Article by Marcus Turner, Associate Executive Director for External Relations for the Lone Tree Arts Center
On Monday, May 1, an impressive collection of artists of color gathered at the Lone Tree Arts Center with one goal in mind – to have an open and candid discussion about where we’ve been, where we are, and where we are going in the arts. In the spirit of meaningful dialogue, artists and audience members came together to create broader understanding about the process of creating and experiencing art in an equitable and just way.
Personal Experiences, Center Stage
Notions of representation and diversity have become major topics of conversation for arts organizations around the world over the past several years. Arts leaders have struggled to reconcile the importance of presenting diverse stories that broaden audience horizons with creating “popular” art that sells large numbers of tickets and helps the bottom line. With nuances and blurred lines abound, conversations such as Monday’s panel help create an environment in which artists can speak openly about their personal experiences as actors, administrators, directors, and creators.
One of the connecting themes of this evening was the concept of meaningful community participation. Audience members asked questions about how observers can make an impact and “move the needle” towards an equitable arts environment. The panelists’ answers were resoundingly similar – speak out, use your voice to ask questions of arts leaders, and seek out opportunities to serve on boards and other leadership positions.
Guest speakers on the “In Conversation” panel included (from left to right): Moderator Betty Hart, Co-Artistic Director of Local Theater Company; Raul Murciano, Jr. President and Musical Director of the Colorado Mambo Orchestra; Kerrie Joy, a Denver artist and educator; Alicia “Lisa” Young, a local educator and “actorvist;” and Malik Robinson, Executive Director for CLEO Parker Robinson Dance.
Voices on the Panel
Alicia “Lisa” Young, one of the panelists and a self-described “actorvist”, emphasized the importance of asking questions and dialogue between audience members and arts leaders.
“If a theater is doing a show, audience members have the right to ask why,”said Young.
She described her experience, one that is common for many artists of color – a pigeon-holing effect where certain roles in plays or musicals are the only ones made available.
“How many times can I play the maid?” Young wondered to the audience. “Why can’t an actor of color play a classic role like in a Shakespeare play?”
Betty Hart, Co-Artistic Director of Local Theater Company and moderator of Monday’s panel, also reinforced that these conversations have the potential to be uncomfortable but that makes them even more important.
“Remember that every one of us had to learn to walk at some point,” said Hart. “When we were learning to walk, we fell down a lot but always got back up. The same thing applies to these conversations – when we stumble during uncomfortable conversations, we have to get back up.”
Lone Tree Arts Center Amplifying Diverse Voices
Mary Louise Lee, Marketing Specialist at the Lone Tree Arts Center, organized the panel.
“It is so important to keep these conversations going,” Lee remarked. “I was grateful to the Arts Center for hosting this first conversation, and now we have to look at how to keep up this momentum.”
Lee moderated an early incarnation of this panel conversation in 2022 in a partnership with the Colorado Symphony and now, moving forward, the Lone Tree Arts Center looks forward to presenting even more of these events and fostering further opportunities for dialogue.