About DITA
Getting Started
In early 2016, a collection of leaders in Denver's arts and cultural organizations came together to form the Arts & Culture DEI Task Force (now Arts & Diversity Leadership Council). Committed to improving diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within our community's cultural organizations, the Task Force facilitated discussions on active steps to take toward this goal, including the creation of an internship program. In 2018, the DITA program came together and selected a handful of local nonprofits to host the first intern cohort. Since then, DITA’s mission has been to create a pipeline of diverse arts and culture professionals that is representative of the Denver metro community while also increasing the cultural competency and organizational capacity of participating arts and culture nonprofits.
Since the first internship summer in 2019, more than 50 interns have brought innovation, fresh perspectives, and a drive to grow as leaders to each of their host sites. Participating host sites vary in size from a staff of 3 to 45 and range from art galleries to cultural institutions.
Vision
The staff and leadership of all Colorado arts and culture organizations will be representative of the wide, vibrant, and diverse array of our community members.
The Mission
To create a pipeline of leaders in the arts who will represent communities of color and other populations generally underrepresented in Colorado’s arts organizations and to normalize equity and diversity within these organizations.
The Diversity in the Arts Internship will achieve our mission by:
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Recruiting and placing exceptional college students of traditionally underrepresented populations in internships throughout the Denver region's artistic and cultural community.
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Cultivating impactful and mindful relationships between interns and leaders within the arts community.
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Fostering brave conversations around equity and diversity within host organizations.
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Encouraging further engagement in the program’s vision throughout the host organizations beyond the end of the internship program.
Meet Our Team
Program Manager
Holly Hurd
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Advisory Board
Mitra Chamanbahar
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Advisory Board
Chrissy Deal
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Fiscal Host,
Advisory Board
Rachel Basye
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Advisory Board​​
Tessa Crisman
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Advisory Board
keandra hunt
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Advisory Board​​
Leticia Salinas
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2022 DITA Alum
Advisory Board
Hannah Lim
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Advisory Board