As we approach the beginning of another extraordinary year, I have been thinking about how old habits and fear of change keep us stuck and prevent us from achieving our goals. This also applies to creating equitable access to the arts.

Just like making changes in our own lives, there is no such thing as a short-term fix. Even incremental change begins with a long-term commitment. For instance, over the past year, I have blogged about and shared examples of the required investment—leadership, staffing, programming, engaging the community at a cellular level, empowering the community to be stakeholders, as well as mentorship—that it takes to extend a welcoming invitation to your performances, exhibitions or events.

I encourage you to think about the incremental changes your arts or cultural institutions can undertake in 2019 that will get you closer to the goal of expanding access, diversity, equity and inclusion. Please be sure to share your thoughts—I would love to hear from you about your strategies for the New Year, as well as celebrate any breakthroughs you had in 2018.

In the meantime, I would like to thank all of my colleagues in the field for your interest, support and all of your efforts to achieve our shared goals. I look forward to another year of opening doors, expanding programming, creating opportunities, and building a legacy that will both sustain the interest of our current audiences and welcome new ones. I wish you a Happy, Prosperous and Joyful New Year!