Welcome to the Art of Access Denver blog! Here we hope to share insights and inspiration about the work we do to increase access in the cultural sector of Denver and beyond. Check back often to see what our latest post is (we will also announce its publication on our Facebook page)! So without further ado, here is our first post!
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When I moved to Denver, almost the first thing I did was to get connected with the accessible museum community. I sought out people who were working to increase accessibility and inclusion in museums and other cultural institutions. It was through one of these new connections that I was lucky enough to be asked to join the planning committee for the second Art of Access symposium held last summer. Our hope was that, coming out of that symposium, other people would be interested in continuing the conversation around work that we perceived as vital. The response was even better than we could have hoped. From that second Art of Access Symposium, the Art of Access Steering Committee (as we’ve been calling ourselves) was born. Our goal is to: Be the catalyst to connect and advance access and inclusion across Denver’s cultural organizations through professional development opportunities and resource sharing. But how do we do that?
This year, thanks to a grant from Imagine 2020, we are able to offer three workshops, free of charge to participants! Our most recent workshop, A Word About Words: Language, Meaning, and Intent, got us thinking about words and language. Up until now we’ve simply been calling ourselves the Art of Access. All of these conversations about words and language got us thinking. We asked ourselves, does the “Art of Access” really convey what we’re doing? After some thought, further discussion, and help from our friend Mr. Webster, we decided to change our name, just a bit. We now proudly refer to ourselves as the Art of Access Alliance. Why “alliance”? Well, among the words we were debating over, its meaning most closely matched what we are doing.
Alliance: a union or association formed for mutual benefit, especially between countries or organizations; a relationship based on an affinity in interests, nature, or qualities; a state of being joined or associated.
The work that we do, on the steering committee, in Denver’s cultural institutions, our push for a more accessible and inclusive Denver, is all for the mutual benefit of the area’s citizens and organizations. So please join us on our journey as we work to expand our network and make Denver the most culturally accessible city in the nation!