Power of Culture Blog
State to State: Massachusetts’ Native American and Indigenous People’s Equity Plan
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies Showcases Ingenuity at Mass Cultural Council
Charles Baldwin, Program Officer
As part of the Universal Participation (UP) Initiative, Mass Cultural Council supports a growing network of UP Designated organizations — organizations that fully embrace accessibility systems and ideals; offer continual training on diversity services; work with user/experts when addressing accessibility; and cultivate a culture of risk and innovation — through technical resources, best practices, innovative solutions, and professional development.
We invite cultural organizations that demonstrate these inclusive practices to apply for an UP Designation by Dec. 29, 2020.
Through the principles of Universal Design, organizations with UP Designation activate a community of practice and share the responsibility for barrier removal across the cultural sector. Authentic engagement policies give agency to marginalized voices, generate new relationships, develop creative work pipelines, and create integrated experiences.
The UP Designation is a badge of distinction. It looks at an organization’s distribution of power, leadership pipelines, sector activation, and civic responsibilities.
While the UP Initiative does not provide a monetary award upon designation, additional opportunities are available to organizations with an UP Designation:
