In my last column, I wrote about Brian Loevner and the white paper he’s created through his company, BLVE Consults, on the subject of “cultural triage” and what arts leaders and funders might need to do to ensure the survival (or help the ending process) for the arts in a post-pandemic world. But as Loevner himself acknowledges, the lens through which many arts consultants view the future of the field tends to be dominated by the experiences of predominantly white institutions (PWI). He asked Miranda González, artistic director of Humboldt Park’s UrbanTheater Company (where Loevner is currently a board member) to write a paper offering some missing context and counterpoint from the perspective of a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) arts institution.
A key point that she raises is that BIPOC cultural nonprofits—most of which came into existence within the last 50 years, compared to “flagship” white-led institutions—are often rooted in their communities in a way that those organizations are not.
In her response to “Cultural Triage,” González wrote that “In meetings with program officers, [BIPOC organizations] are being asked to apply for grants together in order to be more appealing to the board of trustees, thus continually perpetuating oppression. The limitations that the philanthropic community place on the distributed funds is steeped in paternalism and bias.” She also notes, “Several funding organizations have told me they have never asked white organizations to come together in order to be more desirable to trustees. Is this what the philanthropic community sees as equitable?”
In her paper, González emphasizes, “We were created out of necessity, the need to belong, the longing to see our stories and our bodies reflected on those stages. Creating community among like organizations, business, and audiences is our speciality. Our needs during this time cannot be compared to the needs of PWIs.”
