Lineage Performing Arts Center Cultural Equity and Inclusion Statement and Policy 

A continuously evolving document

Last edited March, 2022 

 

A Definition of cultural equity from Americans for the Arts:

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“Cultural equity embodies the values, policies, and practices that ensure that all people—including but not limited to those who have been historically underrepresented based on race/ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, socioeconomic status, geography, citizenship status, or religion—are represented in the development of arts policy; the support of artists; the nurturing of accessible, thriving venues for expression; and the fair distribution of programmatic, financial, and informational resources.”

https://www.americansforthearts.org/about-americans-for-the-arts/statement-on-cultural-equity

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STATEMENT

Acknowledging that Lineage’s mission is to make the arts accessible to all and that our goal is to be a home for connecting through the arts, it follows that access to the arts through Lineage must be equitable, and that our plan to accomplish that mission must be inclusive.

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In addition, we acknowledge that cultural equity is necessary for the long-term viability of the greater arts community. As both individuals and an organization, Lineage recognizes and implements the life-long work that goes into making our organization a vehicle for positive change. 

 

It is our experience that inequitable access to the arts harms communities and reinforces outdated systematic practices including, but not limited to, white supremacy, systemic racism, and the hetero-patriarchy. It is also our experience that arts organizations are able to undo some of the harm that inequity causes through the equitable distribution of resources, as well as uplifting the voices and stories of oppressed groups, and identifying, challenging, and subverting harmful cultural norms and practices. We therefore affirm our commitment to equitable access to the professional, inspiring, creative organization that Lineage is, and to support artists and non-artists alike in equitable access to a creative life. Lineage does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, ancestry, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. We reaffirm our commitment to inclusive planning and equitable access through the following policy:

 

POLICY

To ensure that Lineage is continuously evaluating all of its programs and policies on inclusion,  equity, and empowerment, Lineage will retain a diverse Cultural Equity Committee made up of Lineage staff, board members, volunteers, and participants.  

 

To ensure that this Statement and Policy are implemented, Lineage will create a Cultural Equity and Inclusion Plan that evaluates and strengthens our pay structures, hiring practices, season programming, and community engagement through an actively anti-racist lens. 

 

To ensure inclusive planning, Lineage will actively recruit and support diverse board members, staff, volunteers, artists, and other collaborators, who represent the diversity of the communities we serve. 

 

To ensure that Lineage’s programming responds to the needs of our community, Lineage will regularly survey our audiences to better understand who our work benefits. If the cumulative statistics about our programs do not reflect the diversity of our community, we will reallocate both human and capital resources and focus to better serve the community.

 

To ensure that Lineage is uplifting and providing a platform for those who are historically underserved and underrepresented, we commit to partnering with other organizations who uphold similar anti-racist values of moving towards inclusion and representation.

 

We understand that this policy must be designed to grow and evolve with our understanding of our place within our community, so this policy and statement must be updated and amended by future administrators and boards.