Vanessa Braun, Pittsburgh Cultural TrustJustin Laing, The Heinz Endowments, Arts & Cul-ture ProgramAdil Mansoor, Dreams of HopeTiffany Wilhelm, Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council

Broad and Deep:Transformation through Systems Change

OR…

Broad and Deep: Transformation through Systems DISRUPTION

Systems of OppressionRace, Gender, Class, Ability, Sexual Orientation, Age, Education, Nation of Origin, Religion...

The "ism"s

Oppression: Institutionalized power that is historically formed and perpetuated over time. It allows certain ‘groups’ to assume a dominant position over ‘other groups’ and this dominance is maintained at institutional and structural levels.

This means oppression is built into institutions like government and education, philanthropy and, yes, our arts sector.

-Ignite! Anti-Racist Toolkit

Systems of Oppression…have a history – they have formed

over time in specific political, economic and social contexts.

…run through our language and shape the way we act and the way we do things.

…are built around what are understood to be “norms” in our societies.

…are linked - multiple forms oppress (or privilege) each of us at the same time

Structural

Institu-tional

Interper-sonal

Per-sonal

Levels of Oppression

Power: the ability to control or coerce.

Privilege: “an invisible package of unearned assets”—Peggy McIntosh.

Power and Privilege

Increasing Accessibilityin Pittsburgh Arts and Culture

A multi-faceted, regional initiative to help arts and culture organizations welcome people with disabilities to their facilities, programs, and events as visitorsand patrons, artists andperformers, employeesand volunteers.

Goals1. Educate managers and

artists

2. Build a network

3. Deliver technical assistance and resources

4. Strengthen Pittsburgh’s connections at regional, state, and national levels.

How it Feels: Customer Service for People with DisabilitiesMgr of Diversity Initiatives, Pittsburgh Pirates

Working with Artists with DisabilitiesIncluded performances by and a panel of six artists with disabilities

Trained 22 Interpreters

ASL Interpretation for Performance

First Four Years: The NumbersJanuary 2011 to December 2014

Workshops Presented 19

Organizations Participating 60+

Workshop & Meeting Attendees 788

Presenters with Disabilities 23

2012 – 2014 Pittsburghers at LEAD 48

Access Peer Group Members 70

The Tree of Structural Racism in the Arts

Goals1) increasing awareness and

understanding of the structural nature of systems including racism

2) increasing the visibility of artists and arts organizations of color

3) promoting shared definitions and language for conversations about race

4) preparing and enabling more individuals to be agents of change

5) build a network of relationships and support for people in the arts working on social justice

Disruption of Typical Arts & Culture Philanthropic Process

The Transformative Arts Process

Usual Heinz Endowments Arts & Culture Philanthropic Process

• Reflect on prior work successes & mistakes;• Staff develop strategy based upon prior

experience and build it on top of other models with which we are familiar;

• Develop an RFP and ask for community input;• Share RFP with community; • Solicit responses;• Panel or staff makes decisions;

Starting Differently

• Reflected on prior processes focused on arts, youth and distressed neighborhoods ;

• Wrote a paper on these reflections to share with community;

• Convened colleagues in community development, arts education, schools, arts organizations, & politics;

The first paper we wrote communicating where we were going

Make Our Thinking Visible

Wanted a Strategy Process Imbued With Relationship Building

Engaged Race & Racism

Enlisted Colleagues

The Boston Foundation: Involve partners in looking at philanthropy

El Puente: Arts, Youth and Gentrifying Neighborhood

Youth Radio: Big $ and Youth Development

Respond to Grantees Request for Data

Did Not Use RFP. More Like Shark Tank.

janera solomon of Kelly Strayhorn Theater: Incubate spaces for African American artists interested in social justice on Penn Ave

James Brown of the Lighthouse House Project: Take the Lighthouse Program to a free standing building serving more and more accessible.

Charlie Humphrey of the Pgh Center for the Arts: Media Literacy Programs in AA & Distressed Neighborhoods

A Year Later…

• $800,000 appropriation – Grants for cohort and

movement building – Consultant team to

manage process– Stipends for advisory

board members– Evaluation

Development of TAP Advisory Board

As Told by Adil Mansoor

Partnered on Purpose, Way of Working and Decision Making

Working with youth

TAP Field Building

Strategies

Separate ineffective programs

from effective ones.

Attract people to attend the

programs already

operating in their

neighborhoods.

Support effective

programs in AA/DN over generations.

Recruit, train, support and

develop individuals

for the field.

Build community

among those doing the

work.

What is “Field Building”?

The Online Community

Disruptions & Non Disruptions

• Time• Structure is still the structure• New relationships;• Strengthened relationships;• Better understanding of the work of grantees;• Grantees may have more incentive than non

grantees;

Questions?

What are we doing (or what could we be doing) to DISRUPT within our system(s)?

Arts Organizations (Vanessa)

Arts Education (Adil)

Philanthropy (Justin)

LAAs/Arts Service Organizations (Tiffany)