2022-496-E-Arts Commission-Franklin Street Arts Collective-2022-23 arts grant

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Has your organization undergone any Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) training? If so, please explain. If not, please explain any barriers that have prevented you from receiving this training. To date the gallery has not undergone any formal training in this field, though our artists, board, and employees, giv en our mission, exhibition and programming scheduling are constantly in dialogue about adhering to div ersity, equality and inclusion standards and are currently seeking an appropriate consultancy/course to help us meet those standards. Our outreach coordinator recently attended the NC Arts Day presentation by DEI consultant Aisha Adams which was helpful in guiding our quest for training assistance in this realm. Specifically, we are conscious of the need to hav e a div erse artist membership. In 2021, artist Theresa Pastoriza-Tan, of Ecuadorian and Puerto Rican origin, was juried in as an artist member and she is taking the lead in curating our January 2023 Latinx exhibition with associated ev ents. The committee for this exhibition comprises 7 FRANK artists and our Board chair and the planning process for all those concerned is an education in the issues surrounding DEI. Our last Emerging Artist Awardee was Charlie Dupee who represents both the African American and LGBTQ community while many of our exhibitions hav e included div erse artists from a wide range of cultures including Rah Bunnaj, an artist of color and printmaker. In January 2022, FRANK had an exhibition of NC Nativ e American artists which was curated by member artist Luna Lee Ray and FRANK Board member, Danny Bell from the Lumbee tribe. This exhibit showcased the artwork of six Nativ e American artists from different tribes from across North Carolina. W e also hosted a flute performance by Nativ e American Ryan Dial-Stanely as part of programming for the exhibit. Currently, FRANK’s partnership with Boomerang allows it to work with an organization spearheaded by a dynamic African American director, Tov a Hairston, which serv es a wide range of culturally and ethnically div erse students. Our Karen Youth Art Group has worked with ov er sixty fiv e Karen ( Burmese) refugee students ov er the years in our one-on-one educational enrichment program and has dealt with students’ issues of racism and Asian hate incidents. FRANK’s organizational structure does not hav e an Executiv e Director in name but our gallery manager, Natalie Knox, is part Mexican and is the face of the gallery to the community. She also has a major v oice in the Gallery’s day to day and long term operations. W e are continuing to make our Board and membership more ethnically div erse but are careful not to succumb to tokenism. Our gallery, as noted, shows the work of 100 local artists. The goal of our “inv ited artists” policy is to div ersify the pool of artists represented in our gallery and to introduce the public to more and new regional talent. The gallery prides itself on the quality and thoughtfulness of its exhibits and artists and is the only organization of its kind in Chapel Hill. W e are fully aware of our responsibility to showcase the pool of culturally and racially div erse artists in Orange County. DocuSign Envelope ID: C323C9C3-F573-4399-A120-2A0A7E277E09