Open, Closed, or All of the Above

Accessibility, equity, and inclusion in artist award selection process

Monday, October 22, 10:00am – 11:30am

Organized and moderated by Brian McGuigan, program director, Artist Trust.

Presented by Tony Grant, director, Sustainable Arts Foundation; Esther Grisham Grimm, executive director, 3Arts; and Denise Pate, Cultural Funding coordinator, City of Oakland, Cultural Affairs Division.

This session features a candid conversation about the inherently imperfect “open” and “closed” selection processes used in artist awards programs. The conversation will include examples and feedback from artists presented by local, state, and national funders that model the ways that either system can be worked to become more accessible, equitable, and inclusive with an emphasis on artists of color, women and non-binary artists, artists with disabilities, and rural artists. Participants will be invited to join the debate and share ideas in small group discussions as we encourage each other to push the boundaries of the processes we already know in order to create something better.