Patrick Scafidi

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed placerat condimentum blandit. Pellentesque eu metus varius, mattis dolor id, mattis neque. Aenean tempor erat eu consequat sagittis. Phasellus eu arcu gravida, ultricies purus ut, consequat enim. Sed suscipit eros consequat felis vehicula finibus. Cras ac lorem sagittis magna laoreet feugiat quis et sem. Aenean aliquet sem nec convallis placerat. Sed ut ultricies dolor. Duis quis odio rutrum, rhoncus enim id, iaculis nisl. Morbi in varius nibh. Donec ut enim massa. Etiam pulvinar felis ullamcorper felis mollis accumsan.

ArtPlace America and Welcoming America have released a report exploring how arts and cultural practitioners have long been and may increasingly be partners in helping to achieve community development goals: Bridging Divides, Creating Community: Arts, Culture, and Immigration. ArtPlace America recently completed its ten-year mission as a leading funder of creative placemaking in the U.S., and they are publishing their learning in a series of reports. This report is the eighth in their series of cross-sector field scans, examining arts and culture as “a platform that helps immigration policy expand beyond a singular focus on border security to one that embraces a broader national vision of inclusive economic development, community connection and cohesion, and welcoming communities in which all people can thrive.”

The National Guild for Community Arts Education in the U.S. is offering a three-month series that examines how arts organizations are responding to prevalent social inequities stemming from the pandemic. Titled “Rootwork | Grounding Community Arts Education Beyond the Pandemic,” the gathering will feature guest speakers and programs from across the U.S. Participants will join discussions and workshops on adapting to the necessary programmatic changes needed to best serve marginalized communities during and beyond periods of crisis. This series takes place from December 2, 2020 – February 24, 2021, and registration is open now. You can register for the entire series, or for individual sessions. Read session descriptions and register here.

The Walk is a traveling arts festival from Good Chance Theatre. On The Walk, Little Amal, a giant puppet, will travel 8,000 km across Turkey and Europe in support of refugees, being welcomed by hundreds of cultural events along the way.

Do you have something to share about working with students with disabilities? If so, consider proposing a session (20-minute pre-recorded video, with guidance provided by the conference leaders) for the ABLE Assembly: Arts Better the Lives of Everyone, Digital Conference, April 10–11, 2021. This year’s theme is Intersectionality, Disability, and Arts Education. Since the music for social change movement prioritizes the value of inclusion, it would be great for us to be leading contributors to this global field. The deadline for proposals is December 15; learn more and consider submitting one here.

Americans for the Arts has launched a Cultural Equity Resource Center. Like their widely used Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center, this will be updated regularly with information about programming, resources, and news to assist all in achieving our racial/social justice goals. They will keep adding to it—upcoming is a directory of equity consultants and service providers. If you have a resource to add, let them know.

Big Note, Little Note is a new early-childhood music program for families with infants. Designed by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute in partnership with local community centers and organizations, the new ten-week music class offers a range of experiences for families to engage with their babies through musical play, singing, songwriting, instrument exploration, and more. The program is offered free to families around the world to support family well-being, early child development, and parent-child connection.

Teachers working in high-need communities may want to explore STAT, or Support for Teachers Affected by Trauma. Geared primarily toward PreK–12 educators, STAT offers a five-module, self-paced course that invites participants to engage in a range of STS learning interactives, explore scenarios that highlight the impact of STS, listen to teachers describe their experiences, and more.

The staff of Chamber Music America has compiled a collection of resources in support of Black Lives Matter to advance anti-racist work in the music community. You can also find BLM support resources from Creative Capital.