Vlog from Tara Taylor
Tara Taylor has been researching how accessible (or not) culture and arts grants are for Black and Indigenous people in Nova Scotia. In this final episode of Tara’s vlog, she shares her recommendations.
Find the final report here on the WeavEast page of the Inspiring Communities website.
Highlights for ways to improve access to arts grants for Black and Indigenous creatives in Nova Scotia.
- Create an Arts Grant navigator.
- Create a Mentorship List.
- Simplify the wording on the application.
- When inviting diverse persons to sit on juries, invite more than one and actually listen to them.
- Advertise PROACTIVELY. Passive advertising may not be enough.
A few other suggestions include giving feedback on each proposal, offering video guides on how to complete applications, analyzing criteria to determine if they are barriers to Black or Indigenous creators (ie, terms like “export-ready”).
Make more money available, and don’t wait for the cash to be triggered by tragedy. Money came to the table following George Floyd’s death. Where was it before?
Finally, Tara suggests bringing Black creators into the room when developing or redeveloping programs, to weed out the jargon, criteria and other barriers you may not realize you are introducing.
Watch the video for more!
