Snow Farm is a relatively young nonprofit organization, founded in 1985 and given nonprofit status in 2001. With youth comes idealism, energy, nimbleness, and unbounded potential for growth. Growth takes different forms, and every year, we seek ways to innovate and improve.
We believe strongly in the value of diverse of voices, backgrounds, and experiences to enrich and sustain the Snow Farm creative community, and we remain committed to being a welcoming and dynamic environment. We recognize that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) are underrepresented at Snow Farm, and we are striving not only to open the doors wider, but to understand and combat racial inequity.
Here are a few of the recent steps we have taken towards this goal.
Student Access: Over the past seven years, we have developed three ways to make our workshops more accessible. In 2018, we created the Workshop Access program, which gives deep discounts on workshops to people who qualify by household income. In 2019, we brought on Work-Study, an opportunity to live and work on campus for two months in exchange tuition-free workshops, up to one per week during that time. Lastly, in 2021, we established scholarships for BIPOC artists and we expanded in them 2022 from four to eight. Scholarships include full tuition, supplies, housing, meals, and a travel stipend.
Programming: It has become an important part of our mission to expand Snow Farm’s instructor pool and provide more BIPOC artists with the exposure and opportunity to teach a class at a craft school. As a result, the faculty roster continues to become more diverse, AND there is still room to grow. We welcome and invite BIPOC artists to submit a workshop proposal and join us at Snow Farm.
Governance: In 2020, we formed a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee of Board and staff members that keeps us moving forward in the work of being an anti-racist organization. In 2021, three of our staff are participating in the Racial Equity in Craft peer learning group lead by artist Alison Croney Moses of the Eliot School. We are listening, reading, sharing, talking and bringing a different lens to every part of our operations. We are seeking out new connections, partners, and networks. Snow Farm is committed to the path and the energy it takes for change and growth to happen.
From Mary Jo Murphy, Executive Director: "A love for craft and art should know no boundaries. We want our instructors, students, staff, board, and supporters to reflect the richness of all humanity, and we welcome each of you into the process with us. Please don’t hesitate to share an idea, thought, contact, or donation to help Snow Farm continue on this journey."