Cheyenne Cohn-Postell, Program Officer
Mass Cultural Council’s recently launched Racial Equity Plan aims to expand the Agency’s mandated support to under-invested communities. But as programs and resources grow, they need to be regularly evaluated to promote relevancy and sustainability. Programs should only be deemed “good” or “vital” by the people they are made to serve, so this evaluation process needs to involve and prioritize the needs and experiences of the community.
Expanding support to under-invested communities takes work, because often these communities are largely outside of the Agency’s sphere of communication. To combat this barrier, a request for proposal was circulated to identify active community engagement enthusiasts who self-identify as BIPOC, interested in creating new relationships between the community and Mass Cultural Council. Four BIPOC Outreach Coordinators were selected and are contracted through the winter to achieve two main objectives:
- Spread awareness about the Agency’s current programs and services
- Gather feedback about unmet needs of the community
Below is some information about each coordinator, and their goals for this engagement project. If you would like to speak with any of them, their emails are listed, and as always feel free to reach out to Mass Cultural Council staff with any questions or comments you may have.
Meet the BIPOC Outreach Coordinators
Erin Genia
(she, her, hers)
Member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota Oyate
Descendant of the Little River and Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians
Multimedia artist
Sound, performance, sculpture, ceramics, fibers, printmaking, and painting, as well as the traditional Dakota material of canupa inyan/pipestone
Educator
City of Boston’s “Confronting Colonial Myths in Boston’s Public Space”
Engagement Goals:
- Focus on how Mass Cultural Council can support cultural revitalization in Indigenous communities.
- Develop relationships between the Agency and the MA Office of Indian Affairs and other tribal and heritage leaders, and provide the framework for further engagement between parties.
- Help inform the Mass Cultural Council’s use of language to adequately reflect the identities, needs, and goals of local Native American peoples.
Ana Masacote
(she, her, ella)
Founder – DANCE TO POWER LLC
Online Afro-Latin Dance Academy
Co-Founder & Former Director – MASACOTE ENTERTAINMENT, INC
Afro-Latin Dance & Music Company
Engagement Goals:
- Conduct outreach and listening sessions with Latine artists and organizations throughout the state to identify specific needs of each region.
- Develop a blueprint for Mass Cultural Council program staff to build, nurture, and maintain relationships with established points of connection within the Latine community to lay the foundation for more comprehensive efforts.
- Design a resource guide mapping key information and support available to artists sourced from connections and conversations.
Erika Slocumb
(she, her, hers)
PhD Candidate, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Black Studies and Public History
Founder – Studio E Designs
Visual Art Shop
Engagement Goals:
- Expand cultural connections to Central and Eastern MA.
- Collaborate with other Outreach Coordinators on events to increase reach and accessibility.
- Center feedback efforts on applicants who have had a connection to Mass Cultural Council in the past to identify gaps in the Agency’s support.
Tran Vu
(she, her, hers)
Multimedia Artist
Sculpture, photography, painting, and illustration
Adjunct Faculty, UMass Boston
Asian Women in the US
Engagement Goals:
- Flyer various AAPI communities and meeting spaces with Mass Cultural Council materials to promote awareness.
- Support the Agency’s AAPI Program Coordinator in engaging with organizations and other entities that may be eligible for an upcoming program established through a legislative earmark sponsored by the Members of the House Asian Caucus.
- Suggest updates to application review processes to acknowledge the current realities of BIPOC artists and organizations/groups.