John C. Campbell Folk School

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Issue: The Folk School, like many other folk/craft organizations, struggles to engage younger and more diverse audiences. One of the major goals of our Strategic Plan, approved in 2019, is to assess what diversity means for us and to make changes across the organization to help become a more inclusive place.  

With this goal in mind, we launched a pilot mentorship program in 2020, and offered scholarships and stipends for emerging artists to spend a month of focused study with master craftspeople in our studios. We weighed the selection process to prioritize BIPOC and LGBTQ+ artists and brought a diverse group of emerging artists to our small corner of North Carolina. The experience was both inspiring and humbling as our staff engaged in conversations about inclusivity and gender identity, some for the first time. It became clear that we need to facilitate training and a great deal of discussion between Folk School staff to address not only the HOW but also the WHY behind where we are in terms of inclusivity and work together to identify shared goals that will help us develop a more inclusive and diverse community. 

Goal: The Fellow in Diversity and Inclusivity will help us in foundational research to determine where we are now in terms of inclusivity, why we are here, and facilitate conversations that will help us define our goals moving forward.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate staff and BOD interviews, discussions, and surveys to help us define what diversity looks like for the Folk School.
• Facilitate constituent listening sessions around diversity, equity, and inclusivity.
• Work collaboratively with the Folk School team to define goals around inclusivity for the Folk School.
• Work with staff across all departments to further explore each area and ways to fulfill diversity goals for the school. Key areas include programming, marketing, and outreach.
• Complete foundational research to identify DEI best practices.
• Produce a final report with recommendations for the organization as we move towards a DEI statement and shared institutional goals.

About Creative Catalyst Fellowships

Creative Catalyst Fellowships, in partnership with the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts at UNC School of the Arts, are highly competitive, paid fellowships that advance artist leadership through skill-building, mentoring, and community of practice; strengthen creative community networks to better address regional gaps; foster systemic approaches to increase access, inclusion and equity; and embrace participation and exchange across the creative sector. Creative Catalyst Fellows will also gain access to educational and community-building opportunities.

Application