A message froM PGOGNY
The mission of The Puppetry Guild of Greater New York (PGOGNY) has been “to foster community, friendship, and a sense of family through face to face gatherings.” We now question the inclusivity of those efforts.
We have relied on the assumption that the guild is a welcoming space. As an entirely white board, we have failed to acknowledge that our nearly all-white institution is inherently alienating to prospective members of color. If PGOGNY has ever made you feel excluded, we deeply apologize.
We are committed to creating a Guild that celebrates equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility in all aspects of our initiatives and programming. We believe that Black Lives Matter. Now, long overdue, we must act on that belief.
We are asking ourselves how we can include, support, and uplift artists of color in this guild. The larger questions are: ‘Why aren’t there more puppeteers of color, in the first place? How can we help dismantle the barriers to becoming a puppeteer?’
Here are some of our preliminary action items. We have much more work to do in designing their practical implementation.
- Team up with other guilds to pool our resources
- Create a mentorship/buddy program to provide young puppeteers with an advocate in the field.
- Build partnerships with educational institutions
- Devise a plan to include more artists of color on our board and in our programming
Members, non-members, please email us at pgognewyork@gmail.com to contribute your ideas and input on those listed above.
As an immediate first step, PGOGNY is making a financial donation to Equal Justice Initiative and The Broadway Advocacy Coalition, whose recent forums have been an essential guide. We hope you will join us in learning from the additional resources below.
This must be a guild-wide initiative. Members, as we develop strategies to share with you, please reach out to us and get involved. We must unite in order to progress.
from the 2018 Board of Directors of the Puppetry Guild of Greater New York, June 2020
Resources
Membership
Adults $30.00 For one Individual person.
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Legacy (5+ yr) $25.00 Individual who has been a PGOGNY member for five+ years
Seniors $15.00 Individuals who are 64+ years young.
Couple or Company $40.00 Covers one or two people.
Student $20.00 For currently enrolled students.
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