The arts reflect the society they're created in. That's one reason why the arts matter, why people make a point of experiencing contemporary arts, and why money, private and public, goes to support them.
And as Rhode Island continues to welcome and absorb people from various cultures, our arts organizations should, theoretically, follow suit.
On the stages and the gallery walls, many do. But in the offices, they don't.
There are arts organizations in Rhode Island primarily based on the works of a specific ethnic group -- the Providence Black Repertory Company, Hispanic-oriented Sol Gallery, for example -- whose leadership is of the same ethnicity. But the institutions that we consider -- well, institutions, such as the RISD Museum or Trinity Rep, are led by white people, and always have been.
"By 'mainstream,' " says Trinity artistic director Oskar Eustis, "we mean one that has got a big enough profile that it's supposed to be a big tent; it's supposed to include everybody. But historically, that's meant white people."
According to Joaquina Bela Teixeira, executive director of the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society, area arts groups open their doors to non-white performers and exhibitors, but the power structure of the groups is still the same. "We give them programs, but they don't give us jobs."
Donald King, artistic director of the Black Rep, says, "I always look, not for how many black plays you do in a season, how many black artists you show, but who is at the helm? Who's your [technical director]? Who's your production manager? What have you done in order to really say, 'I am committed to creating an institution; I'm committed to diversity'?
"And I think if you really interrogate a lot of these institutions, you'll find that the higher you move up, the less you'll see people of color."
Why does this situation still exist? What can be done about it? And what is it costing Rhode Island's culture, particularly its audiences? [...]
| Continue Rick Massimo's registration-required Providence Journal article "White at the top," and take in his Donald King profile "Black Repertory Company founder breaking down color barriers in R.I."
posted in articles on July 25, 2004 2:43 AM | t (0)
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