Cultural Safety

Creating our Future - 2019 National Arts Participation Survey

Results from the 2019 (pre-COVID) survey of Australians attitudes to the arts. The 2019 survey was translated into community languages for the first time: Arabic, Dinka, Mandarin, Spanish, Urdu and Vietnamese.

The research found that the targeted CALD respondents were more likely to attend arts events than Australians overall, and 42% would like to attend more arts than they currently do. CALD respondents are also nearly three times more likely to give to the arts than non-CALD respondents.

30+ Ways Asians Perpetuate Anti-Black Racism Everyday

Article listing actions specifically for the Asian community.

'In doing DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) work, I’ve found it useful to actually name the detailed and insidious ways we all participate in oppressing each other.

Arts and media reckon with racism and inequality amid Black Lives Matter movement

A round-up of global disruptions, resignations, apologies and calls for change in the arts and media in mid-2020 in response to COVID-19, Black Lives Matter and systemic racism.

'Inevitably, the ripples from these global protests are disrupting industries far from the epicentres of these urgent crises. Culture is shifting and we are witnessing reckonings across the screen industries, academia, publishing, journalism, music, food, fashion and visual art. '

Awake to Woke to Work: Building a Race Equity Culture

A comprehensive yet simple guide that contextualises the race outcomes and leadership gaps in the US social sector, and offers approaches for building a 'Race Equity Culture' in your organisation. Identifies equity cycles, investments, levers, vocabularies and and tools.

B.O.S.S. Calls Turner Prize Nomination ‘Extractive and Exploitative’

A statement from the Black Obsidian Sound System that calls out institutions, prize-culture and demands the rights to thrive in conditions that a nurturing and supportive - forging a better path ahead in the future for collaborations between institutions and collectives that practice social art.

Being Antiracist

Toolkit and analysis of Anti-Racism.

'Reflect on choices you make in your daily life (i.e., who you build relationships with, what media you follow, where you shop). How do these choices reflect being antiracist?'

Best Practice in the Visual Arts from a First Nations Perspective: Clothilde Bullen

Clothilde (Clo) is a Wardandi (Nyoongar) and Badimaya (Yamatji) woman and Senior Curator and Head of First Nations programs and initiatives at the Art Gallery of WA.

'I can’t decide for another mob what their idea of sovereignty is, or of where their cultural material should go or how they wish to be represented. So I too, have to respect those principles of that group being self-determining and autonomous. '

Beyond The Toolkit: Ethical Commitments

Facilitation is not a neutral practice. Beyond the toolkit encourage practitioners to ask "What are the ethical commitments or values that guide your work?" Beyond The Toolkit are a team of community-based and academic community-engaged practitioners who have been interested in creating a dialogue about facilitation, participatory design and social justice across a number of fields.

Blak Nation Podcast conversations - Cultural Safety in the workplace

This article reviews two episodes of the Blak Nation podcast, which address workplace cultural safety. The author is critical of diversity policies and how they may compound the burden placed on First Nations workers.

CAAP Directors' Initiative

This initiative aims to unearth, nurture and develop Asian Australian directors for the stage. Includes a tailored 2 year training program for selected participants in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney.

Change is trickling in, but our arc leans towards self-determination: Tony Briggs

Yorta Yorta/Wurundjeri creative Tony Briggs is the creator and writer of the Helpmann award-winning play, The Sapphires.

Tony reflects on the ubiquitous expectation that First Nations practitioners are ready to double as “First Nations consultants”, beyond the scope of their work, and self-determination’s role in distributing the economic benefits of First Nations content to communities.

'I don’t want to be the answer to every white producer’s cultural problem or the advisor for everything.'

Commissioning New Adventures: Building an Inclusive Process

Blog describing the commissioning process designed to increase diversity of scriptwriters in new series of the popular ‘Zombies Run!’ exercise game, first using ‘blind’ anonymous read-throughs to shortlist, then assessing writer bios to ‘promote’ submissions from under-represented groups.

'In every case where we felt our shortlist was unbalanced, we promoted extra submissions rather eliminating others. We worked by addition rather than subtraction.'

Community-Engaged Practice with Jade Lillie and Lia Pa'apa'a

Discussion of the book 'The Relationship is the Practice' edited by Jade Lillie and Lia Pa'apa'a which explores community engagement, collaboration, intersectionality, cultural safety, racial literacy, access and inclusion. Also links to the book.

Connecting with Wounded Spaces

Genevieve Grieves discusses the complexities of working on creative projects with First Nations people who have experienced colonial trauma in a culturally safe way.

Cracking the Codes: Power Analysis

An analysis of systemic inequality, putting bias in the context of wider history, identities, structures and institutions.

'The current conversation is not only shallow, but actually harmful. We continue to primarily focus on individuals, when institutional and structural inequities are the bigger problem.'

Creating Worlds - Building 'Public Space'

Utilising his extensive experience in Singapore, Ong Keng Sen talks about the importance of building ownership in audiences in several ways. These include respectfully preparing an "emotional scaffolding" process for the audience, and building up cultural contexts with local partners.

Cultural Safety – An Indigenous methodology: Dr Lilly Brown

For over a decade Gumbaynggirr woman Dr Lilly Brown has supported individuals and organisations to strengthen their capacity to value, see clearly, engage with, and respond to the diverse needs of First Peoples.

'for someone to feel culturally unsafe means that they’ve likely experienced a space which is underpinned by racism. So in the absence of cultural safety, there is a presence of racism. And that’s a really important point.'

Curator/Confidant

Hannah Presley speaks to the curatorial approach that has guided her through working with individual artists, community groups, not-for-profit galleries, international art Biennales and national institutions. Hannah shares her belief in the central role of transparency, vulnerability and humour in forming valuable relationships with artists, and examines the deeper values of knowledge-sharing and exchanging ideas that inform her practice.

Diversity and Inclusion Learning from Diversity Council Australia

The Diversity Council Australia offers a suite of diversity and inclusion learning solutions including face to face and e-learning options.

Does the Museum Model Work?

Can art museums break away from their original purpose as a 'civilising' influence to be redefined as spaces that actually serve the communities in which they reside? The article includes quotes from former Queens Museum President and Executive Director Laura Raicovich and Chaédria LaBouvier, the first black curator and black woman to organize an exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum, who spoke out about being sidelined in the promotion of the Jean-Michel Basquiat exhibit she curated.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy

The British Council's global EDI Strategy, featuring three main objectives: an inclusive organisational culture; developing capability and leaders; and performance, impact and legal compliance, as well as key tools for achieving this.

Equality Monitoring at the British Council

An introduction to the British Council's Equality Monitoring program, and the reasons for undertaking it, and tips for carrying out equality monitoring.

Ethics and engagement in community art

A discussion of the difficulties of getting engagement right, particularly in rural communities. "An ethics of mutual learning and openness" must offer not just "representation, but also ownership". Shuvangi Khadka adds "outside artists must remain open to their own vision being radically changed via community critique."

Filmmaking and Worldmaking: An Interview with the Karrabing Film Collective

This interview details the process of filmmaking undertaken by the Karrabing Film Collective, a grassroots Indigenous based media group, which moved away from initially engaging non-Indigenous collaborators and usual ways of working in film production, to a methodology that suited the collective’s needs and goals.

First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts

Protocols For Using First Nations Cultural And Intellectual Property In The Arts. A guide endorsing the rights of Indigenous people to their cultural heritage and in support of Indigenous creative practice and self-determination.

Five Myths of Cultural Safety: Infographic by Ruth de Souza

Ruth De Souza discusses expectations around culturally safe practice and debunks five popular misconceptions. While the concept and practice of cultural safety originated to address the difference in outcomes for First Peoples navigating the health system, today, its meaning has extended to encompass colonial nation-states and institutions that perpetuate systems of whiteness.

Gari Yala: Centreing the experiences of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Australians at work

Gari Yala, which means ‘speak the truth’ in the Wiradjuri language, is based on a survey 1,033 First Nations workers across Australia. The report reveals Indigenous employees continue to experience significant workplace racism and exclusion and that racism is impacting wellbeing and job satisfaction.

The report also provides 'ten truths' for organisations to improve workplace inclusion for Indigenous staff.

Gari Yala: Centring the experiences of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Australians at work

This piece of research provides a firsthand understanding of the diversity of Indigenous workers’ experiences in the workplace. Named 'Gari Yala' – which means ‘speak the truth’ in Wiradjuri language – it also provides 'ten truths' organisations must understand to improve workplace inclusion for Indigenous staff.

Horizontal Development: Equitable Development for City-Makers

A toolkit featuring interviews, case studies and activities to introduce "Horizontal Development," a new American urban development approach that centres the margins, highlights diversity, celebrates place and is accountable to those impacted by the racist and classist policies by cities.

How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

Video in which Ibram X. Kendi introduces his ground-breaking book 'How to be an Antiracist'.

How To Co-Create: Practical Lessons From The Field

Co-creation can be misused, and the various risks that come with co-creation are explored in this guide. Alongside this are tips for using ethical methods that can help to reap the benefits of shared power and authorship. This guide warns against generic solutions, stating that local, societal factors must always be taken into account.

How to Design and Manage Equity-focused Evaluations

One in a series of UNICEF Evaluation Working Papers that present strategic evaluation findings, lessons learned and innovative evaluation approaches and methodologies. Contextualises and defines Equity-focused Evaluations and outlines how to manage them, including comprehensive tools, templates and case studies.

How to Handle Cultural Misunderstandings at Work

An article introducing strategies to manage cultural shock in the workplace and tips on altering office procedures. It also discusses methods such as active listening; and moving from a fixed mindset to an open and curious one.

How to navigate the racial trauma your employees may be experiencing

Interview in which Farrah Harris (psychotherapist and workplace wellness champion) lays out steps to creating a psychologically safe environment for employees.

How 'white fragility' reinforces racism

Robin DiAngelo unpacks her book White Fragility with clips and examples from movies and TV.

'I am not going to get to where I need to go from a place of white comfort. I'm going to have to get mighty uncomfortable in order to challenge that.'

Inclusive Recruitment Checklist

A refugee inclusivity checklist. This Checklist is designed to help recruiters and employers address the barriers that refugees face when restarting their careers in the UK. It includes information and tips on advertising, interviewing and onboarding.

Indigenous Recruitment Guide

A practical manual with best-practice principles to encourage the recruitment of Indigenous people into the Australian Public Service.

Topics covered in this toolkit include: attracting talent, cultural competency, utilising Indigenous assessors, cultural safety and consideration of language.

Intercultural Collaboration and the Responsibilities of Representation: Dalisa Pigram

Yawuru and Bardi woman Dalisa Pigram is the Co-Artistic Director of dance company Marrugeku.

'Working with those Elders and with other artists at a young age, you develop a sense of responsibility. Best practice is to accept that responsibility – where you sit in the group.'

'We did this as a collective – it wasn’t one person at the front telling everybody what to do... it was 'listen to these people who hold that story and everybody brings their strength to work out the best way.'

I've been tempted by righteous anger against racists. It's not much help in changing society

A call to move the focus of the racial equity debate away from individual racism and towards structural racism.

'Blaming people may feel good but it won’t lead to structural change. There has to be a middle ground: of asking people to take responsibility and to step up as allies without alienating them by telling them how terrible they are first.'

Jordan’s Books@Café

Books@Café began life as the first internet cafe in the Middle East, becoming famous for its cheese fries, as well as providing information about HIV, sex and the arts at a time when these topics were regarded as controversial and taboo.  Today, it's a multi-faceted hub promoting equality and tolerance. 

This case study looks at how Books@Café created a safe space to empower marginalised communities.

Jumbunna: Strong Voices Stronger Communities: First Nations media employment and skills development

This report outlines a suggested employment and skills strategy for Australia’s First Nations Broadcasting and Media Sector. It promotes the need for skills development through regular traineeships, fellowships, exchanges, as well as a focus on getting cultural safety right.

Kari Foundation: Indigenous Employment

KARI's established indigenous community network powers their effective employment and mentorship program. In partnership with the government, specialist KARI mentors build strong relationships with both line managers and employees in the workplace, ensuring long-term careers not just jobs. KARI is an indigenous-led organisation.

Key Equity Terms and Concepts

A useful glossary of equity terms and concepts.

Letter from BIPOC Collective to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

After a racist incident at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, BIPOC (Black and Indigenous people of Color) staff wrote a frank and insightful letter to the leadership team with a list of key demands to bring racial justice and diversity to the institution.

More capacity, more equity at Footscray Community Arts

Founded by unionists in the 1970s and famous for their long-running Indigenous Advisory Group, Footscray Community Arts takes ‘Access for All’ as its mission. But how does that work in terms of governance?
* Indigenous-led advice
* Relationships before mechanisms
* Support for board members
* Continual training
* Co-CEO model
* More than one mechanism
* Equity at the centre

Navigating culture in the workplace with Professor Nareen Young

"Organisations don't do things because it's the nice thing to do...change happens when we put pressure on": In this episode of the Voices of Australia podcast, Professor Nareen Young discusses how Australian workplaces can become more diverse and inclusive. Nareen is Professor for Indigenous Policy and Indigenous Workforce Diversity at the Jumbunna Institute at the University of Technology Sydney.

New racial equity framework to hold tech companies accountable to racial justice commitments

Color Of Change is an online racial justice organization. They aim to "move decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America." This is their racial equity framework designed for Tech companies, but with much transferable insight for the arts and media sector.

Notes on a Cultural Strategy for Belonging

A report outlining ‘a cultural strategy for belonging’ that centres the leadership, voices, storytelling, practices, and knowledge of marginalised peoples and communities in America. Offers resources, evidence, case studies, and a workshop module aimed at artists, organisers, cultural strategists, funders, among others.

Ngaluri: Our First Nations Framework

In partnership with INDIGI LAB, Science Gallery Melbourne created a discussion paper to support a First Nations Framework to guide better engagement with First Nations peoples. This link contains both the initial discussion paper as well as the resulting First Nations Framework.

Policy change at Darlinghurst Theatre Company

Darlinghurst Theatre Company in Sydney makes a public commitment to:

'having, at minimum, 50% of all artists in our employ, every year, belonging to an Indigenous, Black or Culturally and Linguistically Diverse community and to having diversity of representation across our season and programming. This will include employment of playwrights, actors, directors and designers.'

Race Equality Guide

The British Council's guide to good practice in racial equality. It identifies racism and the ways in which it manifests globally; addresses the ways in which race and ethnicity sit within the Council's approach to equality, diversity and inclusion, and sets out actions and case studies for change, such as challenging stereotypes, addressing under-representation and communicating inclusion.

Racial Equity Tools Glossary

The Racial Equity Tools Glossary defines a wide range of terms used in work to achieve racial equity and racial justice at every level, including board and senior management in systems, organisations and communities.

Racism in the UK film industry: what needs to change, and who needs to change it?

Six workers in and around UK film discuss racial inequality - and what is needed in terms of meaningful workplace changes in the screen sector.

Register of Cultural Awareness Training Providers

A regularly updated directory of South Australia's cultural awareness training providers. All principal presenters are Indigenous.

Remixing Europe: unveiling the imagery of migrants in European media

Available via free download, this book examines imageries of migrants in European media. Produced out of ‘Remapping Europe, A Remix Project Highlighting the Migrant’s Perspective,’ it explores concepts, tools, and case studies to re-view, re-investigate and re-consider prevailing imageries of migrants.

Safety considerations when working with people from diverse genders, sexualities and cultures

According to NAVA, Institutions and arts workers have a duty of care to ensure the safety of artists and communities engaged in their spaces.

The aim of this guide is to help the reader consider the specificities and complexities of experiences of gender, sexuality and culture and to share suggestions for adopting culturally safer practice. It touches upon intersectionality, cultural competency, prioritising discretion and disclosure of identity and includes safety tools for action.

SBS Cultural Safety Plan – Template

SBS, Australia's national diverse broadcaster, requires production companies working on programs which focus on under-represented communities to provide a Cultural Safety Plan which outlines the production company’s commitment to meaningful collaboration with relevant under-represented communities and its plan to create an inclusive environment.

SBS provides this Cultural Safety Plan Template to assist productions companies.

Screen Tasmania's Diversity Project

The Diversity Project connects First Nations, racially marginalised, disability and migrant community groups with the aim of creating an increased pool of diverse talent for casting. It provides free, comprehensive training in “acting for the screen” for participants from age 10 to adult.

The project allocated time and resources to finding the right grassroots organisations to partner with, creating a safe environment and bringing in well-connected allies to create career pathways.

Spot Racism Online

European Union project giving step-by-step guidance on how to report hate speech and racism online to social media platforms, media organisations and others.

'Spot Racism Online, the Practical Guide of the LIGHT ON Project, aims is to assist and encourage all Internet and social media users to end hate speech online, by providing information and suggestions on how to act against hate speech in an easy and safe manner. '

Taking action for cultural safety

Extract from the book 'The Relationship is the Project' on Cultural Safety and an overview of its four core principles:

1. Critical Self-Reflection
2. Engaged Communication
3. Minimised Power Imbalances
4. Decolonised Practice

'Cultural safety helps us develop different ways of thinking and talking about discrimination and then act to effect change.'

#Talk about Trayvon

A resource for white people encouraging them to have 'courageous conversations' among friends and family and on social media about the death of Trayvon Martin, on the fifth anniversary of his death. Includes prompts and scripts.

Talking about Race

Resources and links for anti-racism, self-reflection on racial identity and systems of oppression

The Bias of ‘Professionalism’ Standards

Challenging the biases inherent within ideas of 'professionalism'. This article questions whether traditional standards and values are in fact objective and unbiased. Specific types of bias (for example the use of language and grammar) are listed and explored.

The Community Issue Exhibition Toolkit

A toolkit for co-creating an exhibition, with a focus on including the community from beginning to end.

The costs of code switching

Code-switching is a conscious or unconscious adjusting of one’s style of speech, appearance or behavior in ways that will optimize the comfort of others in the hope of fair treatment and employment opportunities. But how does it affect an employee's wellbeing?

The Dominance of the White Male Critic

Review of the reviewers, and the dangers of a national art debate that remains 'largely segregated'. It begins with a look at the 2019 Whitney Biennial in the US.

'Several white reviewers faintly praised the show but argued that it wasn’t “radical” enough. In response, Simone Leigh, an artist featured in the Biennial, suggested that reviewers could not detect radicalism in her work because they were unfamiliar with the art, artists and themes she draws from, a criticism others echoed.'

The Exhibitionist

Art tours of UK galleries and museums that position works in the context of colonialism, imperialism and racism.

'we unravel the role colonialism played in shaping and funding a major national collection, looking at the broader material history of celebrated works: where the money comes from, the ways they’ve been displayed, and the ideological aesthetics at work. The history of British art is also the history of empire and genocide, written by collectors who traded in landscapes and lives.'

The far-right and other speculative fictions for Europe

A filmed talk and timelapsed graphic illustration of two events on political imagination leading up to the 2019 European Parliamentary Elections. One focused on the ‘identitarian’ narratives of the far-right in Europe, the other centred on a speculative fiction workshop on European futures.

The film industry has a gatekeeping problem

Oluwaseun Babalola describes her experiences in the film industry: "I’ve found that when I’ve pitched work in the past that there’s a lot of emphasis on diversity and all this stuff about authenticity, but that same authenticity is based on what gatekeepers think is authentic. Usually, when it comes to Black and African stories they want things rooted in trauma – which isn’t necessarily a story you want to tell."

Illustration by Paola De La Cruz.

The Healing Solidarity Collective

A global online space to resource people in “healing solidarity.” Originally designed to further conversations emerging from the 2018 Healing Solidarity Conference, it’s a place to support one another through challenges, try new change-making approaches and create cultures of collective care.

The Unusual Suspects: damaging for Filipino stories

Gloria Demillo writes about how not all representation is productive, and how damaging the impact of bad representation can be to a vulnerable group. The Unusual Suspects and its portrayal of Filipino domestic workers are harmful to ongoing work against worker abuse and exploitation.

Demillo argues that representation should come from community engagement, imploring creatives to consider: who is their real audience, and who should be telling the story?

‘There are no more excuses’: six industry insiders on Australian TV's problem with race

Creatives of colour discuss issues in the Australian screen industry.

Benjamin Law: 'On The Family Law, the team demonstrated that when gatekeepers make the excuse, “Oh, there aren’t enough actors of a certain background” – that’s bullshit. You just haven’t made the effort to find them. Yes, it’s harder than just calling up the same Caucasian faces that you already know. Taking the time is the only way you’re going to do it.'

WATCH: Things Not to Say series

A playlist featuring videos from the BBC Three series "Things not to say" which focus on issues of race. Six minute videos (with some swearing and sexualised language in some cases).

Too many diversity initiatives are neglecting junior Black employees. We can fix that

Four suggestions for success where other diversity programs have failed.

Towards a racially just workplace

Overcoming 'the illusion of inclusion'. This article sets out three key guidelines for a better approach to diversity - learning lessons from diversity efforts that have failed in the USA. It's a long and broad overview that covers work issues at all levels.

We recognise racism on the football pitch. Why do we fail to see it in the workplace?

Nels Abbey on the importance of acknowledging the existence of workplace racism. The article also describes common types of workplace racism.

What are microagressions?

Short video explaining microagressions and what to do if you are subjected to them.

When Calling Out Makes Sense

Article looking at calling in and calling out, the legitimacy of rage in the face of oppression and the role of power in call out culture. The article responds to an earlier viral article by Ahmad promoting call ins as an alternative to call outs.

'When we insist that all of these conversations must remain in the private sphere, we are insisting that accountability is always a private matter. The history of our movements very clearly shows the opposite is often the case.'

White People Are Noticing Something New: Their Own Whiteness

Article on white people in the US becoming aware of their racial identity for the first time.

'For a long time, many white people assumed it was our due, as the majority, to encounter various racial others and marvel at the exotic things they ate, built or wore. Now we can go online and find people of color doing the gawking, offering jokes and anthropological scrutiny about white people’s underseasoning food, mistreating potato salad or eschewing washcloths.'

White people say they want to be an ally to Black people. But are they ready for sacrifice?

Article exploring the cost to well-meaning white people of true racial equity, and whether they would are willing to pay it.

'Neither the sudden compulsion toward acts of kindness, nor a genuine concern for the experiences of people of color, constitute true allyship...Real allyship enacted by White Americans, with a clear objective to make equitable the lived experiences of individuals across racial lines, means a willingness to lose things.'

Whose life is it anyway? Novelists have their say on cultural appropriation

Hari Kunzru, Kamila Shamsie, Aminatta Forna and others on writing outside their experience.

Ask 'Did I find it easier to write about this because I filtered it through a white gaze and thus made it palatable for a largely white publishing industry? And most of all, and this bears repeating, don’t get defensive. Because you may be making a larger conversation about marginalised communities, and their ability to tell their own stories in their own voices, all about yourself.' ~ Nikesh Shukla

Why All Parents Should Talk With Their Kids About Social Identity

A survey conducted by the University of Chicago and the team behind ‘Sesame Street’ found that most parents don’t talk with their kids about aspects of social identity, such as race, class, gender and religion. This NPR episode looks at why parents can be scared to answer kids’ questions like ‘why is that person darker than me?’ or ‘why is that person wearing that hat?’.

The Conversation: Why sensitivity readers matter – and should be paid properly

A piece that gives a primer on sensitivity reading that quotes Jinghua Qian, Will Kostakis, Alison Evans - and gives a good introduction on what a sensitivity read is, the importance of sensitivity readers but also the limits of a sensitivity read, and a guide to rates of pay.

Writing With Color

Writing and resources about racial, ethnic and religious diversity, including Q&A-style writing advice, guides and book recommendations.

Mods from diverse backgrounds answer questions sent in by writers about writing issues related to cultural diversity, with a searchable database of answers. Site does not accept 'Questions that seek our permission or approval to write about a topic,' but rather offers advice on research.

Yalingwa

This press release details the Yalingwa initiative - a partnership between the Victorian Government, ACCA, and TarraWarra Museum of Art -which aims to deliver significant outcomes for First Nations artists and curators over a five year period. This initiative provides an example of how institutions might support the development of outstanding First Nations talent.