ArtLab Cultural Equity Statement - Created by PlatteForum’s ArtLab interns
Adopted and approved by PlatteForum Board of Directors on August 17, 2019

As we acknowledge cultural equity, we must first acknowledge and honor that we are on the traditional territory of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Ute and Očeti Šakówiŋ (Sioux) tribal nations.

Cultural equity within our community of PlatteForum interns, and staff, resembles a neighborhood. Our neighborhood has their own houses with intersectionalities, but every house has their own stories, their own truth. We as a community value those stories, regardless of age, identity, race, and any of the above.

Our community recognizes the privileges of people who make up our community and surround us, but we also do not use our privilege to mis- represent each other. We understand the world around us is a place of systematic oppression and we strive to act in ways that build cultural equity. We empower each other as a neighborhood would: help with our passions – art related or otherwise. We embrace the cultures of others and advocate for them. Ultimately, we value everyone’s experiences and how they’ve played into and will continue to play into our lives. We understand the process of becoming a person in a world of rejection, we value the process as humans and understand our staff. But most importantly we value our community as a whole.

Requests from ArtLab Interns to take action toward cultural equity:

1. Create awareness of the structures of privilege within the dominant culture of the art and nonprofit world and how PlatteForum exists within those systems and structures.
2. Hold anti-oppression and anti-racism workshops with staff, board and ArtLab.
3. Have the board and staff take the implicit bias test and make space for reflection on an ongoing basis.
4. Create policies of accountability within the organization to prevent and reduce harm.
5. Create space for “Conversations with Gen Z” between ArtLab, board and staff in order to get to know one another and our different backgrounds.
6. Encourage staff and board to develop self-awareness through research and taking the initiative to educate oneself and recognize privilege.
7. Create an ally toolkit for staff, board and ArtLab.
8. Honor complexity of social issues and identities.
9. Have the PlatteForum board report on progress towards cultural equity.