Social Responsibility & Inclusion Archives

Nov 04

WESTAF Announces American Rescue Plan Awardees

By Natalie Scherlong Grants, Social Responsibility & Inclusion, WESTAF News

We are thrilled to announce that WESTAF will be awarding grant funding to 44 arts and culture organizations across the West, with at least two grants awarded per state at an average level of $35,000 each, as part of the American Rescue Plan Fund for Organizations (ARP). Aligning with the priorities of the National Endowment for the Arts (Arts Endowment), the WESTAF ARP program focused on applications that indicated a deep commitment to cultural equity, social justice and disrupting systemic racism through service to a host of constituencies, including rural and remote communities, Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC)...

Sep 02

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WESTAF Expands its Social Responsibility and Inclusion Team

By Natalie Scherlong Social Responsibility & Inclusion, WESTAF News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 2, 2021 Contact: Leah Horn 720.664.2239 leah.horn@westaf.org DENVER, CO—The Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) is thrilled to welcome two new team members to its Social Responsibility and Inclusion (SRI) division: Ashanti McGee, grants and access manager, and Jade Elyssa Cariaga, grants and equity manager. With more than a decade of experience in the field, McGee is both an artist and arts advocate who began her arts administrative work assisting local grassroots and nonprofits with grant writing and management. She most recently served as a district representative for Nevada Congresswoman Susie Lee, focusing on outreach for Black,…

Jul 22

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Denver Artist Adri Norris To Create a Mural for the Women’s Suffrage Mural Project

By Natalie Scherlong PAA, Social Responsibility & Inclusion, WESTAF News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 22, 2021 Contact: Leah Horn 720.664.2239 leah.horn@westaf.org DENVER, CO—The Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) is excited to announce that local artist Adri Norris will paint a mural or series of murals highlighting the Women’s Suffrage movement in a highly trafficked site in Denver’s Montbello neighborhood. Norris will be painting the mural(s) near the Montbello Student Campus, a place that is central to many who reside and work in the district. WESTAF commissioned the creation of the mural related to Women’s Suffrage to mark the centennial of the decades-long journey, resulting in the landmark legislation that granted…

Jan 22

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WESTAF Update Notes #107 | January 2020

By Samantha Ortega CVSuite, Newsletter, PAA, Programs, Social Responsibility & Inclusion, Updates

This is the 107th in a continuing series of updates about the work of WESTAF. PAA Announces Collection-Specific Interactive Maps The Public Art Archive™ (PAA) recently launched a new interactive mapping feature for public art collections. Collection Maps make engaging with public art easier than ever by giving visitors the ability to visualize public art collections on an interactive map, navigate to specific works of art, and discover artwork details. The feature replaces the need for development of costly websites and apps that drain time and resources on public art organizations. This latest addition to PAA’s suite of products and…

Nov 18

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WESTAF Update Notes #106 | November 2019

By Samantha Ortega Advocacy, CaFE, Convenings, GO, Newsletter, Social Responsibility & Inclusion, Updates

This is the 106th in a continuing series of updates about the work of WESTAF. WESTAF Board of Trustees Meet in Denver Members of WESTAF’s board of trustees met October 23-24 in Denver. The meeting opened with a dinner at the historic Brown Palace Hotel that all WESTAF staff were invited to attend in order to build and deepen authentic relationships between trustees and staff. The meeting also included a gallery session, a “science fair”-style gathering designed to strengthen trustee and staff connections as we move ahead with our 10-year strategic plan. During the hour-long session, trustees visited six…

Jul 23

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WESTAF Update Notes #103 | May 2019

By Samantha Ortega Convenings, CVSuite, Newsletter, PAA, Social Responsibility & Inclusion

This is the 103rd in a continuing series of updates about the work of WESTAF. Multicultural Advisory Committee Meeting in Seattle WESTAF’s Multicultural Advisory Committee (MAC) had a productive meeting in Seattle April 16-17. The Committee was joined by Washington-based WESTAF trustees as well as cultural leaders from various Seattle-based organizations, including LANGSTON, the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, and the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience. The conversation focused on the importance and impact of a sustained investment in racial and social justice work and the need for cultural organizations rooted in community to inform…

Sep 21

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Update Notes #99 | September 2018

By Natalie Villa Convenings, Newsletter, Social Responsibility & Inclusion, Updates

WESTAF Update Notes #99 | September 2018 From Anthony Radich, Executive Director This is the 99th in a continuing series of updates about the work of WESTAF. WESTAF Announces Inclusion and Equity Advancement Services In 2043, the country’s population will tip toward a white minority. As nonprofit and public-sector arts organizations take on the challenge of exploring how to serve a broad constituency and effectively address community needs and concerns, WESTAF is introducing inclusion and equity advancement services to provide assistance and guidance in this area. A long-time advocate for equity across the field and a thought leader with a…

Dec 11

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Update Notes #95 | December 2017

By Natalie Villa Convenings, News, Newsletter, PAA, SAAs, Social Responsibility & Inclusion, Technology, Updates

WESTAF Update Notes #95 | December 2017 From Anthony Radich, Executive Director This is the 95th in a continuing series of updates about the work of WESTAF. Successful Symposium on Public Art in Honolulu WESTAF partnered with the Hawai'i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts and Forecast Public Art to organize WESTAF's 17th cultural policy symposium, The Future History of Public Art, in Honolulu. The event brought together public art administrators, artists, critics, curators, academics, preservationists, and researchers from six countries, including New Zealand, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, Canada, and the U.S. The focus of the symposium was to...

Jul 25

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Update Notes #93 | July 2017

By Natalie Villa Convenings, CVSuite, Newsletter, Policy, Social Responsibility & Inclusion, Technology, Updates

WESTAF Update Notes #93 | July 2017 From Anthony Radich, Executive Director This is the 93rd in a continuing series of updates about the work of WESTAF. CVSuite™ Now Helps Measure the Diversity of Your Creative Economy The addition of ethnicity data is a recent important enhancement to WESTAF’s Creative Vitality™ Suite creative economy data tool. Users of the tool can now use it to identify the ethnic makeup of workers in various creative industries and to compare those findings to the ethnic makeup of the geographic populations in which the creative occupations are located. How inclusive is your creative...

Oct 14

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Update Notes #85 | October 2015

By Ben Casalino Advocacy, Convenings, Newsletter, Policy, Social Responsibility & Inclusion, Tech, Updates

WESTAF Update Notes #85 | October 2015 From Anthony Radich, Executive Director  This is the 85th in a continuing series of updates about the work of WESTAF Performing Arts Discovery Advisory Committee Formed The NEA-initiated and funded Performing Arts Discovery project is moving forward. WESTAF has partnered with the Western Arts Alliance (WAA), the region's stand-alone presenter service organization, to realize the project's goals. One of the first action steps is convening an advisory committee in Denver October 29-30. The committee, composed of experts from the United States and abroad, will advise WESTAF and WAA on the most productive methods...