Bunnell Street Arts Center adopts this values statement of the Western States Arts Federation and commits to employing intentional practices that aim to remove historic, societal, and systemic barriers to creating a more equitable arts and culture field. We reaffirm with fresh urgency and renewed momentum our commitment to providing programs and partnering with individuals and organizations to diversify leadership in the arts.
We will continue to:
- Build a cohort of Black, Indigenous and people of color cultural leaders in Alaska who are committed to the advancement of the arts through our Board, Staff, Advisors and Artists.
- Provide opportunities for Black, Indigenous and people of color arts professionals to establish networks that support their career and advocate for the cultural interests of the communities they represent and serve.
- Facilitate the creation of new programs or partnerships that advocate for representative and inclusive leadership in public sector arts agencies and arts organizations in a manner that brings the perspectives of historically marginalized communities into focus.
- Proactively engage arts and culture organizations and state arts agencies in Alaska to better understand and adopt inclusive practices.
- Train with equity consultants who identify as people of color to provide the tools and information that will allow staff to gain a deeper understanding of Bunnell’s commitment to equity, what that means, why it is important and ways to advance inclusion and equity in their day-to-day lives in and outside the office.
- Increase opportunities, benefits, and resources for historically underrepresented communities in a manner that results in quantifiable and systemic change.
- Seek out and nurture reciprocal relationships and alliances with members of underrepresented communities to increase awareness of and sensitivity to their aspirations and expressed needs.
- Maintain our commitment to the development of leaders of color within our staff, organization, and the board and encourage hiring practices that work toward giving under-served communities of color greater access to our job postings.
We must do everything we can in Alaska and beyond to amplify marginalized voices, lift up underserved communities, and redress systemic inequities in the arts, culture, and creative sectors. There is so much at stake, so we must do it with honesty, humanity, humility, and an ever-present willingness to acknowledge our own privileges, prejudices, and failings, while committing to a more just and equitable future. This is the work that lies ahead.