DIVERSITY COMMITMENT
we're striving to broaden and deepen connections with our local communities.
Guild artist and board member Jacqui Collett created this pledge conveying our united commitment to nurture diversity. We hope you'll join us in conversations and actions that help our shared communities thrive by becoming more inclusive.
In the time that has passed since the murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many others, the issues of racism, diversity, and inclusion have been brought into daily conversation for many of us. Organizations have been releasing statements about their beliefs and intentions. The Artisans’ Guild has been working on defining the issues and how we can move forward intentionally. We believe condemning racism is a step; however, it is not enough.
One is not defined by what they say, but by what they do. It is the same for our organization. We are confronting the reality that we have fallen short with our efforts to diversify our membership, to reach out and recruit Black and Brown artists and marginalized artists within our community. We are committed to taking on the challenge of creating a more diverse and inclusive organization through action.
To get started, we are committing to:
- Developing an external advisory group to recommend actions we can take to better serve the broader community in regard to inclusion and diversity.
- Creating a group within our membership to recommend and implement actions related to diversity -- working closely with our external community advisory group.
- Establishing an Art Market with a focus on diversity – hosting a monthly market in our gallery backyard with an emphasis on under-represented artists and makers.
- Providing mentorship programs for emerging and under-represented artists/makers.
- Recruiting marginalized individuals through outreach and invitation.
- Marketing the work of marginalized artists and offering a platform for them to share their stories.
- Establishing a non-profit subsidiary of the Artisans’ Guild, in part to address issues relating to recruitment and support of marginalized artists and makers.
Although we have the best intentions and we are poised to be deliberate and make changes to our organization to confront systemic racism, we acknowledge that we will likely make mistakes along the way and pledge to reach out to our advisors and to our community for constructive feedback to help us grow, learn and improve.
Please contact us if you are interested in joining our advisory group, sharing your insights and providing guidance.