Creating Welcoming, Inclusive Art Spaces - Moderated by Marty Pottenger. Featured panelists: Bridget Matros, Brigid Rankowski, Samuel James, Chris Newell, Nyamoun Nquany Machar (Moon). 

3 p.m. - 4 p.m.

In this session, we will be joined by a panel of artists and organizations to discuss experiences with creating more inclusive arts spaces, for both artists and attendees. Panelists will share simple action steps to take immediately, as well as introductions to resources and partners to begin the long term work needed to make our spaces and programs all-embracing and genuinely welcoming to our increasingly diverse community of Mainers. 

Marty Pottenger is a theater artist, playwright, activist, and pioneer of arts-based civic dialogues. She is the founder of Art At Work, a national initiative putting creativity to work strengthening city governments’ ability to meet challenges of inequity, partisanship, and climate emergency. Marty received an OBIE award for a performance and five-year community art project called City Water Tunnel #3, and has been a MacDowell Fellow. She is currently creating MAINEUSA – a performance project about the history of Maine from the Ice Age till now that will inspire Mainers to come together with a fierce determination to combat climate destruction.