Artwork Credit: This Guiding Light” is shared with permission of photographer Chrystofer Davis, poet Jasmine Mans, and artist Layqa Nuna Yawar. This mural was made as part of the #MuralsforJustice initiative in Newark, NJ, as a testament to the collective power of Newark artists and that of 2020’s global protests. See the full mural here: “This Guiding Light”.

November 21, 2021—Creating Change, a program launched earlier this year by the New Jersey Theatre Alliance and ArtPride New Jersey, is gearing up for 2022, and I am delighted to share news about the exciting and important programs it has planned for the coming year.

As the readers of Arts & Culture Connections may recall, I wrote about Creating Change’s inaugural Virtual Symposium in Spring 2021. More than 550 arts leaders participated. The network is focusing a spotlight on the actions we all need to take to build and support a more equitable, just and anti-racist arts community in New Jersey.

The programs of the Creating Change Network are guided by a steering committee comprised of a wonderful and dynamic group of arts administrators, artists, and leaders of social justice organizations. I am honored to serve for a second year as the committee’s chairperson.

As a committee, we are committed to providing virtual learning opportunities and access to the information, resources, thought leaders, as well as the tools necessary for building anti-racist arts and culture organizations. The free roundtable programs, all conducted on Zoom with Closed Captioning, are open to all members of the arts community throughout the state of New Jersey.

Among its 2022 projects, Creating Change, in support of the 2022 National Day of Racial Healing, is encouraging arts organizations and/or individual artists to submit listings of their events taking place between January 18-25, 2022 (or close to those dates). The events should be connected to the theme, “Healing in Action,” and incorporate the arts to address the issues of racial and social justice.

The deadline for submission of the events is Tuesday, November 30. A limited number of organizations and individuals will receive project support of up to $350.

Additional, upcoming activities for Creating Change include:

December 1-31, 2021: Free access to recorded sessions from the 2021 Creating Change Symposium at this link.

January 18-25, 2022: National Day of Racial Healing events.

February 24, 2022: Equitable HR Practices and Policies—Pay Equity, Hiring, Retention and More.

March 25, 22: How to have a meaningful conversation about race in the arts classroom—A professional development workshop with author and teacher, Matt Kay.

May 26, 2022: Decolonization and the Arts.

For information about Creating Change and the New Jersey National Day of Racial Healing arts events, send an email to Deonté Griffin-Quick, dgriffin-quick@njtheatrealliance.org

As always, I would like to know what you think. I invite you to post your comments below.