34 Organizations Turning Talk into Action

These were the words of Jennifer Gibbins, Executive Director of the Pratt Museum in Homer, Arkansas, when her organization applied to join the OF/BY/FOR ALL Change Network.

Jennifer knew that it was time for her team to radically re-envision their organization — and in particular, how their organization shows up with the many communities that are critical to its success. 

The past six months have pushed many cultural leaders to reconsider what a successful community organization looks like and how it operates. There are executive directors like Jennifer who see the need for change but may not feel fully equipped to drive it on their own. There are Black, brown, and indigenous advocates on staff stepping up to lead their colleagues to go beyond talk and make real commitments to racial equity and inclusion. And there are community activists demanding that organizations show up, take action, and be accountable to more people than they have in the past.

In other words, it’s time. 

For the 34 newest members of the OF/BY/FOR ALL Change Network, the unprecedented crises and uprisings of 2020 presented a challenge - and an opportunity. Many of these teams knew for years that a deeper focus on inclusion and equity was needed, but they couldn’t previously find the time, resources, or buy-in to make it happen. In 2020, the urgency was palpable. A portal opened… and these brave organizations decided to walk through it. They moved beyond vague statements to concrete action, joining the Change Network in what has become the largest cohort in OF/BY/FOR ALL’s history.

Katie Fleming, Gallery Manager & Education Coordinator at the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology, described some of the questions that arose around making change happen at their 120 year-old museum:

As we, like other museums around the world, have closed our doors in the name of public health, we are taking time to look inward and grapple with the core questions of our institution. What are the priorities of our museum? Who are we currently serving? Who is left out?

While many of the staff at the Hearst have been individually motivated to push the Museum toward equity and inclusion, we could benefit hugely from a coordinated effort supported by a cohort of like-minded institutions. We want to implement long term change and become a more inclusive and sustainable organization by building internal buy-in, and entrenching best practices to bring structure, clarity, and intentionality to future projects as we continue to adapt and grow.

OF/BY/FOR ALL Change Network members are ready to grow, and our program is growing to meet their goals. We’ve added more content about how to move from intention to action around equity and anti-racism, layered in nuance around institutional trauma and harm, and continued to enhance the interactivity and member-driven elements of the program. We learn from our Change Network members every day - and we keep enhancing the program based on their challenges and achievements.

Some of our newest members are organizations that were founded with a passion for social justice — a passion they want to push further. Paul Caldwell, Artistic Director of the Seattle Women’s Chorus and Seattle Men’s Chorus, noted:

As a performing arts organization founded in activism, we want to explore ways to deepen our commitment to current justice causes. We have sung about social justice all along. But singing about social justice and singing to create social justice are not always the same thing. Singing about it is often comfortable and celebratory. In hindsight, it hasn’t always furthered the cause.

The Seattle Women’s Chorus and Seattle Men’s Chorus are among five gay & lesbian choruses from across the US joining the Change Network. Many new members are working both in the international, cross-sector OF/BY/FOR ALL program and on concurrent initiatives in their cities or sectors. For example, the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco signed on to Black Voices Matter, a pledge of anti-racism in choral practice. We’re excited to see how this kind of intra-sector accountability shapes and accelerates change.

Increased commitments to equity aren’t only rising in the US. We have new members from Slovenia, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and the UK. That includes Streetwise Opera, a London-based organization that has been working for 20 years to co-create opera with homeless people. Their work at the intersection of music, public health, and community development is powerful. And they also knew that they could push their practice even further towards equity and radical partnership. For them, experimenting within a large, global, sector-diverse cohort like the Change Network is key to future growth and innovation. As Artistic Director Hannah Conway reflected:

These 34 organizations have brought a distinctively new energy to the table as we kicked off the cohort this September — bold, action-oriented, and ignited by the challenges of 2020, with hope for what can be reimagined from the embers of constant crisis. 

As our new Change Network members begin this adventure, they do so in a time of unparalleled uncertainty and hope. We’re honored to support their journeys to grow closer to their communities. We look forward to sharing what we and our members learn along the way, and we hope you’ll join us for the ride!

Are you feeling motivated to drive inclusive change at your organization? If the answer is yes, but you are unsure what comes next, schedule some time to chat with an OF/BY/FOR ALL team member to see if the Change Network makes sense for your organization.

Without further ado, please meet the 34 members of our fantastic new cohort, and follow along their journey to inclusive change!

• ANNA Crusis Women’s Choir, Philadelphia, PA, USA

• Art Works Now, Hyattsville, MD, USA

• Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance, Chicago, IL, USA

• Horizon Theatre Company, Atlanta, GA, USA

• Indy Hall, Philadelphia, PA, USA

• Kennedy Heights Art Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA

• Knoxville Opera, Knoxville, TN, USA

• LSU Museum of Art, Baton Rouge, LA, USA

• Maryland Humanities, Baltimore, MD, USA

• Minnesota Chorale, Minneapolis, MN, USA

• New Jersey Theatre Alliance, Morristown, NJ, USA

• Nonclassical, London, England, UK

• One Voice Mixed Chorus, St. Paul, MN, USA

• Science ATL, Atlanta, GA, USA

• Streetwise Opera, London, England, UK

• Théâtre Cercle Molière, Manitoba, Winnipeg, CAN

• Tri Institute, Škofja Loka, Gorenjska, Slovenia

• Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery, Carlisle, England, UK

• Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Los Angeles, CA, USA

• Bainbridge Museum of Art, Bainbridge Island, WA, USA

• Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO, USA

• Freight & Salvage, Berkeley, CA, USA

• Georgeson Botanical Garden, Fairbanks, AK, USA

• Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

• Manoa Heritage Center, Honolulu, HI, USA

• Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology, Berkeley, CA, USA

• Portland Lesbian Choir, Portland, OR, USA

• Pratt Museum, Homer, AK, USA

• Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery, Launceston, Tasmania, AUS

• Quest Science Center, Livermore, CA, USA

• Seattle Men's Chorus / Seattle Women's Chorus, WA, USA

• Te Awamutu Museum, Te Awamutu, Waikato, New Zealand/Aotearoa

• The Paseo Project, Taos, New Mexico, USA