Great Barrington, Mass.—The Berkshires/Columbia Counties Pay Equity Coalition will hold a FREE event on Wednesday, September 25, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center to release their second report showcasing progress made and remaining barriers, according to employers and workers themselves.
The Berkshire/Columbia County Pay Equity coalition is made up of 18 arts and culture organizations.
Margaret Keller, Executive Director of CATA and cohort member shares, “the coalition works together to improve wages and benefits through shared learning, inspiration, and accountability. We create shared knowledge and strategies to make compensation more equitable and the experience of entry- and mid-level workers more visible.”
Coalition work began in 2021, as part of a year-long Inclusive Leadership program facilitated by Multicultural BRIDGE and supported by Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. The project was inspired by the cultural employees that found outlets for their voices in 2020 through the open letter “We See you White American Theater,” Change the Museum, and Change Berkshire Culture, as well as our colleagues.
In June of 2023, the Berkshire/Columbia Counties Pay Equity Project, then six arts and culture organizations, released its initial report which dramatically told the story of how working in the arts caused financial hardships, mental hardships, trauma and inequity. The initial report included original survey data, the voices of workers themselves, and concrete recommendations for employers — to which Coalition members committed themselves.
Now, having grown from six to eighteen arts and culture institutions, the project is a movement with a second report to be shared on September 25.
Findings shared at the September 25 pay equity summit will include the results of two follow-up surveys to both employees and employers, case studies from the coalition of their journey of successes and challenges implementing report recommendations, and new regional and national benchmarking data. All are welcome and encouraged to attend the free event.
Closing the knowledge gap that exists around the work of entry and mid level arts workers is a recommendation from the first report. To that end, the coalition invites regional arts and culture organizations, nonprofit leaders and board members, press, entry- and mid-level workers, area creatives, funders, policy makers, researchers, and equity activists and experts to join us to hear how our coalition is implementing changes and making our organizations more equitable.
Janis Martinson, Executive Director of the Mahaiwe, host of the event on September 25 and cohort member shares, “our coalition works together, sharing strategies, inspiring each other, and holding each other accountable to a bold pay equity agenda. It is challenging work, but it has all been rewarding as we begin to see meaningful change happening for entry- and mid-level employees.”
“We work individually and collectively in the spirit of cultural humility and mutual learning. Right now we are focused on changing internal systems, becoming more transparent with our boards, staff, and communities, and reporting our efforts at pay equity summits to send a message that you can do this too,” shares Kristen van Ginhoven, project co-lead.
Consistent with the basic values of the project, current and former entry- and mid-level arts and culture workers themselves were incorporated into the design, implementation, and reporting of results. In particular, Natalia Bernal, Lauren Levato Coyne and Sharron Frazier-McClain have been involved in survey outreach and reviewing the report.
As of August 2024, Berkshire/Columbia Counties Compensation Equity Project includes: Ancram Center for the Arts, Art Omi, Barrington Stage Company, Berkshire Art Center, Berkshire Dance Theatre, Berkshire Museum, Berkshire Music School, Community Access to the Arts (CATA), Flying Cloud Institute, Hancock Shaker Village, The Hudson Eye, Jacob’s Pillow, Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, The Mount, Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum, Ventfort Hall, WAM Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival. The Project is funded in part by the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. The project leads are Aron Goldman and Kristen van Ginhoven. Gwendolyn van Sant and Melissa Martinez are Advisors. The Project was launched during the 2021 Multicultural BRIDGE Inclusive Leadership Cohort, and is informed by local and national equity initiatives.
To register for this free event go to: https://mahaiwe.org/event/berkshires-columbia-county-pay-equity-coalition-2024-summit/
Quotes:
- “Even after ten years I have no retirement savings, and I’m still paying off college debt. I have no safety net. I’m sacrificing financial stability, along with my mental health. This is not sustainable.” – Anonymous entry-level arts and culture worker
- “What started as a handful of arts organizations has become a movement–I am hopeful that compensation equity will become the ‘new normal’ in this region, and the creative economy will flourish as a result.” – Lucie Castaldo, former Executive Director, Berkshire Art Center
- “A lot of people assume pay equity will break the bank, but we are showing that it can be done using innovative practices from around the country, sharing strategies regionally, collectively working to expand funding and create new systems, and including entry- and mid-level workers themselves in the process in meaningful ways.” – A.J. Pietrantone, Deputy Director, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival