{"id":5729,"date":"2019-10-30T02:00:47","date_gmt":"2019-10-30T06:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/?p=5729"},"modified":"2019-10-30T08:53:32","modified_gmt":"2019-10-30T12:53:32","slug":"doomed-to-fail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2019\/10\/doomed-to-fail\/","title":{"rendered":"Doomed to Fail"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are\u2013rightly and way too belatedly\u2013important topics in the nonprofit arts world right now. I heartily applaud the focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However . . . I worry about the way the topics are being approached. If an arts organization attempts to incorporate DEI awareness and efforts without a deep, mission-level commitment to being <\/strong>of<\/strong><\/em> the community<\/strong>; to forming mutually beneficial, lasting relationships with new communities; to seeing its work as being a resource for improving lives, then there is no foundation upon which to build<\/strong>. There is also a real danger that the motivations behind some of the desire for DEI in the arts is to feel better about ourselves. As I wrote some time ago, pursuit of diversity for its own sake is highly self-serving. (The Self-Centered Pursuit of Diversity<\/a>) This is even more true for the suite of work we refer to in DEI. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the focus of the organization continues to be on the art rather than the arts’ connection with and impact upon people, DEI work will be at best surface deep and fleeting and at worst will<\/strong>, as the result of failures, deepen the rifts between the arts and the communities with which they are attempting to develop relationships. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without significant commitment to substantive community engagement (which is rooted in the group of commitments I listed in the above), DEI efforts will probably not bear a great deal of fruit. It may be a bit of hyperbole to say they’re “doomed to fail.” It also may not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no question that community engagement and DEI work are not the same thing. But they are often closely related when engaging with communities that have little or no connection with the arts. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are vital to the future of the arts. The commitment to community that community engagement<\/strong> requires<\/strong> (along with the mindset and skills to go with it) is an essential foundation upon which to build efforts in DEI.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Engage!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doug<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Image: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Some rights reserved<\/a> by Bill Selak<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are vital to the future of the arts. The commitment to community that community engagement requires is an essential foundation upon which to build efforts in DEI.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5727,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Doomed to Fail: Commitment to community engagement is a vital foundation for successful diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5,10],"tags":[12,13,42,47,64],"class_list":{"0":"post-5729","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-principles","8":"category-the-practice-of-engagement","9":"tag-arts","10":"tag-community-engagement","11":"tag-diversity","12":"tag-equity","13":"tag-inclusion","14":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Fail.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1G6h9-1up","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5784,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2019\/12\/dei-statements\/","url_meta":{"origin":5729,"position":0},"title":"DEI Statements","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"December 11, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion statements with a couple of recent examples.","rel":"","context":"In "Principles"","block_context":{"text":"Principles","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/category\/principles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Equity-e1435255742641.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3075,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2013\/09\/diversity-definitions\/","url_meta":{"origin":5729,"position":1},"title":"Diversity Definitions","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"September 10, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"The Arts and Science Council in Charlotte has been involved in some serious work to promote diversity, access, and inclusion. I attended a session at last June's Americans for the Arts conference in Pittsburgh in which Robert Bush, now Interim Director of the Council, described their efforts. In the twenty\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Principles"","block_context":{"text":"Principles","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/category\/principles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"http:\/\/www.artsandscience.org\/templates\/ascdesign20\/images\/asc-logo.jpg","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsandscience.org\/templates\/ascdesign20\/images\/asc-logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6388,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2021\/06\/what-was-said\/","url_meta":{"origin":5729,"position":2},"title":"What Was Said","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"June 16, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Observations on the Community Engagement Network's Conversations on the topic Benchmarking Equity.","rel":"","context":"In "Community Engagement Network"","block_context":{"text":"Community Engagement Network","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/category\/community-engagement-network\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Report.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5279,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2018\/05\/justice-and-engagement\/","url_meta":{"origin":5729,"position":3},"title":"Justice and Engagement","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"May 16, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"In attempting to engage many communities, working for justice is critical; however, advocating for engagement does not diminish the need to work for justice as well.","rel":"","context":"In "Principles"","block_context":{"text":"Principles","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/category\/principles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/JusticeStatue-185x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5390,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2018\/10\/introducing\/","url_meta":{"origin":5729,"position":4},"title":"Introducing","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"October 17, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Introducing Achia Floyd of ArtsEngaged","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/AchiaFloyd-291x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4213,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2015\/07\/afta-thoughts-2015-equity-watershed\/","url_meta":{"origin":5729,"position":5},"title":"AftA Thoughts 2015: Equity Watershed?","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"July 15, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Americans for the Arts 2015 conference in Chicago appeared serious about addressing diversity and equity.","rel":"","context":"In "Principles"","block_context":{"text":"Principles","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/category\/principles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Equity","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Equity-e1435255742641.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5729","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5729"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5729\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5901,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5729\/revisions\/5901"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5729"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5729"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5729"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}