Hey Everyone!
I'm Jasmine the Event's Coordinator for Tessitura Network. It was amazing to see your bright faces and all the melanin in the room. Unfortunately, I was unable to connect with you all throughout the conference but hope to do so in the future. Our next North American Conference will be in DC next year. My city! I would love to get your feedback on what you enjoyed about TLCC and your affinity group(s). If there is anything my team can improve on to make your experience better, I'd love to hear you out!
Til next time
Best,
Jasmine
Jasmine, thanks for asking.
Have you ever done speed networking? I sat in a couch/lounge area so I had a smaller group to network with. But I think we could meet more people if circulating/moving around the room. At work, we have done this in a standing format using a Bingo sheet to make you go around the lobby and find staff to sign off on a square. You can incentivize participants with swag or prizes. You could even use Bingo (or a similar activity) as an icebreaker and only schedule it for the first 5-10 minutes.
Hi Jasmine! I do remember you stopping by the space on the last day. I agree with JM Huck The room was full most afternoons during the conference, but the layout was not ideal. I thought there should be more couches and high tables so people can move around. We definitely need a larger space. It was very inspiring for me to see all of US
Hey jasmine.
I think we have reached a critical mass where there are enough people to have a Black Tessitura meet up (Black / African descent). I know this may seem controversial to some but I've always been hyper focused on the Black experience in non-profit performing arts spaces. Besides i think Black encompasses a wide array of experiences and cultures.
The fact that we have gotten to this point is amazing. I remember when the number of POC at this conference could be counted on one hand.
Hey Jason,
I have been in deep reflection about this topic. IN MY OPINION, I feel it is important that People of the Global Majority are united. I learned more listening to my Latinx and AAPI colleagues at the conference experiencing white supremacist dynamics in the workplace from their perspectives. Yes, we acknowledge The Black Experience not only in non-profit performing art space, but overall, is exclusive to African Americans and people of African descent. WE are also not a monolith.
Coming together to dismantle anti-racism in our sector is the key.
Hey Mercedes,Sorry for the delayed response. In many ways I do agree with you. I do not think that the POC group should stop existing . I think it's dope for all of us to get together. But I also think there are specific challenges that Black people face in the arts/ non-profit space that can be overlooked in a general POC group. Also there is a huge amound of diversity within the Black/ African descent community as well. I understand it's a nuanced conversation and I understand that many may disagree. But i did want to put the option out there. I think having both groups would be helpful. But again this is all just my opinion. Also i wanted to say that it's a testament to the work of this group that we have even gotten to the point to be able to have this conversation..
JM,
I'm not certain what Tessitura has done in the past (I'm new to the team) but I'll be sure to dig through the archives and ask some senior colleagues for this information. TLCC is a new concept as it has only been around since 2020. But I would be more than happy to throw this in the pot of ideas. I think the Mix and Meet opportunities where our more casual approach of introductions/networking. We understand that even the word "networking" can stir up anxiety in some or feel slightly intimidating. But I'm all for this!
Mercedes Brown,
Even just for a moment, it was lovely speaking with you. This seems like an ever-growing community. It's so funny that you mention the furniture as we were trying to figure out what to do with it. There was ALOT more before you all came.