BIPOC Leadership Circle
The BIPOC Leadership Circle is designed to center, support, and address experiences of
BIPOC leaders of cultural institutions.
2025 Dates
Stay tuned for 2025 dates and information
About the Program
Being a Black, Indigenous, Person of Color (BIPOC) in a predominantly white sector or organization has its challenges. Try doing that as a BIPOC person in a leadership position. Most organizations, even those that are primarily BIPOC or BIPOC-friendly, do not offer systems of support and affirmation for BIPOC leaders.
This hybrid series prioritizes bringing together BIPOC leaders representing organizations across the United States to provide support, strategies, and systems of accountability in creating dynamic new leadership models that center BIPOC experiences.
Who is the program designed for?
Our program is designed to center, support, and address the experiences of BIPOC leaders of cultural institutions and communities. Through a popular education approach, we use our time together to generate conversations, connections, and ideas in order to inspire new leadership paradigms for and by BIPOC leaders. Ultimately, our goal is to create a national shift in leadership values and practices in the art and culture sector.
We are bringing together artists, activists, and organizational leaders who work at the intersection of art and activism. This space is uniquely designed for Leaders of Color and those who identify as: BIPOC, AAPI, MENASA, ALAANA, SWANA, Black/African American, Indigenous/Native, Latinx, Latine, or People of the Global Majority.
For inquiries regarding this program, please contact us at
Program Features
The Cohort Experience
This year’s cohort is dedicated to the study of leadership practices of the past and present from grassroots leaders of color. Through a series of virtual sessions, small group meetings, and a culminating in-person retreat experience, the BIPOC Leadership Circle will use learnings from various leaders of color to analyze, envision, and build new paradigms of leadership.
Virtual Sessions
Over the course of the series, participants will engage in a total of four 2.5-hour-long sessions (one welcome session and three core sessions) to build community and grow their knowledge base through creative presentations and workshops led by program facilitators, artists, and/or guests from the field.
1:1 Meetings
Prior to the first core session, participants will have the opportunity to meet 1:1 with facilitators or artEquity team members to discuss their specific needs and goals.
Squads
We know we all learn and digest information differently. To create small-group engagements, the cohort will be organized into learning squads and are assigned a text to read during the six-month program that tracks the leadership values and practices of a leader of color. Participants will be expected to attend monthly squad meetings to identify key learnings from that leader to aid in the development of a Blueprint for Leadership in Action that generates a new system, practice, structure, or way of being in the art and culture field.
To support the participants, each squad has an assigned facilitator and staff member to support their experience throughout the program.
In-Person Retreat Experience
To culminate and celebrate our work together, we will gather for a multi-day retreat experience on Tongva, Kizh (Gabrielino), Chumash lands (Los Angeles, CA) to build community in person and to present squad learnings, including the Blueprints for Leadership in Action.
Blueprint for Leadership in Action
Throughout the program, each squad will compile key learnings and develop a Blueprint for Leadership in Action that envisions a new system, practice, structure, or way of being in the art and culture field. Squads will present their blueprint to the cohort at the in-person retreat experience.
LOGISTICS
The core sessions will be conducted virtually with a combination of personal reflection, small-group work (Squads), and large-group conversations. The in-person retreat experience will be conducted with a combination of personal reflection, small-group work (Squads), and large-group conversations. Participants will receive a resource packet that will be useful in navigating antiracism work both during and following the training.
Attendance
We ask that participants attend all 2.5 hours of each core session and the in-person retreat in its entirety. This workshop is designed to build thematically, layering one concept after another. Because this work is relational in nature, each session is important community-building. Missing more than a few minutes of the session will make it challenging for the individual and their co-learners.
Access
Computer-generated captions are available for all programming. ASL Interpretation and/or Live Captioning is available if requested two weeks prior to the training. For other access support, please let us know at the time of registration.
Tech Support
For day-of technical support, please email meet@artEquity.org.
SCHEDULE
This year, we will be gathering using a hybrid model composed of four virtual sessions (one welcome session and three core sessions) each held on Zoom and 1:1 meetings with a facilitator or artEquity team member, as well as an in-person retreat experience to deepen community.
Four virtual sessions will be held on Fridays from
11:30 a.m.–2 p.m. PT/2:30 p.m.–5 p.m. ET as follows:
Welcome Session: February 2, 2024
Core Session 1: March 8, 2024
Core Session 2: April 5, 2024
Core Session 3: May 3, 2024
In-Person Retreat Experience in Los Angeles:
June 10–14, 2024
Please note: participants will be expected to be present for each full day of the retreat experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you define leadership?
Our definition of "leadership" is broad. You may be someone who is responsible for the design, implementation, and/or oversight of an institution's work. Or you may not have positional power but are often asked to lead and initiate. Leading takes many forms.
How do I join?
The Interest Form deadline to send in your application was November 17, 2023, 12 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ET. The Interest Form is now closed.
Can individual practitioners participate?
Yes. Participants do not have to have an organizational affiliation in order to join the cohort.
How much time is required in order to participate?
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Complete and submit an interest form for consideration in this year’s cohort (variable).
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Join our virtual Welcome Session in February to meet cohort members and the facilitation team, and prepare for the program (2.5 hours).
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Join six monthly 60-minute virtual squad meetings (6 hours; self-organized).
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Join three monthly 2.5-hour virtual sessions between the months of February and May (10 hours).
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Complete assigned readings and reflections between sessions, including the Blueprint for Leadership in Action presentation (10 hours).
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Participate in a multi-day retreat in June (approximately 96 hours).
Is there a fee to participate?
We are grateful for the support of faithful donors and grant partners in order to underwrite a large portion of the costs for participation. All virtual and in-person programming, resource materials, and texts are provided at no cost to participants. artEquity is committed to providing the following for the in-person retreat in Los Angeles:
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Housing;
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Ground Transportation from housing to local programming sites;
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Specific meals during programming days:
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Dinner (Day 1)
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Lunch (Days 2–4)
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Brunch (Day 5)
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Participants will be responsible for covering the cost of roundtrip travel to Los Angeles from June 10–14, 2024, transportation to/from their home airports, and meals not provided by artEquity:
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Breakfast and Lunch (Day 1)
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Breakfast and Dinner (Days 2–4)
We are committed to creating as much access to our programming as possible. Please indicate on your Interest Form if you may need financial support.
Why is there an interest form and not an application?
We believe in the power of language. We use the term “interest form” to note that there is often more interest than we have capacity. We wish we could invite everyone to participate; however, to create the most impactful experience, we have to limit the number of participants. Not receiving an invitation for this year’s cohort is not a reflection of you or your leadership; it is indicative of the restraints for the number of participants we can comfortably accommodate.
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO SUBMITTED INTEREST. THE INTEREST FORM IS NOW CLOSED.
Thank you to our supporters
artEquity provides the tools, resources, and training to support the intersection of art and activism. Our work is made possible in part by The Ford Foundation, the Getty Foundation, Barbara and Amos Hostetter, the Howard Gilman Foundation, the JKW Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Shubert Foundation, and a growing community of individuals and organizations across the globe.
