Community Standards - 2021 Gala Series

Welcome & Intention Setting

Every individual is entitled to feel safe and supported in their community.  When you attend an A.R.T./New York event, you are a part of our community. A.R.T./New York works to ensure that every event is accessible, giving each attendee the ability to engage as much or as little as they wish.  It is our goal to foster a wholly inclusive environment in which each attendee feels taken care of. You are encouraged to honor your personal needs and exit any conversation, room, or venue as you wish and will be welcome upon your return at any time.

At A.R.T./New York, we have set Meeting Agreements to reaffirm our commitment to one another when we gather. We would like to share some of these agreements with our full community to read and think on before our event:

  • Make space, take space- your voice and ideas are a welcome addition to this event! We encourage you to bring your full self and consider both the amount of space you are taking as well as the amount of space you are making for others to participate.
  • Challenge the idea, not the person- in these spaces, we encourage you to interact bravely and boldly while respecting that everyone is entitled to feel safe and supported.
  • Use "I" statements- speak from your heart and own that when you share your thoughts, they are your own.
  • Tend to impact- your words and actions may not land the way you intended. We are all responsible for the IMPACT we make, regardless of our intention.
  • Acknowledge we're all at different learning levels.
  • Be willing to challenge your own assumptions.
  • Just because you feel safe in this space, it doesn't mean everyone else feels as safe as you do.  Please be mindful of those around you and actively care for each other while we’re together.

At A.R.T./New York, we encourage the sharing of personal pronoun preference in introductions, on name tags, and at the beginning of gatherings. This gives everyone in the room the opportunity to self identify instead of assuming someone’s identity or which pronouns they use.  Including pronouns is a first step toward respecting people’s identity and creating a more welcoming space for people of all genders.

A.R.T./New York is committed to our ongoing work to support the indigenous community and its theatremakers by opening more workshops, roundtables, and public events with a statement acknowledging the traditional native land and its caretakers on which we stand. This is not the means to an end, rather a continuous effort to learn more and work toward reconciliation and cultural equity. We recognize that we are a white-founded and predominantly white-led institution. We recognize that our offices, rehearsal rooms and theatres sit on the unceded land of the Lenape and Canarsie Nations.

How we move & how we define missteps

This is a safe space and a brave space. Every person is encouraged to be their whole authentic self and expected to treat those around them with respect, grace, and kindness. A.R.T./New York will not tolerate any harassment or discrimination.  Our organization operates with the firm belief that harassment, discrimination, and harm of any kind are defined by those who have experienced said harm.  Staff and consultants who encounter an abusive or uncomfortable situation are encouraged to remove themselves and alert their supervisor or coworker managing the event as soon as possible.  Likewise, we encourage event attendees to center their safety by removing themselves from harmful situations and alerting an A.R.T./New York staff member to their experience. There will never be retaliation for this action, and all will be taken at their word with regard to any mistreatment.

Unless staff and staff consultants have been given explicit instructions to “work” an event, they are guests  and will be treated with the same respect and consideration as any guest would receive. Employees of the organization are encouraged to introduce themselves and interact with event attendees, but are not expected to do so beyond the extent of their own comfort. 

Partners, artists, and vendors are vetted prior to hiring to ensure that their practices and beliefs align with A.R.T./New York’s values. All partners, artists, and vendors, that work or attend an A.R.T./New York event are held to the same expectations of professionalism and supported by the same protections as our staff.

Impact & Resources

A.R.T./New York is committed to providing access to all of our programs, services, and locations to people of all abilities. Whether it's attending a show at our theatres or participating in one of our workshops, we will do our best to ensure your needs are met. If you have any accessibility needs, circumstances, or questions, please contact Kirsten Sweeney at [email protected] or (212) 244-6667 ext. 219.

If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions that would improve your experience during the A.R.T./New York Gala events, please contact our Senior Manager of Individual Giving and Events, Audrey Rush, at [email protected]  for assistance.

In closing, we encourage all members of our community to gather with intention.  While many resources are available to support the creation of your own best practices, we offer to you a few resources that helped inform our own policies:

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