Cultural Equity Learning Community Presents:

Engaging Across Differences Spring 2025

March - May 2025
Registration opens November 20, 2023. Please sign up for our newsletter and follow us at @artsconnectint to be notified when registration opens. Thanks!

What is the CELC?

The Cultural Equity Learning Community (CELC) is a two-unit, 12-session, asynchronous anti-racism course with wrap-around supports open to arts and culture leaders committed to building intersectional racial equity.

OUR STORY

We invite you to join us for the second iteration of the Cultural Equity Learning Community (CELC). In this run, we build upon our first CELC which was created and shared in real time during the early COVID-19 pandemic and Movement for Black Lives following the tragic murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, among too many others. In this online learning community, we amplify the voices of artists, community organizers, and QTDBIPOC+* leaders for equity within the arts and culture sector, while integrating thoughtfully crafted lectures and space for self-reflection.

When addressing equity within the United States landscape, including equity within the arts, we must face the nation’s history of slavery, genocide, and oppression that contributes to today's systemic and institutionalized racism, sexism, classism, xenophobia, and ableism.

The arts and culture sector reproduces institutional and systemic oppression through upholding and centering white supremacist structures, often unconsciously--We’re working to disrupt that and build toward creative justice. The CELC exists to support our arts and culture ecosystem in promoting justice and equity.

*QTDBIPOC+ = queer, trans, disabled, Black, Indigenous, person of color

CURRICULUM OVERVIEW

Learning from our initial pilot in 2020, this iteration of the CELC offers two tracks. The first track is for BIPOC arts leaders: Compassionate Transformation. The second track is for white arts leaders: Whiteness + Me. Participation in both tracks is also possible. Unit 1 begins with the first three sessions tailored to the respective tracks, then comes together for the remaining three sessions. Below is a flowchart of the full CELC Curriculum.

CELC RESOURCES

Access to eKadence
By registering here, you gain access to 12 pre-recorded lecture sessions and continued learning resources via our learning platform eKadence. These learning resources may be engaged at your own pace from February 5, 2024, to August 9, 2024.

CELC Seminars & Drop-Ins
CELC Seminars and Drop-Ins are virtual and in-person* gatherings designed for in-depth dialogue about the course material and practical application with fellow CELC participants. CELC Seminars and Drop-Ins will take place every month throughout the cohort period, from February 5, 2024, to August 9, 2024.

Peer-To-Peer Mentorship Match
Peer-to-peer mentorship matches deepen learning through cohort support. The CELC team makes the initial match based on your stated preferences, and then you choose how frequently to meet with your peers (participation optional).

Cultural Equity Learning Community LinkedIn Group
Registering for the CELC gives you access to our forthcoming LinkedIn Group for active participants and alumni (1.8K alumni to date!).

*In-person seminars are currently limited to Boston, MA

TICKET OPTIONS

The CELC is offered with a sliding-scale payment structure. The CELC team recognizes that many arts organizations and individuals face challenging economic realities particularly exacerbated by COVID-19. We ask you (and your team) to register with a ticket that feels fair and accessible. We honor and appreciate all support, and above all else, your participation in this work is the most important thing.

The Massachusetts Cultural Council also encourages all MA arts and culture sector folx to sign up using the 100% discount option. Please feel free to reach out with any questions.

Tickets available include:

Suggested Donation: $250

Equity Supporters: $500

Equity Champions: $1,000

50% Discount: $125

100% Discount: $0

Please reference this Green Bottle Infographic on the sliding scale when choosing your purchase price.

Group Registration
Please contact us at celc@artsconnectinternational.org.

CONTACT & ACCOMMODATIONS

For all accommodation requests and general inquiries, please contact celc@artsconnectinternational.org.

2022-24 PROJECT PARTNERS

CELC is presented by Arts Connect International and produced with HipStory with the generous support of the Mass Cultural Council. The CELC is also deeply supported by our distribution partners.

Special thanks to our past partners for establishing the inaugural CELC: The Mayor's Office of Arts & Culture, The Boston Foundation, MassHumanities, Artists Thrive, Cambridge Community Foundation, the Cambridge Arts Council, the New England Foundation for the Arts, The Anti-Racism Collaborative, and ArtsBoston.

Engaging Across Differences: Spring 2024 Cohort

Registration opens 2/10/25 | Cohort Runs from March - May 2025

Team Members