About the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Council

The Anton Art Center is committed to learning from our community about how we can better engage and represent people from all parts of our community. We recognize that we may not be perceived by all to be a welcoming and inclusive place, and have launched the IDEA Council as an advisory body to the Board and Staff of the Anton so that we can explore areas for improvement and learn specifically from people of color how we can be more inclusive, support diversity in our community, work toward equity in our programs and operations, and increase access to the arts for all.

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Anton Art Center Mission & Vision

The Anton Art Center has a mission to enrich and inspire people of all ages through the arts, and a vision to create an open community around creative expression. Our goals are to present a wide array of programming to appeal to diverse audiences, provide support for the arts and become a focal point for arts programming, and to work towards inclusion, diversity, equity, and access in all we do.

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IDEA Council Key Projects

• The Council is spearheading a large-scale art project with artist Jay Dickerson and poet Jessica care Moore, which will draw inspiration from the Community Conversations and serve as a platform to discuss and highlight underrepresentation of Black artists and communities in the arts. The artwork will be installed on the exterior of the Anton Art Center facility.

 

IDEA Council Roles & Responsibilities

This council will serve an advisory role to the Anton Art Center Board of Trustees and administration in the areas of inclusion, diversity, equity and access (IDEA).

 

• Consider regular Center programs and operations through an IDEA lens and make recommendations to improve programs and operations or suggest new programs that support inclusion, diversity, equity and access.

• Recommend changes to existing policies and procedures or new policies and procedures that support inclusion, diversity, equity and access.

• Provide advice on appropriate organizational responses to particular situations (i.e. response to the Black Lives Matter movement).

• Recommend individuals for service with the Anton Art Center as Trustees, committee members, artists, volunteers or participants as appropriate.

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Meeting Information

The council currently meets monthly. Anyone interested in serving on the council may contact Anton Art Center Executive Director, Phil Gilchrist, at (586) 469-8666, or pgilchrist@theartcenter.org.