Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Art & Art History
The Department of Art & Art History is committed to building an equitable, antiracist, and non-discriminatory environment that empowers all students, staff, faculty, and community members.
We make art, teach, learn, curate, research, write, and support all these activities with a shared commitment to generate a positive difference in society. Yet, we understand that such progress cannot be achieved without fighting oppression in all its forms. Indeed, to produce exceptional art, education, and scholarship we must value each other’s unique backgrounds, experiences, visions, and trajectories. We must also actively undo the long legacies of power that have privileged the few, and study and contend with the role art has played in upholding and furthering injustices. Therefore, we commit to creating systemic change by further developing and implementing policies and pedagogies that actively foster diversity, combat inequality and discrimination, decenter whiteness, and produce engagement both within and beyond the University. Only through these sustained actions will each of us be able to truly see ourselves within and feel part of our community of learners; hone our talents and skills; reach the revelatory and transformative potential of art; and continue the collective work of creating the just world we all need.
DEI Committee Mission Statement
June 23, 2021
The DEI Committee is a group of volunteer members from the faculty, staff, and students of the Department of Art & Art History. While we do not have executive powers, we perform an advisory role to the chair on matters of diversity, equity, and inclusion in our Department. We are also here to listen, share information, and facilitate conversations to help create and sustain a better community climate. We meet once a month during the academic year and we organize and run our departmental Town Hall meetings (typically scheduled for the second Tuesday of each quarter). In sum, we:
- Listen to feedback and concerns
- Empathize with issues presented
- Analyze root problems and deficiencies in current processes
- Develop possible solutions and best practice recommendations to address issues
- Escalate to external policy groups when appropriate
- Recommend follow up actions to executive decision makers
The DEI Committee’s mission continues to evolve with input for our constituents, departmental leadership, and as the committee learns and models how to be most effective in efforts to facilitate positive change for our community. We are always open to your feedback, and we welcome new committee members at the start of each academic year. We will continue to update this document to reflect the most recent developments.
DEI Committee Members
2023-24
2022-2023 | 2021-22 | 2020-21 |
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Departmental Code of Conduct/Norms
- These are suggested practices for Town Hall meetings and other departmental discussions:
- Take space, make space
- Speak from your own experience (‘I’ statements)
- Challenge ideas, don’t attack people
- Brave and safe space
- Oops (say ‘I am sorry’) and Ouch (speak up when you are hurt)
- Actively listen, stay open and curious
- Expect lack of closure
- Extend grace--everyone is a work in progress!
The DEI committee thanks Steve Lee (H&S Assistant Dean of Inclusion, Diversity & Equity) and Joseph Brown (H&S Graduate Diversity Recruitment Officer and Associate Director for the Diversity & First-Gen Office) for sharing these resources with us and helping us implement these in our own committee discussions.