Vol. 49, No. 2, Winter-Spring 2021 IN THIS ISSUE Centering Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access 2 New Hampshire PBS to Broadcast Medal Day with Rosanne Cash 3 New 92Y Series Features Provocative Conversations Among Artists 6 Mashuq Mushtaq Deen: Do not disappear the words 8 Architects | Composers | Filmmakers | Interdisciplinary Artists | Theatre Artists | Visual Artists | Writers 100 High Street, Peterborough, NH 03458-2485 NH Peterborough, Street, High 100 NASHUA, NH NASHUA, PERMIT NO. 375 NO. PERMIT PAID U.S. POSTAGE U.S. NON-PROFIT ORG. NON-PROFIT A rhetoric of hope surrounds us in – spells of time that sometimes puzzle which was necessarily postponed, this ephemeral moment; we are not or frustrate us – are as vital to defin- includes a rather novel approach: an yet post-COVID but something mo- ing our world as our experience of the onsite ceremony for a limited audience mentous stirs. Each week more of picture-perfect summer day. Within that will be widely broadcast by New us receive vaccinations, yet we find each equinox is of course the seed of Hampshire PBS in August. In this way ourselves tentative, mindful of inhab- solstice and embedded into the briefest we can celebrate, in real time, the artist- iting a liminal space. Do we cling to a period of daylight is the promise of the ry and influence of composer Rosanne kind of expeditious optimism, or resist next season. Cash and invite a free viewing by New imagining a renewed world for fear of MacDowell staff and board have Hampshire residents and even those disappointment? There also exists an embraced this disruption of routine by beyond the Granite State. outpouring of nostalgia these days. purposefully agitating for change. In When an artist approaches a blank Social media posts abound with images our ongoing work elevating and better piece of paper, or score, or canvas, they of our pre-pandemic lives, portraits and understanding the pathways toward di- are also inhabiting an in-between zone. souvenirs we cling to, and we speak versity, equity, inclusion, and access, we What is in their heads and hearts is not LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR with great ardor of a future when we will have aimed a crucial lens on every as- yet revealed. With the beauty of creation once more embrace one another, wist- pect of our organization. Board and staff there exists apprehension, even anxiety. The Space ful for the warmth of human contact. have worked unflaggingly to understand In the spirit of those who create art in At MacDowell, this "in between time" more deeply the role that cultural organi- its myriad forms, those brave artists our In-Between has manifested in a variety of ways. In zations, including MacDowell, play in an residency exists to support and champi- “The tree of life knows that, whatever hap- 2020 our studios were indeed desolate oppressive and racist society. In doing on, I trust we all will allow ourselves the pens, the warm music spinning around it will for almost seven months – and then so, we have come to know each other surprise of what is possible, even if we never stop. However much death may come, artists were invited to return in late more deeply, to value transparency, and lack the ability at this moment in time to however much blood may flow, the music October for a safely modified residency. to strive for transformative change. understand how that may come to be. will dance men and women as long as the air Rather than come and go as they would What does the MacDowell can- As executive director of MacDowell, I breathes them and the land plows and loves in normal times, each cohort now ar- vas look like for the months ahead? thank all of our MacDowell community them.” rives as a unit, nearly 100 percent vacci- This spring as we re-ignited our artist – artists, staff, board, and supporters nated, and so able explore the grounds, application process for the first time – and urge you to join us in this space —Uruguayan journalist Eduardo Galeano access the James Baldwin Library, and since COVID, our admissions program in-between, at this time of transition, engage masked and at safe distances. has also added a series of what we call to embrace possibility. “To be spiritual Our staff delivers all meals to each stu- Virtual MacDowells: month-long online is to be amazed,” said philosopher and dio with an option to gather for dinner. brain trusts with Fellows leading con- civil rights activist Abraham Joshua Not the “full MacDowell experience,” yet versations on how we may meaningfully Heschel. This is also what art does for each artist has expressed great enthu- serve less-represented artist commu- many of us. It astonishes us and star- siasm for their time of chosen isolation nities. In 2021, one session focuses on tles us, confounds us and awes us – in our inspired and bucolic landscape. Native and Indigenous Artists; another and it is the "why" of MacDowell – now They are creating. on Artists with Disabilities. Our goals more than ever. Those of us who reside in geogra- are to find significant partnerships, to phies of seasonal change know well inspire a greater awareness of Mac- that the cusp of winter is imbued with Dowell, and to welcome all populations a capricious autumn, and that a warm of artists. early spring day may well be displaced We are also thinking a great deal by an errant snowfall. These intervals about "hybrid models." Medal Day 2021, Executive Director Aiming for Generational when asking what it means to be an equitable arts “Non-Profit Resiliency Program.” The consultancy Impact with Anti-oppression non-profit. With a campus situated in a region that is explained one of the program's goals was to identify less diverse than the population of artists we regular- guiding principles to steer MacDowell through the and Anti-racism Work ly bring to Peterborough, and a staff and board who pandemic, economic uncertainty, and continued By Julia J. Tolo and Jenni Wu are predominantly White, it can be a challenge to social unrest. In one meeting, Executive Assistant ensure that all artists feel safe and welcomed. and Board Liaison Virginia Podesta proposed that In the spring of 2019, when Philip Himberg was hired In early 2020, Himberg convened a DEIA Task DEIA should be the “spinal cord” of all of MacDow- as MacDowell’s new executive director, staff and board Force of staff and board members. This group is led ell’s work. “The expression ‘DEIA lens’ has always joined together to begin asking how MacDowell can by Assistant to the Resident Director Ann Hayashi bothered me,” Podesta explained. “Most substantially be more inclusive and equitable in fulfilling our mission and works in partnership with Yancey Consulting. because I believe that ‘lenses’ sounds like DEIA is an of supporting all artists — especially those from “The task force is a group of very dedicated, add-on as opposed to a reigning principle. Lenses communities that we have not served as effectively in thoughtful individuals committed to guiding MacDowell are to see, they might inform decisions, but they the past. A coordinated, wide-ranging focus on diversity, in this transformative work to incorporate principles of don’t necessarily put things in motion. A spinal cord equity, inclusion, and access (DEIA) began under the diversity, equity, inclusion, and access throughout the guides movement, sensations, and functions, which guidance of Lisa Yancey and Yancey Consulting. The organization with clarity, compassion, and courage,” is exactly what DEIA should do.” firm was hired with input from outgoing Executive Hayashi said. The task force has started a bi-weekly In early 2021, Yancey Consulting and the DEIA Director Cheryl A. Young, Resident Director David Macy, internal newsletter that features interviews as well as Task Force convened six working groups of staff and and other staff and board. In the first phase, staff and recommended reading around themes like “representa- board to identify current oppressive practices and board were grounded in concepts like implicit bias and tion in the media” and “local DEIA resources.” make corresponding anti-oppressive recommenda- structural racism, and conducted an audit to identify In the summer of 2020, a group of MacDow- tions. The six focus areas are: the residency program, oppressive organizational structures and practices. ell staff participated in The Bridgespan Group’s human relations, internal communications, fundrais- “MacDowell attaches primary importance to the ing and external communications, operations and work of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access. It is a investments, and artistic excellence. pillar of our work going forward, and upon my hire we “The collaboration of the board, staff, artist cast a lens of DEIA across every aspect of our activ- Fellows, and Yancey Consulting has been rigorous ities,” Himberg recalled. “The MacDowell community and thought provoking,” said playwright, MacDowell is engaged in what it means to truly elevate equity board member, and DEIA task force member Carlos and actively promote and model social justice.” Murillo. “Our conversations have gone a long way MacDowell signed a contract with Yancey toward illuminating and eliminating the biases that Consulting in large part because the firm considers hinder Black, Indigenous, and artists of color from generational impacts, seeking to dismantle oppres- fully experiencing the riches MacDowell has to offer. sive systems, practices, cultures, and mindsets that The commitment to this work will make for a better perpetuate organizational inequities. MacDowell where the values of artistic excellence The 3rd Precinct from Afar; Ink on paper; 9 in. X 12 in.; As a 114-year-old organization, it made sense 2020; by visual artist Kambui Olujimi (18) can be found for MacDowell to use a generational framework online at our first "Conversation About Social Justice." Continued on next page ON THE COVER: Lost In My Life (Chiral Lines) by Rachel Perry (09, 11, 15, 17); archival pigment print on paper; 90 in.