Arts & Culture Roundtables

ARTS & CULTURE ROUNDTABLES
Conversations addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion in Lane County’s arts community.

EUGENE, Oregon—Lane Arts Council and community partners are hosting a series of Arts & Culture Roundtables, community conversations addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion in our local arts community, with a focus on racial justice. The first two virtual conversations will be held May 6th and May 20th from 5-7pm. Facilitators Ritu Roy and Eric Braman will guide these conversations to better understand and acknowledge the inequalities that exist in Lane County’s arts community.

The arts are an integral and powerful tool in helping communities reflect, grow, and heal, but first, we need to examine how our local arts community excludes some of the most relevant voices of our time. The first two community-guided conversations will:

• Take an honest look at the issues and challenges in our own arts communities
• Identify strategies to improve equity, accessibility, and representation in our own practices, programs, operations, and organizational cultures
• Recognize gaps and identify existing resources and support for artists and arts professionals
• Cultivate space for the voices of black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) and other underrepresented community members to be heard

Following roundtables will be influenced by the needs that arise from these initial conversations.

The roundtables are free and open to all with registration on Lane Arts Council’s website: www.lanearts.org/roundtables

Arts & Culture Roundtables are a partnership of Lane Arts Council, Arts & Business Alliance of Eugene, Florence Regional Arts Alliance, Minority Voices Theatre, and Wordcrafters in Eugene. The series of community conversations is sponsored by Springfield Arts Commission and Columbia Bank.

In 2020, Lane Arts Council and community partners began bringing together Lane County artists and arts administrators for facilitated conversations around the current issues impacting our arts community, and provide opportunities to share challenges, questions, ideas, and support. While previous roundtable conversations centered around the COVID-19 pandemic, we are shifting in 2021 to focus on equity and inclusion in the arts.

About Lane Arts Council
Lane Arts Council is a nonprofit organization that works to cultivate strong and creative arts communities throughout Lane County. They provide high-quality arts experiences, engaging people of all ages in arts education and encouraging artistic endeavors.