Sphinx Organization Releases Statement on Arts, Inclusion, Society: Lessons for Tomorrow
Submitted by Monica on May 13, 2016
Sphinx Organization, a Detroit-based group that provides classical music education programs and advocacy for musicians of color, has released the following statement penned by President and Artistic Director Afa S. Dworkin:
At a recent meeting convened by the National Endowment for the Arts with national arts service organizations, the now former Executive Director/CEO of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) made comments widely construed as racist, short-sighted and patently false. NAfME found it untenable to expect effective leadership from a CEO who ascribes to regressive ideas about education. As President and Artistic Director of Sphinx Organization, whose work resides at the intersection of social justice and the arts, I felt compelled to speak up and challenge our field with a question: what lessons will we draw so as to ensure true change occurs?