Our Commitment to Social Justice

ArtsWestchester is a not-for-profit organization which is vital to the growth and sustainability of the arts in Westchester for all residents and visitors regardless of race, age, gender identity, disability, religious and cultural beliefs and sexual orientation. We support and present a broadly defined array of arts and cultural activities, in various forms and disciplines, which embrace the varied expressions of our multi-cultural community.

As ArtsWestchester looks to the future, and in recognition of the current needs of the communities we serve, we reaffirm and further commit to advancing social justice through our policies and practices. We acknowledge that this work is on-going and commit to enacting a strategic vision that is proactive and responsive in shaping a just, fair, and equitable Westchester.

Our Definition and Commitment to the Four Pillars of Social Justice

Dancers from Nalini Rau’s Natya Anubhava Academy during Performing Families event in ArtsWestchester’s gallery (photo credit: Tim Grajek)

We define and commit to these principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility as interpreted as follows:

Diversity is the representation of all our varied identities and differences (including race, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, socio-economic status) collectively and as individuals. As an arts organization, ArtsWestchester extends its definition of diversity to also include all creative artistic expressions (performance, visual and language-based) as practiced by any group or individual.

We commit to embracing and increasing diversity, believing that diversity in the arts is excellence in the arts.

Equity seeks to ensure fair treatment, equality of opportunity, and fairness in access to resources for all. We commit to working actively to challenge and respond to bias and harassment, and discrimination. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, age, socio-economic status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, physical appearance, or veteran status.

We commit to enacting programs and policies that promote cultural equity, ensuring that the arts are available to all, and especially to Westchester’s most vulnerable residents.

Inclusion builds a culture of belonging by actively inviting the contribution and participation of all people. Inclusion is where people’s differences are valued and used to enable everyone to thrive.

We commit to ensuring that Westchester County is a place where all creative differences and expressions are welcomed, different perspectives are respectfully heard, and where every individual feels a sense of belonging. We commit to fostering an inclusive workplace with fair policies and practices that enables a diverse range of people to work together effectively

Accessibility is ensuring that the arts are available to all. We believe in providing awareness, resources and services in the arts so that individuals are not excluded, denied services, segregated, or otherwise treated differently because of their disability, socio-economic status or other barriers that might preclude participation.

We commit to embracing accessibility of the arts in the broadest possible sense of its meaning to include any and all barriers to participation.

New Initiatives in Our Commitment to Social Justice

As part of our reaffirmed commitment to advancing social justice, ArtsWestchester undertakes raising funds and seeking support for a series of new initiatives for the next five years. These initiatives emerge from our ongoing field work and are possible based on our organizational capacity. These programs and policies aim to touch each corner of Westchester through serving artists, cultural organizations, and residents, and through ongoing self-reflection and training at our own institutional level:

Installation artist Amanda Browder working with BOCES student Leslie Valdovinos for Browder’s upcoming public art installation (photo credit: Aaron Paige)

Social Justice Board Commitment: In 2020, ArtsWestchester established a committee to review our past work and future goals in the field of EDIA, including evaluating our practices and success in recruiting and retaining diverse candidates for job and board positions. The Social Justice Committee will become a committee of the board, and continue to engage in ongoing work in the field of equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility. The Committee will help establish benchmarks for ArtsWestchester and engage in ongoing evaluation of our success in these areas. In addition, the Committee will lead in the creation of professional development programs around EDIA topics for our affiliates and grantees.

Publish a Dashboard on EDIA: ArtsWestchester intends to add a “dashboard” on EDIA activities to its website. The dashboard serves as a public scorecard on ArtsWestchester’s progress in meeting EDIA benchmarks and goals in key areas.

Ongoing EDIA and Sensitivity Training for ArtsWestchester Staff, Board, and Affiliates: ArtsWestchester believes in a work environment where all members of its team feel comfortable to express their unique identities and have opportunities to contribute. We commit to providing ongoing EDIA and Sensitivity Training for our staff and board members, with the goals of creating and maintaining a respectful, inclusive workplace. We will continue to make diversity and inclusion core criteria of our grants process and professional development agenda.

Cultural Leaders Fellowship: ArtsWestchester acknowledges that Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color are still largely underrepresented in leadership positions in the arts and across other sectors. ArtsWestchester believes that diverse perspectives are a hallmark of artistic excellence and that residents deserve to see their identities and aspirations reflected in our cultural offerings and leadership. The Cultural Leaders Fellowship advances diversity and excellence within ArtsWestchester and the arts sector at large. The Fellowship is an opportunity for emerging arts leaders from systemically disadvantaged and historically underserved populations to gain valuable field training and professional development towards sustainable careers in non-profit cultural organizations, including museums, galleries. Fellows will work alongside ArtsWestchester staff for eighteen months, receive a stipend and other benefits, and be empowered to develop and present a program of their vision.

Voices for Change Artist Grant: “Voices for Change” is a unique artist grant opportunity designed to promote social awareness through the arts. At ArtsWestchester, we believe that art has the power to illuminate complex issues, encourage civic discourse and open the community to new ways of thinking. “Voices for Change” provides the creative community with an opportunity to develop and present new work that inspires and informs, and may be a catalyst for action. Proposals may include a collaboration with a service or community-based organization. Artists will receive grants in significant amounts to create new works of art, in any discipline, which will be debuted at ArtsWestchester.

Social Justice Cultural Organization Award: In recognition that many arts organizations in our area have also embraced EDIA as a core of their mission, ArtsWestchester wishes to recognize outstanding work in the area of social justice through the arts. The award will be presented at our annual Arts Award event, and come with a cash grant.

The ArtsWestchester BIPOC Artist Grant: The ArtsWestchester BIPOC Artist Grant provides direct support to emerging and mid-career Westchester artists, in all disciplines, who identify as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color (BIPOC) to further their practice. ArtsWestchester defines an emerging artist as a creative at the early stages of their career, or who has received some recognition for their work, but is not yet widely known in their field. ArtsWestchester considers a mid-career artist to be an artist who has created an independent body of work over a number of years and who has received regional or national recognition through publication or public presentation of their work. One grant of $5,000 will be awarded annually for three consecutive years through a competitive process. The grant recipient will have an opportunity to present work at ArtsWestchester, in person or virtually.

Performing Families II: The Art of Runway and Step (photo credit: Tim Grajek)

“Who Writes History” Exhibition: Supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, “Who Writes History?” is an exhibition of new work that will address the complexities of writing (or rewriting) history. Commissioned artwork created by Hudson Valley regional artists will be exhibited in context with a diverse roster of artists from other corners of America, to explore how images and language (together and independently) shape our collective memory and mainstream narratives related to race, gender and politics. The exhibition seeks to bring marginalized stories to the fore in an effort to work towards a more complete recounting of the past and present.

“Crossing Borders” Initiative: “Crossing Borders” is a three-year interdisciplinary community development and programmatic initiative that seeks to highlight the living traditions and contemporary artistic expressions of Westchester’s diverse immigrant populations. Developed in collaboration with local stakeholders “Crossing Borders” will consist of developing an advisory group and a series of performance and exhibition programs that reflect the creative practices and contemporary cultural expressions of Westchester’s diverse populations. To make the content accessible to a wide audience, each program will be enhanced with digital materials and interpretive workshops, talks, and community-conversations (in person and virtual) that will take place at ArtsWestchester and at partner sites.

Juneteenth Across Westchester: ArtsWestchester has been an active supporter of Juneteenth celebrations in Peekskill and White Plains. Through collaborations with municipalities and grassroots organizations, ArtsWestchester intends to increase its involvement in organizing and promoting Juneteenth observances across Westchester County.

Celebrating Pride: ArtsWestchester’s LGBTQ+ Arts Initiative was inaugurated in 2018 to bring greater visibility and appreciation to the expressive practices of New York’s LGBTQ+ communities. Combining demonstration, hands-on activities and conversation (virtually and in person), ArtsWestchester Pride programs will explore art forms like runway walking, vogue dancing, and effects/costume design, all practiced within New York’s Black and Latinx LGBTQ+ ballroom community.

Creation of the Art Factory for Teens: Since 2017, ArtsWestchester’s “Teen Tuesdays and Thursdays” has offered free workshops to young Westchester residents in transition, many of whom are homeless, have special social and emotional needs and challenging economic circumstances. The program serves 750 teens enrolled in eight partner organizations including the White Plains Housing Authority, the Coachman Family Center, and the Boys & Girls Club. Workshops are currently offered in ArtsWestchester’s gallery, but as we make our way back to in-person programming in a post-pandemic world, we aim to use creative arts to help youth overcome everyday stressors of isolation and fear. Our greatest need is for a discreet enclosed and equipped learning space, that provides teens with a creative safe home, where they can find consistency and feel comfortable to collaborate, create and communicate. The Art Factory is first, a place, a constant source of inspiration and space for expression for the youth who attend.

Cultural Plan: It has been nearly 25 years since the last cultural plan for Westchester County. In the wake of COVID-19 and a changing Westchester demographic, ArtsWestchester wishes to embark on a new Plan for Arts & Culture for Westchester County – a plan that maps cultural assets throughout the County, and establishes new goals for promoting and supporting the work of artists and cultural organizations, of all sizes.

Download the full Brochure Here