From the Executive Director

On The Light We Cannot See

Since the election, I’ve been searching for soulful inspiration to mitigate my fear, anger, and shame. I’ve been gathering with our members, staff, arts and culture leaders, filmmakers and photographers, multimedia artists, creative technologists, musicians, designers, and archivists — all the storytellers I could find. Everyone is committed to caring for their communities, defending and protecting those most vulnerable in the face of the cruelty of the past and future president.

This post-election reality sucks.

There is no choice but to continue to lift up the stories of those among us most persistently censored, marginalized, or deleted from the dominant culture and to create safe spaces for free expression. As we all know, stories have power; to reveal, indict, vilify, and shame. What if we focused on the power to heal for a minute, to hear the wisdom from young ones, from those my mom calls the “old old” (she’s 87, and that’s her self-proclaimed identity category), and all voices in between? I’m here for it. The Alliance for Media Arts + Culture is here for it. We are here for anything that can turn fear into the courage we will need to resist, to rally, and to be fierce, creative, and loving in the face of what’s to come. Let us not forget that joy is valid and necessary and that artists, musicians, and storytellers are ALWAYS called up to help the world face adversity. We step towards the fear; in our own ways, first responders.

Some inspiration came to me the day after the election via the magnificent artist, my friend, Lynette Wallworth. She sent a quote from climate scientist Kate Marvel, one of a few scientists I rely on whose words help me make meaning during times that threaten to descend into chaos: 

“We are all fated to live lives shot through with sadness and are not worth less for it. Courage is the resolve to do well without the assurance of a happy ending. Little molecules, random in their movement, add together to a coherent whole. Little lives do not. But here we are, together on a planet radiating ever more into space where there is no darkness, only light we cannot see.”

Before the end of the year, The Alliance for Media Arts + Culture is launching the third Power of Storytelling grant cycle, a new Arts2Work program in Watts with WLCAC, HOLA, and Los Angeles County Department of Arts & Culture, a partnership with the Colorado Office of Economic Development, and KSUT’s Tribal Media Center, and we will be gathering in community to chart next steps for the future with a visionary network of partner organizations and individuals, including the Documentary Accountability Working Group, the Hip Hop Education Center, the Society of American Archivists, the NYC Mayor’s Office of Talent and Workforce Development, Entertainment Equity Alliance, and so many more.

“Today, everyone’s eyes
  Are on us as we rise…”  

                    Amanda Gorman

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Since funding for nonprofits in the coming months and years may be precarious, your end-of-year contribution and investment in the work of arts, culture, equity, and justice organizations will be a powerful statement and valued gift. Please give, and join the Alliance for Media + Culture community in this work. 

~ Wendy

Notes from the Field

Arts2Work Roundtable: Life After Apprenticeship
Monday, November 18
9AM PT – 10:30AM PT

Join us for the 2024 National Apprenticeship Week program Arts2Work Roundtable: Life After Apprenticeship. This virtual event will feature video and design work from Arts2Work alumni from Baltimore who will share their experiences as the first Arts2Work Apprentices in the US. You’ll hear from a group of diverse, visionary emerging artists and producers who are breaking new ground in the digital media and creative technology sectors. Come join the conversation!

REGISTER ON ZOOM

Reimagining Apprenticeship: Digital Archiving and the Future
Wednesday, November 20
10AM PT – 11AM PT
The Alliance for Media Arts + Culture’s Arts2Work Digital Archivist Apprenticeship Program is a pioneering initiative designed to create a registered Apprenticeship pathway for Digital Archivists. This program aims to address the critical need for skilled professionals in digital media preservation and curation. The first pilot program will offer young people disconnected from school and work a meaningful career pathway in the ever-growing field of digital archiving. In this session, we will engage with independent archivists who can demystify this occupation and help us reimagine new career opportunities for low-income and justice-impacted individuals. See how the power of community archives can change and heal the world. The session will be facilitated by Martha Diaz, ED of Hip Hop Education Center, with Wendy Levy, ED of the Alliance for Media Arts + Culture, and special guests. Produced in partnership with the Society of American Archivist independent Archivist Committee.

REGISTER ON ZOOM