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Equity and Inclusion Series

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BCAA is proud to collaborate with the CU Boulder Office for Outreach and Engagement to bring you a series of events intended to explore inclusivity and equity in the arts. Artists, members of art organizations and patrons are invited to join us for these discussions with experts from CU Boulder and our community. 

2022 Upcoming Workshops, Panels and Events

Con·necting for Change Featuring Antonio Lopez
September 15th, 5:45 to 7 pm at Longmont Museum
Antonio Lopez is a quiet man with something to say. His latest release, Roots and Wings, won Album of The Year and Song of The Year in the Colorado Playlist Listener’s Poll. Lopez was born in Alamosa, CO, steeped in the Chicano culture of northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. Antonio has called Longmont home since 2012.

The event will be followed immediately by a panel discussion presented by the Longmont Museum as part of their Voices of Change Series, entitled Hate Crime in America featuring Annett James (Boulder County NAACP), Jonathan Lev (Boulder County JCC), Mardi Moore (Out Boulder), and Michael Dougherty (Boulder County District Attorney) moderated by Carmen Ramirez.

Con·necting for Change in the Boulder County Arts Landscape
April 14th, 5:30 to 7 pm at BMoCA
How do we promote diversity, equity, access, inclusion, and fundamental change within historically white arts institutions and the arts landscape in Boulder County?

A series of social gatherings designed to amplify BIPOC artists and strengthen relationships with Boulder County Arts organizations.

Con·nect for Change
Feb 23 Featuring Creative Nations at the Dairy Arts Center, 5:30 - 7pm in person!
BIPOC artists and Boulder County Arts Organizations are invited to join the first in a series of social gatherings designed to amplify BIPOC artists and strengthen relationships with Boulder County Arts organizations. 

Our kick off event features Creative Nations at the Dairy Arts Center—Founding members will share their current experiences and future plans for Boulder’s first collective and permanent onsite establishment of Indigenous Artists.

2021 Workshops and Panel Discussions

Antiracism Action in the Arts Initiative - DEI Dialogues in the Arts: Programs
Tuesday, May 11, 2021, 11:30pm
Join facilitator Aaron Clark of Equity Solutions to discuss how local arts organizations are grappling with issues of diversity, equity, access and inclusion in programming. Come ready to talk with other participants about these issues!

Community and CU Boulder leaders in the arts are invited to discuss examples that address diversifying program content, engaging artists and audiences from non-dominant communities (e.g. black, brown, indigneous, and low-income) and other strategies for antiracist practice in arts programming. We will explore successes and challenges through case studies from CU Boulder’s Theatre Program, Longmont Museum, and KGNU.

Art + Science + Community Action Workshop: Reflect and Evaluate
Wednesday, May 19, 2021, 5:30pm - 6:00pm
Artists and scientists Patrick Chandler and Emmanuelle Vital will discuss art + science + community action guidelines developed through interviews with expert practitioners. 

Art + Science + Community Action Workshop: Defining the Project
Wednesday, March 17, 2021, 5:30pm
Artists and scientists Patrick Chandler and Emmanuelle Vital will discuss art + science + community action guidelines developed through interviews with expert practitioners.

Antiracism Action in the Arts Initiative - DEI Dialogues in the Arts: Staffing
Tuesday, April 13, 2021, 11:30am
Antiracism Action in the Arts Initiative DEI Dialogues in the Arts: Staffing Interactive Virtual Workshop

Art + Science + Community Action Workshop: Project Creation
Wednesday, April 21, 2021, 5:30pm
Artists and scientists Patrick Chandler and Emmanuelle Vital will discuss art + science + community action guidelines developed through interviews with expert practitioners.

Partnering the Arts and Sciences for Community Action
Wednesday, January 20, 2021 5:30 PM
Are you interested in learning how to lead art and science partnerships that catalyze community action on social justice and environmental issues? Join a team of artists and scientists who will discuss a new university-community program for art and science collaboration and guidelines for this work. The program and guidelines were formed through research and interviews with art and science leaders nationwide and seek to support artists, scientists and community members in co-designing projects for real-world impact.

Art in Collaboration with Community / Colaboración de Arte en la comunidad

Flags of Hope - Banderas de Esperanza
Tuesday, January 12, 2021 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM   Virtual Presentation
Join us to learn how the Abad◮Anaya artist collective partners with community to create art projects designed to help the spirit of humanity thrive and combat social isolation and rising political divisions.

2020 Workshops and Panel Discussions

DragTivism: Queered Visions of Possible Futures
Wednesday, October 21, 2020   Virtual Presentation
CU Boulder School of Education Assistant Professor José Ramón Lizárraga and renowned drag queen, educator and activist Persia will discuss how drag as a political artform mediates learning and transformation across communities. 

Heartwork: Indigenous Perspectives on Social Justice
Wednesday, October 14, 2020   Virtual Presentation
Tanaya Winder, director of CU Boulder Upward Bound, singer, songwriter and poet, together with Natani Notah, an interdisciplinary artist and educator will discuss how their art practice engages social justice through heartwork and the lens of Diné womanhood. 

Art in Dialogue with Fracking - Engaging Climate Change Through the Arts
Thursday, October 8, 2020   Virtual Presentation
Join us as CU Boulder Nature, Environment, Science & Technology (NEST) Studio for the Arts fellows discuss how they combine artistic practice with social and scientific methods in their project Invisible Disruptions: The Cultural Politics of Hydraulic Fracturing in Colorado.

Unapologetically Bridging Art and Social Justice
Wednesday, September 30, 2020  Virtual Presentation
"Dialogues on Art and Social Justice”, a series sponsored by the Boulder County Arts Alliance and CU Boulder’s Office for Outreach and Engagement, brings together Black, Indigenous and Latinx artists from campus and the community.

2020’s Common Thread: COVID-19, Racism and Climate Change
Thursday, September 24, 2020   Virtual Presentation
COVID-19, racism and climate change are connected in one thread in 2020 as infection rates climb, tensions around racism rise to the surface, and temperatures increase in most of the world. This presentation will include artist Cal Brackin capturing the content, thoughts, and questions in a sketch that audience members can see evolve throughout the conversation. Presented by Holly Olivarez, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. Sponsored by the City of Boulder Office of Arts + Culture.

Building a Critical Community of Sustainable Arts Practitioners         
July 7, 2020   Virtual Presentation
This webinar will lay the ground for a broad view of sustainable initiatives in the cultural sector internationally through the lens of the Boulder community. It will begin to establish our shared value system, as well as connect you to available tools, resources, and ways to build the networks of support we need to integrate the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and other principles into our work, together. Presented by Ian Garrett, Artist and co-Founder Center for Sustainable Practices in the Arts. Produced in collaboration with EcoArts Connections and Arbor Institute. Sponsored by the City of Boulder Office of Arts + Culture.

Sustainability and the Arts for the Uninitiated
June 30, 2020   Virutal Presentation
Climate anxiety getting to you? Don't know how to start considering ecological sustainability in your work? This webinar will provide a forum for recognizing the individual realities of cultural workers – arts makers, administrators, curators, producers, presenters, funders, policy makers, and others – and help to dispel myths, assuage fears, and contextualize how to start thinking about eco-positive change across all aspects of the arts. Presented by Ian Garrett, Artist and co-Founder Center for Sustainable Practices in the Arts. Produced in collaboration with EcoArts Connections and Arbor Institute. Sponsored by the City of Boulder Office of Arts + Culture.

Decolonizing through Art and Philosophy, Parts 1 & 2
June 23, 2020 and August 31, 2020  Virtual Presentation
What do decolonization, art, and philosophy have to do with one another? Better yet, what CAN they have to do with one another? Come to this Zoom event and spend some time creating, collaborating with others, and learning more about decolonization and philosophy! These are interactive, hands-on workshops! Ájené Robinson-Burris is currently a doctoral candidate studying Philosophy at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Sponsored by the City of Boulder Office of Arts + Culture.

Creating the Intersection of the Arts and Climate Change Communication
June 18, 2020   Virutal Presentation
Holly Olivarez is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow with a passion for inspiring others to talk about climate change in their daily lives. As a scientist who studies climate change at CU Boulder, Holly will discuss the crucial role of arts and creative communication as effective media that can prompt action. Sponsored by the City of Boulder Office of Arts + Culture.

2019 Workshops and Panel Discussions

Engaging Climate Change Through the Arts
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Boulder Public Library, Canyon Theater

Native Futurisms: Art and Conversation About Contemporary Indigenous Healing
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Dairy Arts Center , Gordon Gamm Theater
Gina Adams, Gregg Deal, John Lukavic, Jenn Shannon, Annette de Stecher

Space, Place and Diversity in the Arts Panel
May 2019
Colorado Creative Industries Annual Summit, Salida,
Jorge Perez-Gallego

Continuing the Conversation: Cultural Appropriation and Appreciation
Wednesday, February 2, 2019
Dairy Arts Center
Ashmi Desai
Presentation by Ashmi Desai - Continuing the Conversation: Cultural Appropriation and Appreciation
Key Takeaway Points from Continuing the Conversation: Cultural Appropriation and Appreciation

2018 Workshops and Panel Discussions

The Power of Art Therapy Workshop
Wednesday, Nov. 7 2018
The Firehouse Art Center, Longmont

Space, Place and Diversity in the Arts Panel
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Fiske Planetarium and Science Center  

Cultural Dialogues Workshop: Appropriation and Appreciation
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Dairy Arts Center 
Ashmi Desai, Jashodara Sen

Engaging with Underrepresented Voices Through the Arts
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
The Collective Community Arts Center, Lafayette 
May 2018
Colorado Creative Industries Annual Summit 
Greeley, CO

2017 Workshops and Panel Discussions

Accessibility? Nay! Accsuckability: An Applied Theater Experience
Wednesday November 15, 2017
Wesley Chapel at CU Boulder
Adam Russel Johnson

Afropuff Lederhosen – Inclusiveness & Equity Series Workshop
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Boulder Center for Conscios Community, Boulder
Vanessa Roberts