As an organization dedicated to living musical creators and cultivating a community for their work to thrive in, ACF strives to be diverse, inclusive, and equitable like many in our shared ecosystem. To do so, however, we must acknowledge the historical exclusion of BIPOC artists in the musical world – particularly Western European-based classical music – and provide a platform to the very artists we seek to support. On Saturday, September 7, 2019, we invited artists, partners, colleagues, and leaders to join us in listening, learning, and discovering tangible ideas to activate more racially inclusive and equitable opportunities for creative musical artists today.

WATCH THE HIGHLIGHTS VIDEO HERE:

The Racial Equity and Inclusion Forum was generously supported by an investment from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Knight Foundation Logo

Special thanks to the Twin Cities PBS for their support of this event.

LIVESTREAM STILL AVAILABLE TO VIEW HERE.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2019

8:30am Welcome, Thank you, and Overview of ACF and this convening

Vanessa Rose, ACF President & CEO

Sound Painting: Let’s create music together!  Led by Nirmala Rajasekar*

9:00 – 10:30am The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians: Then and Now

Janis Lane-Ewart, moderator

Ernest Dawkins*, Nicole Mitchell, * Amina Claudine Myers,* Taalib-din Ziyad*

11am – 12:30pm Inclusive Programming: Opportunities, Obstacles, Integration with Artistic Vision

Patrick Castillo*, moderator

PaviElle French,* Delta David Gier, David Hamilton, Jonathan Bailey Holland,* Garrett McQueen, Dameun Strange*

12:30-2pm Lunch Break

2:00 – 3:30pm Seeking Artists: Recruitment, Selection Process, Criteria for Relevance and Impact

Anne Gotte, moderator

Brent Michael Davids,* Gabriela Lena Frank,*  Mary Kouyoumdjian,* Reinaldo Moya,* Eleanor Savage, Laura Zabel

3:45pm Learning from Creative Artists: Our Call to Action 

Justin Laing, Facilitator and Thought Partner & Vanessa Rose

4:25pm Closing: Vivian Fung*, ACF Board Vice-Chair

4:30-5:30pm Reception

*Composer/Creative Artist

Location: Twin Cities PBS (TPT) is located at 172 4th Street East, Saint Paul, MN 55101.