Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) at Bard
Bard on the Beach is committed to supporting and representing the work of artists, staff, Board of Directors, volunteers, Members and all the diverse communities we serve, including BIPOC, 2SLGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, and individuals from other equity-seeking groups.
We are excited to represent all the diversity and richness of our community on and off the stage.
IN PROGRESS
- Engaged a working group of consultants with lived experience to examine, audit, reflect, advise, guide and focus on Bard’s current policies and practice and workplace culture, and to suggest changes and initiatives to support the implementation of EDI across all departments and areas of work.
- Publicly acknowledged that we’ve made mistakes in the past and encouraged feedback from community members on how to move forward with EDI as a top priority.
- Implemented a revised Board of Directors recruitment process to encourage diversity of candidates.
- Updated our Vision, Values and Mission statement and implemented Company Commitments to accurately reflect our values and guide our actions.
- Participated in instruction and training to empower action and to increase our knowledge and understanding of how best to reach our EDI goals individually and as a team.
TRACKING OUR JOURNEY
- Formed an ongoing EDI Working Committee made up of nine members (staff and Board of Directors) to make recommendations to both the organization and Board on matters of policy and governance as they relate to EDI.
- Hired a Coast Salish Initiatives Consultant, Cory Douglas, who will collaborate and advise on a range of project with the Bard administrative and artistic teams.
- Seeking out and showcasing artistic content and expression that aligns with our updated Vision, Values and Mission and Company Commitments.
- Scheduling workshop and training opportunities for staff, volunteers and Board of Directors to ensure ongoing learning and encourage discussion.
- Workshops to date: Respectful Workplace with Natasha Tony; Anti-Racism Response Training with Dr. Ishu Ishiyama; Intro to Textured Hair by The Textured Workshops; Decolonization & Coast Salish Art by Cory Douglas.
- Supporting a staff-wide book club to read and discuss a variety of fiction and nonfiction about the Indigenous, Black, queer and more diverse experiences in Canada.
- Past book club picks: 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act by Bob Joseph; The Skin We’re In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power by Desmond Cole; Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
KEEPING OUR COMMITMENTS
We know that this work requires our ongoing commitment. Our ongoing plan is to:
- Continue building partnerships and lasting relationships with those who have been historically underrepresented on our stages and in our venues.
- Provide enhanced training for staff, artists, volunteers and Board of Directors.
- Be a platform for artists who are BIPOC, of all religious backgrounds, of all disabilities, and who have 2SLGBTQIA+ identities, to tell their stories through the lens of Shakespeare or Shakespeare-inspired theatre work.
- Create an inclusive and safe administrative and artistic working environment for people of all gender expressions, all religious backgrounds, all disabilities and all racialized minorities.
IN SOLIDARITY
A Message From Our Leadership On Systemic Racism
UPATE: January 20, 2021
To our Bard Community;
Over the past seven months, our organization has invested a significant amount of time and resources to better understand how Equity, Diversity and Inclusion issues have impacted our Company, artists, audience members and staff. We’re providing this in-progress update today and will continue to bring you fresh information as our plans and projects develop further.
Over this time, we have conducted a rigorous investigation into how we can better serve all our constituents. The following are aspects of that work.
We employed three full-time community liaisons for six months to help us evaluate past and current practices and events, and plan for a greater EDI commitment for the future. We are deeply grateful to Christine Quintana, Marci T. House and Sereana Malani for their invaluable assistance, insight and recommendations.
We have reached out to our large Bard community and heard back from hundreds of you. Thank you for your helpful and generous feedback about your experiences at Bard and your suggestions about future programs and programming.
We have looked at all areas of our organization, including our Board of Directors, and conducted many interviews and a historical analysis of activities and consequences. We identified challenges and opportunities in all areas of our organization and commit to providing regular updates on areas of focus and progress made.
We have dedicated reflection, sharing and learning time for our entire staff, and have offered training and collaboration sessions for the whole team and Board to learn and grow from EDI professionals as well as each other.
As we enter a new year with renewed dedication and excitement to move forward with our identified EDI priorities, we have appointed a new joint staff/Board working group. Its mandate is to ensure there continues to be organizational accountability, a dedicated focus on this work and additional resources for the entire organization to reach our individual and collective EDI goals.
We are pleased to announce Bard’s new joint staff/board EDI working group: Jocelyn Cartmel (Box Office Supervisor), Alva Tang (Individual Giving Manager), Maya Lohcham (Marketing Manager), Rhea Shroff (Artistic and Company Manager), Jonathan Ryder (Production Manager), Dean Paul Gibson (Associate Artistic Director), Christopher Gaze (Artistic Director), Claire Sakaki (Executive Director), and Shona McGlashan (Board Member).
If you would like to connect with the working group, please reach out to our chair: Dean Paul Gibson ([email protected]).
We are also in the process of creating an ongoing and dedicated space on our website to share our progress on Bard EDI initiatives and objectives and community resources and voices. Please visit us there beginning next month as we continue our journey.
 Claire Sakaki, Executive Director |
 Christopher Gaze, Artistic Director |
VIEW ALL LEADERSHIP STATEMENTS
In the Community: Spotlight on an Inspiring Organization
BOCA DEL LUPO
Led by Artistic Director Sherry J. Yoon and Artistic Producer Jay Dodge, Boca del Lupo’s mission is to create and present extraordinary performances in unconventional spaces. The company consciously collaborates with artists diverse in culture and practice, and seeks to engage intergenerational audiences in the Metro Vancouver area. They believe in providing equal opportunities to a diversity of artists and individuals in both emerging and leadership positions. They are devoted to accessibility and we work to broaden the participation, perception and importance of contemporary performance within the multiplicity of Canadian cultures.
Learn more about Boca del Lupo and their National campaign, STOP ASIAN HATE.