As a professional dancer and choreographer with deep roots in the Harlem social justice scene, it is no wonder Adirondack Diversity Initiative Director Tiffany Rea-Fisher has brought her passion for the arts to her work in the Adirondack North Country. The arts, she believes, bring people together.
Since Tiffany joined the ANCA team in February 2023, ADI has partnered with more arts institutions around the region to promote deeper understanding of systemic inequities and biases that persist in our region and across the globe, while building collaborations that address these challenges at a community level. From music and performance to film and visual arts, these partnerships are bringing diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) concepts, as well as our region’s vast talent, to broader audiences.
An interpretive music project with local composer Glenn McClure and climate researcher Dr. Curt Stager , called “Watershed Voices,” celebrates regional biodiversity and human diversity while engaging audiences in a shared artistic experience of the Lake Champlain Basin. A collaboration with North Country School and Camp Treetops in Lake Placid provided a performing and visual arts program “Arts in the Adirondacks: Amplifying Diverse Voices” that showcased local and visiting artists of diverse backgrounds. Talking Rivers, a St. Lawrence River Valley organization that advocates for water rights through the arts, teamed up with ADI to present a webinar series that explores Indigenous perspectives of our region’s waters.
In Saranac Lake, ADK ArtRise led a community mural project that invites diverse artistic expression and signals to residents and visitors that Saranac Lake is a welcoming and inclusive community. At the public mural unveiling on June 30, 2024, Adk Artrise co-owner Britt Sternberg said of the project:
“This mural is both a celebration and an invitation. Our home is a truly unique and vibrant community. From outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy hiking, swimming, exploring, and paddling in the stunning Adirondack mountains, to artists and writers who find inspiration in the area’s natural beauty, to entrepreneurs and small business owners who contribute to the town’s vitality, Saranac Lake is a place where diverse passions and talents come together. Of course we still have more work to do, but I hope that when visitors and residents alike view this mural, they recognize something joyful they are already participating in, or they feel inspired to find a new community here and dive in.”
We are grateful to Britt and all the artists and arts organizations who have partnered with ADI to amplify diverse voices and advance diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in their communities.
Photo courtesy of BluSeed Studios: Marissa Hernandez, left, of BluSeed Studios and Britt Sternberg of ADK ArtRise were among the artists who coordinated Saranac Lake’s “Welcoming and Belonging” mural which was unveiled on June 30, 2024 as part of the Village’s Pride celebration.