GIA Reader (2000-present)

The Community ACTS Fund

“Every system is perfectly designed to get the result it gets.”
— W. Edwards Deming (possibly apocryphal)

Cultural equity is critical to the arts and culture sector’s long-term viability, as well as to the ability of the arts to contribute to healthy, vibrant, equitable communities for all. At the core of the challenges related to cultural equity are the historically inequitable distribution of resources and the value systems, biases, and systemic barriers associated with that distribution.

Introduction

John Ton, Robby’s Arc. Photo courtesy of author.

When I applied for a position at the Howard Gilman Foundation in the summer of 2014, there was very little I could do in the way of research or preparation. Online material about the late Howard Gilman was sparse. His foundation appeared to have a website, but upon closer inspection, it was just a single home page, and even that seemed out of date.

ABOUT THIS POEM: “‘Muddy’ is inspired by the motion and cadence of Diné words. Looking at it on the page, one sees kinetic text and hears onomatopoeia, so the repetition of ‘tł’ish’ reenacts the sound of someone stepping in mud, and then the word itself turns into a poem.” — Orlando White

In the fall of 2019, SMU DataArts — in partnership with Theatre Communications Group (TCG) — released a paper examining the financial health of nonprofit theaters in the years leading up to, during, and following the Great Recession. With data pointing to an economic slowdown, the researchers explored the financial preparedness of US theaters to weather the coming period of uncertainty and turbulence.

Many of us working in arts philanthropy believe deeply in the power of art and culture to create shared experience and connection, and to contribute to strong, healthy, and resilient communities. We spend a lot of time making the case for the value of the arts to our colleagues in other fields, to our public officials, and those in other sectors. Over the past several years, there has been a noticeable and significant increase in interest among folks outside of the arts in how arts, culture, and creativity can play a role in equitable community development.