
Since 2010, the Western States Arts Federation’s (WESTAF) Emerging Leaders of Color (ELC) program has promoted diverse, representative leadership and equity in the field of arts administration in our 13-state western region. In 2020, WESTAF partnered with our sister regional arts organization, South Arts, to launch the southern region’s ELC program. Our alumni of both regional programs are no longer “emerging,” they are, and have been, established leaders in the field—some for well over a decade.
Goals
We are co-creating multiple opportunities to deepen relationships with and among our alumni. We are sharing and building our knowledge and skills as mid-career alumni to envision and enact a field that is supportive to the needs of BIPOC cultural workers at all phases of their career. The key purpose is to deepen relationships—among alumni, with WESTAF, and in the field at large—in order to create an intersectional, intergenerational, and multiracial movement on behalf of cultural equity.
Advisory Committee
We thank the alumni who regularly share their needs, ideas, time, and creativity to create our growing alumni engagement offerings.
For questions or more information, please contact Social Responsibility and Inclusion Programs at leadersofcolor@westaf.org