Emily Johnson (Yup’ik Nation) is an artist and cultural leader with a long history of working with PICA, starting with her performances The Thank You Bar, which was part of TBA 2010, and Niicugni (Listen), in 2013. Since then, PICA staff participated in Emily’s First Nations Dialogs which instigated our commitment to an ongoing process of institutional change towards decolonization.
You can read more about our work with Emily and First Nations Performing Arts and our steps towards decolonization in this article published by Howlround. We are also commissioners of Emily’s new work Being Future Being, along with New York Live Arts, Bunnell Art Center, and the National Performance Network. We are grateful to Emily for sharing her work with us, and for the vision and grace with which she calls us all to do this work together.
Today we are joining many of our fellow colleagues, arts workers, and artists across the country to speak up in solidarity with Emily and express our renewed commitment to continuing this work within ourselves, our organizations, and the world.
On January 22, 2021, in an open letter entitled “A Letter I Hope in the Future, Doesn’t Need to be Written” Emily describes many injustices and harmful behavior she experienced as part of interactions with PEAK Performances, at Montclair State University (MSU.) Her experience is not an isolated incident, but an example of the harmful modes of working that we as presenters need to unlearn and actively strive to dismantle within our field and within our own organizations. The response to Emily’s letter issued by MSU on February 4th was a defensive statement diminishing Emily’s experience and offering no apology or steps forward. Today two statements of solidarity –one from artists and arts workers and one more specifically from arts presenters working in performance and dance– are being circulated. We encourage our audiences to read and listen to these statements; for those who identify as artists or arts workers to sign the aforementioned solidarity statement on change.org; and for each of you to take whatever action you can to move forward with the vital work of decolonization, following the lead of Indigenous artists and cultural leaders.
To sign on and read the artists and arts workers statement click here
For a full audio recording of the written artists and arts workers statement click here