The Art of Advancing Equity

Description

Art is not science — it is not factual nor prescribed. The arts are central to all cultures around the world, and an artist’s expression gives life to her/his/their unique experience. As such, the interpretation of art is subjective and often reflective of our own values and cultural conditioning. The work of advancing equity requires engaging both sides of the brain.

The arts — right brain — stir emotion, conjure curiosity and challenge us to process positive or negative thoughts, attitudes, and biases and the way they are formed. Self-examination of how we process the arts based on different experiences and perspectives — left brain — allows us to understand what is at the heart of the need to belong, and how it informs the actions we take to engage with others positively or negatively.

Learning Outcomes

• Learn how to leverage the arts to engage right-brain thinking in left-brain environments
• Explore how our cultural values inform good and bad bias
• Gain tools for self-examination that allow us to open our minds to new ways of interpreting what we see, feel, and hear in communicating with one another