Giving Compass' Take:

• The author discusses the MOCA teen program that chooses candidates for an art based internship to learn more about art and the museum. However, many of the applicants come from privileged backgrounds and MOCA is working to pivot toward more equitable recruitment processes. 

• Why does diversity in the applications matter to MOCA and the arts in general? 

• Read about how arts education affects an individual's well-being. 

In Where We Stand: Class Matters, bell hooks writes, “We live in a society where the poor have no public voice.” It is a privilege to have a voice in the world, and I see how this disparity trickles down to our youth each year when reading applications for the MOCA Teen Program.

Applicants from affluent backgrounds often present a written voice that is more developed than applicants from marginalized communities. How do we invest in the empowerment of critical and creative voices without making the privilege of voice a barrier to our field?

The MOCA Teen Program, which I co-manage, is an academic yearlong paid internship for 18 students that supports teens on a journey of self-discovery through learning about art, the museum, and the world. In the process of selecting candidates, we look for individual voices that can become part of a diverse and connected community.

Last year, seven of most impressive application essays were from female students who attended expensive, progressive private schools. While the perspectives of the voices differed, their backgrounds were similar.

Students who come from privilege are empowered to have a voice from a young age. Students with fewer resources are not, and face a disadvantage before even applying for the MOCA Teen Program. The unequal empowerment of student voices illuminates a systematic barrier for youth to be prepared and competitive candidates for art and leadership pipeline opportunities.

While the MOCA Teen Program aims to empower the voices of our program participants, we may be perpetuating cycles of privilege if our selection process gravitates towards privileged applicants. We must put more resources and thought into equitable recruitment and application processes to creative pathways if we are to overcome this barrier to diversity in our field.

Read the full article about privileged voices in the arts by Kai Monet at ARTS Blog