Promoting Equitable Hiring in the Arts: Removing Bias from the Hiring Process in Cultural Institutions

Recorded On: 04/24/2019

Overview
Speaker(s)

About this Webinar

Despite increased calls for diversity at all levels of cultural organizations, there are still significant portions of the cultural sector that are solely White and middle class – excluding voices of color and those that represent a wider range of socio-economic backgrounds. This workshop presents a framework for how cultural organizations can assess their current organizational culture and structure and prepare their organization to welcome a more diverse workforce. Specific attention will be paid to articulating the different forms of bias and diversity resistance that may present themselves during the recruitment and selection processes. This session will conclude with a discussion of practical steps toward recruiting, selecting, and onboarding a diverse workforce in previously homogenous workspaces – and there will be ample time for questions!

After this session, participants will be able to:

Identify subtle forms of bias that can creep into recruitment and selection processes
Identify more subtle forms of diversity resistance
Craft an equitable position description
Articulate an action plan for the next hiring opportunity in their organization

Brea Heidelberg

Associate Professor and Program Director of Entertainment & Arts Management Organization

Drexel University

Brea M. Heidelberg is an arts management educator, consultant, and researcher focusing on the intersection of the arts and other fields of study. She joined the Entertainment & Arts Management faculty in 2017 and currently serves as Program Director. She sees arts administrators as intellectual translators and works to instill a respect for both theory and practice in her students and clients. She has served the field as Vice President of the Association of Arts Administration Educators, Co-Chair of Americans for the Arts’ Emerging Leaders Council, and on the editorial board of the American Journal of Arts Management.

Dr. Heidelberg earned her PhD in Arts Administration, Education and Policy from The Ohio State University. Her research interests include professional development issues facing arts administrators, arts advocacy rhetoric, and (inter)national cultural diplomacy. In addition to earning a MA in Arts Policy and Administration from The Ohio State University, she also earned a MS in Human Resource Development from Villanova University. Her current research interests involve the professionalization of the field of arts management, the training and development of arts managers, and management issues unique to small and midsized nonprofit arts organizations. Past projects include investigations into arts policy and advocacy rhetoric at the state and federal levels.

Dr. Heidelberg’s consulting work focuses on human resources issues in the nonprofit arts, particularly issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. In her consulting practice Dr. Heidelberg addresses issues such as employee recruitment and retention, organizational structuring, and succession planning. She also assists arts organizations with board development, organizational and program evaluation, and strategic planning. She enjoys bringing her work in the field back into the classroom to prepare her students to be thoughtful leaders. Dr. Heidelberg thoroughly enjoys office supplies, graphic novels, and getting back to her first love: dance.

ISO Arts Consulting: www.isoartsconsulting.com

Twitter: @BMHeidelberg