diversity in arts award
our why
In June 2020, the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra (WVSO), in recognition of national awakening to injustice and with considered look at its own history, created a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee (DEI Committee). The committee, made up of board members representing various professions and communities, carefully evaluated the internal and external work of the organization. On September 24, 2020, the Board of Directors published a statement on diversity, equity and inclusion with actionable steps to be taken. Those actionable steps include:
Create a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee to provide recommendations to the Board to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the WVSO.
Coordinate diversity, equity, and inclusion training for the Board at least annually.
Review the WVSO bylaws, board and committee compositions, and strategic plan to ensure diversity, equity and inclusion are addressed.
Immediately appoint board members that are people of color.
Reach out to diverse community groups to connect with the WVSO and provide feedback and input to increase diverse community participation in the WVSO and assist in planning diverse programming in the selection of conductors, composers.
Review WVSO audience and patron events to expand networking opportunities to increase diverse community participation in the WVSO.
Increase diversity of WVSO programming and educational outreach to provide opportunities to reach communities and audiences of all backgrounds, including people of color.
Review other policies and business practices of the WVSO so that they deliberately incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion.
The DEI Committee has met continuously since their beginning in June 2020. Efforts of the committee have led to relationships in communities previously underrepresented in the organization. Having looked deeply at the history of its own artform, the WVSO has committed to highlighting these underrepresented individuals and recognizes the orchestral world has not historically provided equal access.
Through its work, the WVSO has received local and national attention. In October 2021, Symphony President, Joe Tackett, was invited by The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation to appear as a panelist during its 2021 Summit on Race Matters in West Virginia as a leader in West Virginia arts. In February 2023, the WVSO’s efforts were praised in a national article by the League of American Orchestras publication, Symphony. The article’s feature on increasing diversity in artistic planning mentioned,
The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra (WVSO) is another ensemble that committed to a guest artist or composer of color on every concert program. But WVSO President Joe Tackett says they did not rush into the decision, wary of virtue-signaling in the summer of 2020. He began by expanding the conversation, recruiting Black board members knowledgeable about music who contributed programming ideas. Then, Music Director Lawrence Loh reached out to a young Black composer he’d worked with in Dallas: Quinn Mason, whose music has now had three appearances with the WVSO. Together, they have put established works together with new works by Black composers on virtually every WVSO program.
“I hear only positive response to the work we’ve done.”
–Joe Tackett, President, West Virginia Symphony Orchestra
The WVSO is humbled by the praise it has received for its DEI work but does not consider the acknowledgement to be an endpoint. Instead, having felt the deep importance of this work, has considered this to be a responsibility in continuing the work and encouraging other arts organizations to do so as well.
In early 2023, the DEI Committee began to discuss ways to spur other arts organizations to prioritize DEI work in meaningful ways. Thus, the Diversity in Art Award was envisioned to honor another organization or individual’s work while sending the message statewide that the work is critical and needed. The WVSO hopes to serve as a beacon to other arts organizations and continues to develop its understanding of access barriers to ensure its mission is fully implemented, to make great music to enrich and inspire EVERYONE in our region.
