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MCA Denver’s Commitment to Equity
As MCA Denver’s staff and board, we are deeply invested in being a more inclusive and equitable museum. Over the last two years, we have scrutinized our organization and committed to a number of initiatives, including a Racial Equity Plan, to strengthen our culture and further our mission. As we advance the goals set out in this Plan (more details about this Plan can be found below), we continue to find new and more meaningful ways to support our colleagues, champion artists, connect with audiences, and listen to community feedback. If you have a question or a comment, please let us know here: feedback@mcadenver.org.
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People, policy, and practice
MCA Denver will scrutinize our internal operations to develop new, improved, and robust systems, policies and procedures, from hiring to onboarding and development, and support of BIPOC staff and board, so that everyone can thrive.
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AREAS OF FOCUS
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Recruitment, Hiring, & Onboarding
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Staff development and retention
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Community Building
Our practices and communications will promote the advancement, embodiment, and representation of racial equity by how we connect and engage with various external stakeholders, so that they feel welcomed, included, authentically represented, and heard.
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AREAS OF FOCUS
- Cultivate and grow authentic partnerships
- Investing in MCA Denver's institutional approach to community building
- Investing in BIPOC owned/operated businesses
- Expanding advertising and promotional investments
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Art, Exhibitions, and Programming
Our content production will reflect our commitment to advancing racial equity by addressing historical and institutional inequities. We will reassess the artists with whom we work and how they are represented in our galleries, our retail spaces, the digital realm, and our teen and adult programs.
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AREAS OF FOCUS
- BIPOC artists and voices
- Pay equity
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Accountability
- Three internal working groups consisting of 6 - 8 full and part-time staff members and led by one or more members of the leadership team meet regularly to assess and track progress toward each goal.
- The group's findings will be shared at quarterly staff meetings, presented at quarterly Board of Trustee meetings.
- An annual report, that will live on this webpage, will be issued that reflects progress across all categories of the Racial Equity Plan and that identifies new goals and quantifiable targets for the coming year.
2020
Summer/Fall
- Begin engagement with consultancy, The Equity Project.
- Organizational assessment conducted.
- Staff and Board trainings on deconstructing equity.
- Job architecture project initiated, including a revision of all job descriptions, articulation of core and leadership staff competencies, and establishing a more intentional and authentic job dialogue process for staff.
- Creation of new Marketing and Community Specialist position.
- Established a Board committee focused on furthering DEAI initiatives.
- Established Board and staff lunch-and-learns.
2021
Winter/Spring
- Implementation of new job dialogue process for staff.
- Develop Racial Equity Plan and establish working groups focused on advancing its priorities.
- Staff training on using a racial equity lens as a decision making tool.
- Developed strategy and established rubric of best practices for engaging and supporting artists of color.
- Completed an HR project focused on job architecture and staff compensation.
- Commenced an HR project focused on recruitment and hiring through a racial equity lens.
- Increased resources committed to community engagement and outreach efforts.
Summer/Fall
- Board approval of Racial Equity Plan.
- Increased investment in growing our network of community partners and building relationships with new community leaders and organizations.
- Establish an artist questionnaire and incorporate it into the exhibition production process.
- Finalize HR project focused on recruitment and hiring through a racial equity lens.
- Commence process for building a pay scale for artists and creatives with whom we work.
- Begin audit of current and preferred vendors by type and annual spend.
- Increase advertising spend with BIPOC-owned outlets and BIPOC-centered community events.
- Update Board by-laws by removing specific financial commitment.
- Conduct Board and staff demographic survey.
- Nominating Committee of the Board details and provides transparency to nominating process to Board and staff.
- Initiated a new dedicated budget for community outreach efforts.
- Initiated sponsorship efforts at festivals around Denver.
- Establish a community advisory group for the Holiday Theater.
- Create and use pay-rate scale for artists.
2022
Winter/Spring
- Formed Land Acknowledgement working group.
- Open houses held at the Holiday Theater for community members, creative partners, artists, neighbors, and others.
- Increased ad spending with media outlets that are BIPOC-owned and/or whose readership is predominantly BIPOC.
- Establish template to recognize the growing network of creatives and collaborators who are involved in the development and production of programming and exhibitions.
- Begin development of more robust studio- and site-visit planning to deepen community connections with exhibiting artists.
Summer/Fall
- Develop an Annual Equity Report.
- HR pulse survey conducted regarding job dialogue job architecture processes.
- Create a new position of a full-time HR Generalist to continue to advance onboarding and establish a staff mentorship program.
- Increased budget for community outreach efforts.
- Increase sponsorship efforts at various festivals around Denver.
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Contact us with questions, comments, or suggestions at feedback@mcadenver.org