Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Interlochen
We embrace four key pillars in leading diversity, equity, and inclusion work at Interlochen. These pillars are Education, Transparency, Vulnerability, and Accountability. They serve as a foundation for necessary conversations and help us move toward Transformation.
We are committed to using the arts to promote world friendship, and it is an integral part of our culture to learn, grow, and continue on our journey toward becoming citizen artists and creating positive change.
Education
We seek to expand our understanding and work to be culturally and socially competent. As an institution, we work to stay informed on industry standards and seek to be a leader in diversity, equity, and inclusion education locally and abroad. As a community, we educate through workshops, training, curriculum, guest artists and necessary conversations. As individuals, we recognize the importance of having agency over our own education.
Transparency
Through transparency, we release the desire to hide behind our mistakes. We acknowledge that healing begins with honesty, and that speaking the truth in love leads toward the wholeness we seek for ourselves and those around us. By showing up as our authentic selves, we free others to do the same.
Vulnerability
As individuals, as a community, and as an institution, we lean into our discomfort and push through it to engage in meaningful and sometimes challenging conversations in order to grow stronger as a community. We understand the importance of dialogue, reflection, and action to activate campus-wide positive change.
Accountability
Accountability is not only being accountable for your own words or actions, but being accountable for the whole community. Together, we are working to create a “call in” culture where disagreements and discomfort are met not with shaming, but with empathy and grace. Our goal is to disrupt harm, ensuring those who are most at risk do not have to advocate for themselves. If all of us are doing this work, we will move closer to a truly inclusive community.
Education, Transparency, Vulnerability, and Accountability lead to Transformation
As our community grows through mutual education, we become more aware of our own implicit and explicit biases and become transparent about how those impact our lives. This moves us into a vulnerable state but, as we lean into the discomfort, it becomes increasingly easier for us to be accountable for our own actions as well as those of our community and the world. We then must engage in necessary conversations, reflect, and take actionable steps to create positive change that moves us toward transformation. We know this will take time. It is not a destination but rather a journey—one that we are committed to beginning over and over again.
Commitment
Review Interlochen's latest diversity, equity, and inclusion update which showcases our philosophy and mandate. It also includes a comprehensive list of initiatives and programs.
Interlochen Center for the Arts acknowledges that it occupies the ancestral and contemporary lands of the Anishinaabe Three Fires Confederacy, and specifically the Ojibwe/Ojibwa (Chippewa) Odawa (Ottawa), and Bodéwadmi/Bodowadomi (Potawatomi/Pottawatomi) peoples. We pay our respects and give thanks to the past, present, and future traditional stewards of this land.
Land Acknowledgement
It is not enough to acknowledge the land. Interlochen is committed to taking actionable steps and building relationships with our local and global indigenous communities. We encourage you to take action today. Learn more: native-land.ca | nativegov.org
Education
We've implemented an education and training schedule for students, faculty, and staff, alongside outreach initiatives within our local community. We’ve also created a resource guide dedicated to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging.
Academy Student Education
- Calling In Student Training
- 1:1 Education
- Mediation
Faculty & Staff Education
- New Hire Implicit Bias Training
- Education Division Training
- Student Life / Residence Life Training
- International Manager Training
- Building an Inclusive Team
Community Education
- Central United Methodist
- TAHAR
- Traverse Connect Young Leaders
- The Children's House
- Father Fred Foundation
- TADL
- Michigan Chamber of Commerce
- Northern Michigan Arts and Culture
- Tart Trail
- TCAPS
Opportunities & Partnerships
We proudly cultivate internal, local, and regional partnerships that enhance our community's artistic fabric. While the mentioned collaborations reflect our commitment, numerous others contribute to our vibrant cultural ecosystem. For more details on our extensive network, please contact Esther Triggs.
Transparency in Numbers
Transparency in diversity, equity, and inclusion data is vital. Numbers not only hold organizations accountable but also drive informed strategies for positive change.
39%
student domestic diversity for Arts Camp
32%
student domestic diversity for Arts Academy
17%
faculty diversity for Arts Academy
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion News & Stories
Dr. Bill Banfield and host Aaron Dworkin (IAA 86-88) discussed the process of creating an opera, the joy of collaboration, and more on one of the nation’s most widely viewed arts programs.
When Jayla started at Interlochen, she wasn’t sure where she fit in within the dance world. Now, as a senior, she’s found her unique strengths and a place of her own within a vibrant interdisciplinary community.
Contemporary music student MK Keso shares how she chose Interlochen Arts Academy—and what prospective international students should consider before studying abroad.