April 30, 2023—Registration is now underway for the third annual Creating Change Symposium, which will be held on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Hackensack, N.J.

As readers of Arts & Culture Connections may recall, the Creating Change Network (CCN) was launched in the Spring 2021 by the New Jersey Theatre Alliance and ArtPride New Jersey, and was attended by more than 550 arts leaders. Guided by a steering committee of arts professionals and social justice leaders, the CCN continues to provide ongoing opportunities for learning and collaboration, and remains committed to the long-term endeavor of empowering leaders, sharing strategies and ensuring accountability during the process of shifting to a more inclusive and equitable cultural landscape.

Creating Change 2023: Collective Liberation for the New Jersey Arts Community will be an in-person gathering of the New Jersey Arts and Culture community. The plenary session includes a keynote conversation about Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Access (EDI&A) between Tobie Stein, Ph.D., and me.

There also will be a panel featuring arts leaders with different visions for their work, and more than a dozen breakout sessions exploring a vast array of topics including, building resilience within yourself and your organization; embodied learning and well-being; pay equity in the arts, and navigating and interrupting micro-aggressions.

One of the important features of the day will be Racial Healing Circles led by Sharon Stroye, Director of Public Engagement at the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers University—Newark.

The event is open to arts and cultural leaders, artists, educators, and volunteers working for arts organizations and cultural institutions throughout the state. You can find registration information at this link. If your schedule permits, I urge you to make time for this important event.

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