Beyond a Labor of Love: A Call to Action for Pay Equity and Transparency

Join four Chicago-based non-profit arts organizations as they go beyond W.A.G.E. certification to foster a world where the entire artist is supported–holistically, equitably, and transparently. This interactive webinar brings together leaders from Threewalls, Roman Susan, Chicago Dancemakers Forum, and 3Arts to discuss their groundbreaking work in implementing pay equity and transparency in the arts.

This session will explore actionable strategies for artist support rooted in intersectional, human-centered policies that address both financial sustainability and the wellbeing of artists. Join for this conversation on Tuesday, April 29 at 2pm ET/11am PT, which will provide practical frameworks for advancing pay equity and transparency in your own organization, equipping attendees with tools to ensure that artists thrive–not just survive.

Live captioning will be available in English throughout the webinar. For additional accommodation requests, please contact GIA Program Manager Jaime Sharp, at least three (3) business days prior to the event.

Speakers

Joanna Furnans, Executive Director, Chicago DanceMakers Forum

Joanna Furnans (she/her), is a dance artist, writer, and administrator. Her work has been supported by a MANCC Forward Dialogues Laboratory, a Schonberg Offshore Creation Residency at the Yard, an Institutional Incubator Sponsorship at High Concept Labs, a Chicago Dancemakers Forum Lab Artist Award, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Illinois Arts Council Agency, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), the Chicago Dancers’ Fund, the Chicago Moving Company, Links Hall, and the Walker Art Center’s Choreographer’s Evening. Joanna is a co-founder of Performance Response Journal, is the current executive director of Chicago Dancemakers Forum, and is the board treasurer of the artist-run Roman Susan. She is a Certified Nonprofit Accounting Professional (CNAP), holds a certificate in Philanthropy and Nonprofit Organizations from Northwestern University’s School of Professional Studies, and a BA from Sarah Lawrence College with concentrations in Dance, Literature, and Philosophy.

Sharbreon Plummer, Ph.D., Interim Artistic Director, Threewalls

Sharbreon Plummer, Ph.D. (she/her) is a researcher and arts practitioner with a heart for expanding how artistic practice is defined, supported, and framed through theory. Her upbringing in southern Louisiana informs her interest and investment in how culture and ancestral memory act as influencers of identity and contemporary artistic production, especially within textile-based practices. For over thirteen years, her praxis has involved shaping resources for communities of creators whose work serves as an act of resistance, self-determination, and collective freedom. Sharbreon has served as an Alliance of Artist Communities Diversity and Leadership Fellow, YWCA Leadership for Social Change Fellow, and Tate Intensive participant. She has actualized and facilitated work featured in institutions such as Princeton University, RISD Museum, Project Row Houses, Hampshire College, Americans for the Arts, Blaffer Museum and several others. A few of her creative projects include her internationally distributed zine Diasporic Threads: Black Women, Fibre and Textiles (2022) and curatorial projects such as Of Salt and Spitit: Black Quilters in the American South (2024) Stitching Abolition (Chicago, 2022) and Mirrored Migration (New York, 2017). Sharbreon has also been featured as an artist-in-residence at Rogers Art Loft (Las Vegas, NV) and Arquetopia (Oaxaca, MX). She is currently the Interim Artistic Director at Threewalls and led the completion of their living wage policy report, From Living to Thriving, which contextualizes how to support artists equitably through a Black feminist lens.

Kristin Abhalter Smith, Roman Susan

Kristin Abhalter Smith is a multimedia artist, designer, and organizer who specializes in collaborative projects. She started Roman Susan in 2012, and has led the organization to share the work of 1250+ artists at 30+ locations. Her practice is focused on soft sculpture, printed and painted materials, and patchwork in relation to the body in motion. Themes of exuberance as well as grief are expressed through garments constructed with hand drafted patterns and found materials. The inspiration to collaborate and support other artists to produce their work is a continued thread of a professional background in scenic art and design for the stage. Kristin has an MFA from the University of Minnesota and is the founding director of Roman Susan. Chicago exhibition history includes Art on Armitage, Flatland, Hyde Park Art Center, Ignition Projects, and NEIU Gallery, among others. For more information, visit kristinabhalter.com and romansusan.org.

Cat Tager, Executive Director, 3Arts

Cat is the Executive Director of 3Arts, a nonprofit grantmaking and arts service organization that supports artists in Chicago and greater Illinois. Its focus includes women and nonbinary artists, artists of color, and deaf and disabled artists. A veteran arts administrator, Cat is also a musician and educator with a background in program development, management training, non-profit finance and accounting, and marketing strategy. She joined the 3Arts staff in 2022 as Director of Development and Partnerships following ten years of dedicated service on the 3Arts Board of Directors, during which she held the position of Board Chair from 2017 to 2022. Before joining 3Arts, Cat held multiple roles at the Old Town School of Folk Music, starting in 2002 as the Human Resources Director and later as Finance Director. After completing her MBA, Cat transitioned into a role as the School's Marketing Director where she oversaw the re-branding initiative and focused the School's marketing efforts around the expansion of its Lincoln Square campus. In 2019, she took on the Associate Director of Education role, successfully leading the School’s education programs into and out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cat holds a bachelor’s degree from Skidmore College, and an MBA from Loyola University. She is an avid pie baker, caregiver, musician, and, as a recording artist, serves as a voting member of the Recording Academy.