As a follow-up to Peabody’s February 2021 exploration of innovation and resilience and our November 2021 focus on flexibility, The Next Normal: IDEAs for the Future of the Performing Arts event examined inclusion, diversity, equity, and anti-racism in the performing arts industry in a free virtual symposium.
A February 2022 report released by Slover Linett Audience Research shows that Americans believe the arts world needs to change. The survey of the arts and culture participants of more than 500 cultural organizations across the country found that 45 percent of Americans believe that systemic racism is present in some arts and culture genres, and 76 percent of Americans want arts and culture organizations “to be active in addressing social issues in their communities.”
How might we reimagine the performing arts industry and performing arts training in order to advance racial equity in the field, broaden and diversify the range of creative voices heard and seen on our stages, and build expanded audiences that fully reflect the diversity of current and future communities?
The third installment of the Peabody Institute’s Next Normal symposium series invited participants to share their collective knowledge in examining these questions, with a focus on overcoming barriers and elevating solutions.
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Dean Fred Bronstein explores the post-COVID future of performing arts in an op-ed for The Baltimore Sun.