Artists should not only be able to make ends meet. Artists need to be able to thrive.
Imagine a world in which artists and creatives in the United States, particularly artists of colour, not only had their needs met but were provided with wellness and healthcare resources, were respected as human beings, and thus could deepen their own practices and further build their communities. In a country where these basic resources are not free or accessible, how can organisations fill the void?
As an arts executive, I ask myself how I am prioritising equity and centring humanity in our field. How can we, as arts organisations, dream up other ways of operating that centre pay equity and racial equity—which are intrinsically linked? How can the arts and culture industry support artists in being artists? In essence, practicing what Angela Y. Davis says: “You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.” In April, Threewalls, the Black woman-led arts non-profit in Chicago that I lead, unvelied our 'From Living to Thriving Wage Policy Report", which seeks to address these quesitons and provide a course of action.
