)
Here’s the intrigue: we reframed my new position as Human Resources, or what we are calling Human Development. In most workplaces, HR is the dreaded department that acts in the interest of the institution, not the employee. The majority, if not all, of organizational racial inequities lie in the practice and policies set by HR: staff recruitment, hiring, performance reviews, compensation, promotion, and retention. As Deputy Director of Equity and Human Development, I have the authority to reexamine the Guild’s written policies and create new practices that hopefully improve work culture and support the Guild membership.
I work directly with the board as a liaison to the Racial Equity Committee, and participate in other board subcommittee meetings, to push forward the Guild’s efforts to become an anti-racist organization in alignment with our racial equity guiding principles.
Along with collaboratively expanding human development practices for staff and board, I am also helping support human development through leadership development programming like CAELI and CYD’s National Young Artists Summit—aligning personal growth practices internally and externally at the Guild.

Is anyone out there doing similar work? I’d love to create a community of practice together. My email is ashleyhare@nationalguild.org.

Youth Leaders Develop Graphics to Emphasize CYD Values

Young artists and activists from RYSE Youth Center (Richmond, CA) and youth leaders from Re:Frame Youth Arts Center (Phoenix, AZ) held a series of conversations to discuss Creative Youth Development (CYD) from 2019-2020. They met over video calls to discuss how they define CYD values, what CYD looks like in practice, and their expectations of adult partners in CYD spaces. A series of graphics emerged from these conversations to help guide adult practitioners and spark larger conversations with youth and adults in the field of CYD.

View the graphics and learn more on the Creative Youth Development National Partnership website.

Robert L. Lynch retires from AFTA leadership amid accusations of hostile workplace, racial inequity

May 27, 2021

It has been more than 5 months since Americans for the Arts' Arts Education Advisory Council, citing racial inequity, lack of accountability, and a hostile work environment, called for Robert L. Lynch and others to be removed immediately from their leadership positions at Americans for the Arts—with support from current and former staff of Americans for the Arts (AFTA) as well as organizations across the field including the Guild. Lynch, who has been on paid leave since December 2020, will now retire. The findings of investigations into the issues of racial inequity and a hostile work environment under his leadership have not been disclosed.

Retired Army Brig. Gen. Nolen Bivens, who has been serving as interim president during Lynch’s leave and is a former board member of AFTA, will replace Lynch as president and chief executive.

The announcement from AFTA's board states: “Bob has dedicated his life to the arts, in particular increasing access to the arts for everyone, and we know he will continue to be a passionate advocate for many years to come.”

AFTA’s board hired Proskauer Rose, an international law firm based in New York City, to investigate employees’s claims of a hostile work environment, and the Hewlin Group, a consulting firm for employment issues with offices in D.C., to review its workplace policies and procedures, including those related to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Those investigations have ended, according to the board’s statement. It did not disclose their findings.

EdVestors releases The Arts Advantage: Impacts of Arts Education on Boston Students

May 5, 2021

Supported by The Barr Foundation, The Arts Advantage: Impacts of Arts Education on Boston Students is a longitudinal research study was conducted by Dr. Daniel Bowen (Texas A&M University) and Dr. Brian Kisida (University of Missouri), who have a track record in conducting influential arts education research studies. The study encompasses an analysis of eleven years of arts education data and district data regarding student engagement, school climate, and traditional academic outcomes to examine arts educational impacts for students, and includes over 1,500 variables and 615,000 student-level observations. The ongoing BPS Arts Expansion collaborative effort between the Boston Public Schools, EdVestors, local and national funders, arts organizations, and community members has had remarkable impact. Some highlights from the study’s findings include:

Positive effects on student attendance over the course of a school year, including a reduction in chronic absenteeism
Increased levels of student engagement through gains in effort and participation in class, school belonging, and enthusiasm for the arts
Higher levels of parent engagement with the school community, their child’s teachers, and being advocates for their school’s improvement

The breadth and depth of the study provides strong empirical evidence to strengthen case-making and inform decision-making around policy matters particularly involving allocation of resources for arts educational opportunities. This study provides a much-needed foundation for future research in arts education and generates new hypotheses for the field that can be utilized in building theory, designing interventions, and guiding future evaluations.

The study was covered in an article in CommonWealth Magazine.

Read the full report here.

Guild Executive Director search update & job posting

April 22, 2021

The Guild is looking for an advocate and passionate visionary for community arts education to become our new Executive Director. This individual will build up and lead a high performing and diverse team and will create a new, inspiring, and clear strategic plan, reflecting the Guild’s core values. The job posting is now live! Please share the it far and wide to help us find this special human.

Learn more and apply: nationalguild.org/job-board/jobs/executive-director-ng

The National Guild's board Search Committee has selected Arts Consulting Group (ACG) to lead our executive search. ACG was chosen through an open call from an impressive range of firms. During the Guild's transition, Heather Ikemire (Chief Program Officer), Adam Johnston (Chief Operations Officer), and Ashley Hare (Director of Leadership Development) are acting as Interim Management Team to oversee daily operations.

Update on solidarity with AFTA’s Arts Education Council

April 21, 2021

This past January, the Guild released a statement standing in solidarity with the Arts Education Council at Americans for the Arts (AFTA). Since that time, board members of the Racial Equity Committee and Guild staff met with the Arts Education Council to discuss how the Guild may put action to our solidarity statement. One immediate action was to meet with AFTA’s leadership to share our position of solidarity. This meeting was finally granted in early April.

After meeting with AFTA’s board leadership, we do not believe AFTA has demonstrated progress in addressing the Arts Education Council’s concerns regarding long-standing racial inequities, lack of transparency, and a hostile work environment. We stand in solidarity with the Arts Education Council and commit to the follow actions:

End all financial relationships with AFTA, including renewal of membership and contract to administer our Benchmarking Data Survey
End attendance at AFTA conferences and convenings
Cease any public support of AFTA’s outreach in the arts education field
Actively encourage our membership, as well as other allied national organizations, to take action too

We will hold this position until we all see change at AFTA. We encourage other organizations to take these steps as they apply to you, in solidarity with the Arts Education Council and with people of color in our field and in our communities. We recognize the Guild is also complicit in holding harmful culture of white supremacy and practices that have violated the humanity of Black and Brown communities and people. We are actively working to reconcile our past, learn from those directly impacted by racial injustice, and shift our ways of being. We cannot support those unwilling to do the same.

—National Guild Staff and Board