We strive to be a place where people feel they belong and they can be inspired in their creative work. We work to educate ourselves, to be vulnerable and transparent, and to hold ourselves accountable as we strive for change. We have taken the following steps towards those goals, and continue to do the work.
- Training in antiracism and implicit bias for staff and board
- Belonging to national organizations such as the Artist Communities Alliance that focus/educate on DEI.
- Increasing diversity of our board, applicant pool, selected residents, and juror panels
- Ensuring that diverse identities are always included in decision-making situations, especially when selecting resident artists
- Being transparent about our facilities and programs on our website and on social media
- Holding information sessions regarding the application and selection process
- Using moderators in the selection process to promote equity and ensure all jurors’ opinions are heard
- Working to build relationships with local Odawa artists by providing residency opportunities
- Focusing resources on the Elevating Diverse Voices Curated Residency program
- Tracking the diversity statistics of the applicants
- Setting up mentoring relationships for incoming residents
- Seeking input from alumni BIPOC artists and artists with disabilities
- Holding Community Advisory meetings to get input and to have challenging community conversations on DEI
- Training volunteers on how to be equitable, inclusive, and avoid microaggressions
- Participating as panelists on DEI workshops
- Providing accommodations that are accessible, and striving to be welcoming to all (Please see our Accessibility Plan)
- Offering one hour of free professional life coaching services to residents
- Offering events free of charge so cost is not a barrier to inclusion
Good Hart Artist Residency acknowledges the inequity that exists within artist communities and professions. We are committed to taking mindful and resolute steps to undo these structural inequities and systemic barriers, and we work to support, uplift and resource the communities that have been most oppressed and marginalized.
We support LGBTQ individuals and the vast artistic contributions of LGBTQ artists throughout history, and we stand firmly against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
We support and honor the self-taught, recognizing that formal education and training is not accessible or attainable to many artists from low-income backgrounds and marginalized identities.
We support people of all races, ethnicities, national origins, economic statuses, and religions, because we are deeply troubled by structural racism and inequality.
We support documented and undocumented immigrants and refugees because we recognize the history of American imperialism and the violence of global capitalism, which has devastated people worldwide who then seek safety within US borders.
We support and respond to the needs of the people with disabilities, recognizing that they face structural and institutional barriers to artistic opportunity. We work to address ableism in the art and artists we support, and are firmly committed to making our site and resources accessible and comfortable for all. (Please see our Accessibility Plan)
We support First Nations, Indigenous, and Native peoples. We acknowledge the deep cultural and indigenous history that exists within the land that we occupy, and we continuously strive to deepen our collective understanding of the history of the Anishinaabek people of the Great Lake region.
We welcome people who are young and old, because we recognize and celebrate the value of creative work during different life stages.
We support women and gender minorities, and recognize the struggle faced by those who practice within historically male-dominated fields.
Land Acknowledgement
We respectfully acknowledge that the Good Hart Artist Residency is located on the traditional ancestral lands of the Waganakising Odawa people. The Odawa faced harsh discrimination as a result of white settlement in this area. Many Odawa lost their land, due to intimidation, illegal seizures, and unethical tax hikes. The process of knowing and acknowledging the land we stand on is a way of honoring and expressing gratitude for the ancestral people who were on the land before us, and we recognize the resilience of their community through time.
For the Odawa, art in many forms was a part of their everyday lives. They are known for their porcupine quillwork, weaving, basket making, and beadwork. The Odawa were traders of goods such as furs and maple sugar in this region. We strive to build relationships with Odawa artists, writers, and composers, to provide time for their creative work at the residency, and to bring awareness of and support for Odawa art in this community.
We recognize the complex and intersectional dimensions of identity, many of which may not be listed here. We hope that in our commitment to supporting these discrete communities and in our work to address structural inequities, we can be a nourishing and supportive home for artists of all identities.
Good Hart Artist Residency does not discriminate on the basis of disability in admission, access, or employment.