FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Berkshire/Columbia Counties Pay Equity Project Contact:
Aron Coldman
aronpgoldman@gmail.com; 413-218-7865
What we learned. What you can do. What we can do together.
To register for this free event go to:
https://mahaiwe.org/event/berkshire-columbia-counties-pay-equity-project-data-release-recommendations/
Great Barrington, Mass.—Equity includes arts and culture workers being able to support themselves and their families. Passion is not a substitute for livable wages, but it is a common tale told by nonprofit employers, and employees too, as they try to make ends meet doing what they love.
On Wednesday, June 14 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, a cohort of cultural nonprofits from Berkshire and Columbia Counties will hold a FREE event to release the findings, analysis, and recommendations of the Berkshire/Columbia Counties Pay Equity Project.
The collaborators in this compensation equity project, who represent the executive leadership of their organizations, strongly believe that the local arts sector cannot make good on its commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion without addressing head-on the issue of compensation. Entry- and mid-level jobs that pay adequately are key to creating an on-ramp for people of diverse socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds to pursue a career in the arts, and ultimately strengthening the sector as a result.
Launched during the 2021 Multicultural BRIDGE Inclusive Leadership Cohort, the Pay Equity Project has been working for over a year to gather first-hand perspectives from entry- and mid-level workers, collect original employer data, and benchmark results nationally. The findings were striking–and more so in a region known for bucolic landscapes, progressive ideals, and world class arts.
Consistent with the basic values of the project, current and former entry- and mid-level arts and culture workers themselves were incorporated into the design, implementation, and reporting of results.
Janis Martinson, Executive Director of the Mahaiwe, host of the event on June 14 and cohort member, shares, “We asked entry- and mid-level arts and culture employees about their experience of current compensation models. We asked arts and culture organizations how they are striving to do their best to make arts and culture work livable. And we asked ourselves to imagine a future that recognizes that passion doesn’t pay the rent. Now we can share the data, the stories, and a menu of offerings for a path forward together.”
“All of us who care about the nonprofit sector and its future have the opportunity to come together to make this change. At this event, you’ll learn about pay equity initiatives being implemented at our arts and culture organizations, hear what the ongoing barriers are for the arts and culture workers who are essential to our counties, and explore recommendations about how to move forward together. Only if we all join together can we make significant change around this urgent issue.” adds Margaret Keller, Executive Director of CATA and cohort member. “We invite regional arts and culture organizations, nonprofit leaders and board members, press, entry- and mid-level workers, area creatives, funders, policy makers, researchers, and equity activists and experts to join us for the public release of regional cultural employee compensation data, findings, and collective recommendations for regional change.”
“By all of us embracing the recommendations in this report, which includes many initiatives our arts and culture organizations are already doing around pay equity, our sector as a whole can improve access to careers in local nonprofit arts organizations for candidates from diverse socioeconomic and racial backgrounds, improving our organizations, extending our artistic breadth, and better serving our community.” shares cohort member Kristen van Ginhoven, Producing Artistic Director of WAM Theatre.
As of June 2023, Berkshire/Columbia Counties Compensation Equity Project includes: Art Omi, Berkshire Art Center (formerly IS183), Community Access to the Arts (CATA), Flying Cloud Institute, Jacob’s Pillow, Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, WAM Theatre, and Williamstown Theatre Festival. The Project is funded in part by the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. The Project was launched during the 2021 Multicultural BRIDGE Inclusive Leadership Cohort, and is informed by local and national equity initiatives.
“Over the last four years, BRIDGE has served as a consulting partner and coach to the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation Arts Build Community (ABC) in their efforts to develop capacity and accountability within local arts institutions, identifying barriers to access in our cultural sector. We’ve done this primarily through a combination of BRIDGE training, executive coaching, and more recently, our timely and bold Inclusive Leadership Cohort for Social Change (ILC) program.
Through ILC, I’ve witnessed earnest effort in identifying how these cultural institutions have made progress on equity issues like pay equity for arts professionals in this initiative; a need for more diverse leadership and audience participation; and culturally relevant presentations and programs. These are some of the highest priorities we’ve identified in our arts community here to create new pathways to solutions. I am proud to see the fruits of ILC leaders’ dedicated efforts to make real change. This is the result of leaders authentically listening to concerns raised by a much wider set of arts professionals in our community.” – Gwendolyn VanSant, CEO and Founding Director of Multicultural BRIDGE
“New cultural offerings in our region are attracting growing numbers of homebuyers and visitors, while underfunded compensation models for arts professionals, especially entry- and mid-level workers, sustain outdated and elitist notions that working in the arts is a privilege that justifies sacrifice. The problem with that assumption is that it reserves work in the arts for individuals who have other forms of financial security or are willing to sacrifice financial security for work in the non-profit sector, limiting the voices and perspectives represented within our sector.” – Gavin Berger, Board Member at Art Omi
“Berkshire Taconic is grateful for the committed arts and culture organizations that have taken on this important project to critically examine compensation levels to better ensure equity. This information will help retain and recruit skilled staff who are vital to the region’s workforce and our neighbors.” – Emily Bronson, Senior Community Engagement Officer at Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation
To register for this free event go to: https://mahaiwe.org/event/berkshire-columbia-counties-pay-equity-project-data-release-recommendations/
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Additional contacts:
Art Omi
Co-Executive Director: Jeremy Adams
1405 County Route 22, Ghent, NY 12075
518-392-4747
Art Omi believes that exposure to internationally diverse creative voices fosters acceptance and respect, raises awareness, inspires innovation, and ignites change. By forming community with creative expression as its common denominator, Art Omi creates a sanctuary for the artistic community and the public to affirm the transformative quality of art. Art Omi is a not-for-profit arts center with a 120-acre sculpture and architecture park and gallery, residency programs for international artists, writers, translators, musicians, architects and dancers.
Berkshire Art Center
Executive Director: Lucie Castaldo
13 Willard Hill Road, Stockbridge, MA 01262
141 North Street, Suite 2, Pittsfield, MA 01201
413-298-5252 x101
Berkshire Art Center (formerly, IS183 Art School) is a nonprofit community art center with the mission to encourage people of all ages, means, and skill levels to enrich their lives through hands-on experience in the visual arts. Founded in 1991, BAC has evolved to reach over 2,000 students each year through studio-based classes, artistic events, and out-of-school engagement programs for all ages, means, and skill levels.
Community Access to the Arts (CATA)
Executive Director: Margaret Keller
420 Stockbridge Road #2
Great Barrington, MA, 01230
413-528-5485
Community Access to the Arts (CATA) is a nonprofit arts organization with a mission to nurture and celebrate the creativity of people with disabilities. Through dynamic arts workshops and events, CATA artists tap into their talents and share their creativity with the community. CATA partners with day programs, schools, social service agencies, and community centers to bring visual and performing arts programs to over 800 people with disabilities across Berkshire and Columbia counties.
Flying Cloud Institute
Executive Director: Maria Rundle
20 Stockbridge Road #2
Great Barrington, MA 01230
413-645-3058
Flying Cloud Institute inspires young people and educators through dynamic experiences with science and art that ignite creativity. Since 1984, FCI has been sharing classroom residencies in local public schools, introducing youth to local artists and STEM professionals, offering free after school MakerSpace Clubs, and working alongside the young scientists and artists in our community in camps and vacation programs. For more information visit flyingcloudinstitute.org.
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival
Deputy Director: A. J. Pietrantone
358 George Carter Road, Becket, MA 01223
413-243-9919
Jacob’s Pillow, a National Historic Landmark and recipient of the National Medal of Arts, is a year-round center for dance and home to America’s longest-running international dance festival. The Pillow encompasses the world-renowned international Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, presenting more than 50 dance companies and over 350 events each summer; The School at Jacob’s Pillow, one of the most prestigious professional dance training centers in the U.S.; the Pillow Lab, a residency program that supports new choreography; growing Community Engagement programs that serve local school children, artists, and community members alike; rare and extensive dance Archives, open to the public and available online at danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org, which chronicle more than a century of dance through photographs, videos of performances and talks with artists, costumes, and scholarly essays; and Apprenticeships, a Fellows Program, and an Internship Program that provide professional advancement and training opportunities.
Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center
Executive Director: Janis Martinson
413-644-9040
info@mahaiwe.org
Located in downtown Great Barrington, Mass., the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center is the year-round presenter of world-class music, dance, theater, opera, classic films, Live in HD broadcasts, and arts education programs for the southern Berkshires and neighboring regions. The intimate 1905 theater has hosted over 1,500 events and welcomed over half a million people through its doors since its incorporation as a non-profit performing arts center in 2005.
WAM Theatre
Producing Artistic Director, Kristen van Ginhoven
PO Box 712, Lenox, MA, 01240
413-274-8122 x102
WAM Theatre is a professional theatre company based in Berkshire County, MA, that operates at the intersection of arts and activism. WAM creates theatre for gender equity and has a vision of theatre as philanthropy. In fulfillment of its philanthropic mission, WAM donates a portion of the proceeds from their Mainstage productions to carefully selected recipients. In addition to Mainstage productions and special events, WAM’s activities include innovative community engagement programs and the Fresh Takes Play Reading Series. For more information, visit www.wamtheatre.com.
Williamstown Theatre Festival
Interim Artistic Director, Jenny Gersten
PO Box 517, Williamstown, MA 01267-0517
413-458-3200
Williamstown Theatre Festival has brought emerging and professional theatre artists together for 69 years to create a thrilling summer festival of world premiere work alongside fresh, new revivals. New plays and musicals commissioned, developed, and produced at the Festival fill theatres around the world. In recent years, WTF has been represented on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regionally by The Sound Inside, The Rose Tattoo, Grand Horizons, Seared, Selling Kabul, Unknown Soldier, and Lempicka, among others. Cost of Living, which premiered at WTF, received the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Learn more at wtfestival.org.
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