We Are Here to Hold Walnut Hill Accountable
This is a space for nuance. Please read our letter, sign, and send us suggestions as we hold our Alma Mater accountable for it’s BIPOC students, staff, and alumni
A Letter to the Walnut Hill School for the Arts Leadership
Dear Walnut Hill Leadership, Board of Trustees, Faculty, Staff:
In response to the current global upheaval in support of Black Lives—aside from a few lackluster posts on social media and not easily found addresses to the community—Walnut Hill has remained mostly silent about how it plans to take part in the systemic dismantling of Black oppression. We must recognize that the Arts are entirely dependent on the labor of Black artists. That Black voices are grossly underrepresented in popular culture, mass media, and beyond is in direct correlation to the disenfranchisement of these very voices within arts institutions. A failure to recognize and reflect on this ultimately allows Walnut Hill to continue to propagate this system. For all of us, this moment includes holding all institutions accountable for the role they have played in the disenfranchisement of Black lives and insist on a dialogue for how to institute change. As an arts institution with a clear role and responsibility in this pipeline of oppression, Walnut Hill must be held accountable. This is our mission.
Upon reading Mr. Viva’s Racial Injustice letter on June 3rd and the school’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion statement on June 11th, we hoped to read something that actually acknowledged the shortcomings and pledged tangible forward movement with clear and actionable steps. While there is a lot of pressure currently on organizations and institutions to publicly share statements of this nature, it ultimately means very little if the plans they outline lack the thought and care that this national and global moment deserves.
A quick reference of the “Leadership” and Directory pages on the website shows the overwhelming representation of white women and men, who are making the decisions about where this school stands now and in the future. These are the faces that we are talking to–the ones who, like many of us, have had the luxury of remaining under-educated on these inequities and hiding under the false pretenses that we ourselves are not the active problem. This passive stance can no longer be afforded and we are looking for Walnut Hill to be thoughtful about how to be a force in this movement.
It is the responsibility of Walnut Hill to acknowledge the ways this school has specifically operated within, and furthered, these systems of institutional anti-Black racism. Now is not the moment to point out what the school has already been doing, which we all understand has not been enough to support its Black students. Instead, it is now the time for an admission of shortcomings—a level of radical honesty that holds Walnut Hill accountable for how it has played a direct role in the disenfranchisement of Black artists, and how it has upheld the systems of institutional racism with in the arts.
Walnut Hill has always been about supporting the well-rounded and intelligent artist, and thus, we should be taught in the classroom about the anti-Black racial disparity that exists in our own community and industries. The application process for Walnut Hill is such that in order for many students to qualify for enrollment, a certain level of training must already have been met. This means early childhood access to creative writing and visual art classes, theatre and dance camps, and music lessons. Thus, this system itself is inherently biased against the Black community, as well as other underrepresented groups within the world of higher arts education.
It is itself a privilege to study the arts, and though this school has always been prideful of its inclusivity and diversity, we must acknowledge the ways that we have taken these privileges for granted. We must be honest and open about the fact that admittance to our community is built around a set of criteria that is itself skewed towards the affluent White and Asian families (the two racial groups with the highest income in the United States). If this criteria does not change, then our community will not either. While this requires work beyond just Walnut Hill’s sole ability, to not address this inherent disparity within our industry and thus our community keeps Walnut Hill from being a responsible part of the change that must happen. Silence on these matters acts as compliance with these racially biased systems.
To neglect mentioning in clear and specific terms exactly what (to quote Mr. Viva in his initial letter on June 3rd) “our role in preserving the status quo” is, ultimately ignores one of the biggest issues at hand. It is one thing to say that we will look inward and educate ourselves, but if Walnut Hill is unwilling to be forthcoming with its students, we don’t see how change is possible for the school and the next generations of artists, who will be the among the next leaders in the arts.
Walnut Hill has said with great pride that the student body has, in fact, diversified in the last decade. However, simply diversifying the student population and implementing “affinity groups” is not itself an achievement unless Walnut Hill has adequately ensured not only access to its school, but the restructuring required to keep these students safe and thriving. To quote Angela Davis, “Diversity without structural transformation simply brings those who were previously excluded into a system as racist, as misogynist, as it was before.” Thus, failure to execute real structural change only highlights the school’s diversity strategy as a corporate measure.
Beyond these conversations, Walnut Hill also has a responsibility to diversify its artistic curriculum. A thoughtful reflection on our training at Walnut Hill has proven that we were taught almost exclusively around the study of the work of white male artists. From the texts we read, the plays we performed, the repertoire we danced, the music we played and sung, and the visual mediums we engaged with—the leading voice and perspective was overwhelmingly white and male. This suggests that these are the voices and perspectives that are most prized and most ought to be emulated in our own artistic pursuits.
Walnut Hill has the opportunity to engage and teach young people at their foundation that the work of Black artists is at the center of artistic culture. Walnut Hill has the opportunity to expand its own understanding of creativity beyond the white lens and engage its students with works that push their own experience of art and the world. The art that you teach is the art that you define as excellent, as valuable, and as worthy. It will then determine that foundation of excellence, value, and worth to the artists you raise.
Many of us are fourteen year old children when we begin our training at Walnut Hill—the beginning of our artistic journeys. Walnut Hill has the ability to disrupt the cyclical racial disparity within the arts at its start, breaking this racially biased pipeline that keeps the great artistic cannon firmly within the white male perspective. It’s impossible for Walnut Hill to be supportive of this movement, if the school is also incapable of admitting where it has failed and of making a commitment to do the work that is required.
It is the responsibility of this institution to respond to anti-Black racism with concrete plans for how it will use its position of power in this audience of largely white and affluent students and parents to educate them on how to disrupt these systems in the arts community. Walnut Hill has a platform to bring about meaningful change by refusing to be a participant in these patterns of institutionalized racism and creating a place where Black students, families, and educators are supported and protected.
In his letter, Mr. Viva wrote that “we are brave enough to ask these questions,” but at this point, asking ourselves seems like the easiest part. Admitting the ugly and unflattering truth and taking actionable steps is the hard part—the part that takes motivation, time, and a commitment to anti-racism.
These statements made by the school have been glaring second to the advertisements of summer programming and Walnut Hill’s business as usual. At no point has Walnut Hill directly said that Black Lives Matter. Prove to us—the children and parents who have trusted you with our early education and thus the basis for our world view and humanity—that you believe that Black artists have a place at Walnut Hill; and not just because (as you said in a recent social media post) it’s “Walnut Hill’s mission to nurture a love of art for all,” but because Black Lives Matter and because Black Arts Matter. Now is the time that Walnut Hill must take a stand and refuse to act as an accomplice in the structures that harm Black lives, and divest from those who are not with us.
Above all, none of these changes can be effectively implemented unless Black voices are part of the restructuring of this institution. A key to effectuating anti-racism pedagogies that last beyond just this moment is to ensure, with urgency, that these voices are represented in our school’s leadership at every level.
So, here are our questions: How will Walnut Hill include Black voices in this restructuring conversation and hold space for Black voices to speak their needs in this moment? How will Walnut Hill take responsibility for the role it has played in the disenfranchisement of Black artists? How, specifically, will Walnut Hill work to ensure that Black voices and perspectives are represented among our student population, in our list of faculty, among the Board of Trustee members, and within our syllabi?
To begin tackling this, we have compiled a list of some specific ideas below:
- Include more Black art in the artistic curriculum and season planning across all majors.
- Establish additional Scholarship Funds for Black artists for both year-round students and summer training program students.
- Invite Black guest artist and educators to lead masterclasses, workshops, and semester-long courses (in addition to working to actively diversify the staff).
- Expand the requirements for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion training to include students.
- Update the academic curriculum (particularly American and World History classes) to avoid miseducation and whitewashing.
- Guarantee the safety of current and future Black students and faculty by providing more adequate mental health resources, including more diversity among health and mental health professionals on campus.
- Extend this work outside of the Walnut Hill campus and organize opportunities to engage with the Black community in Massachusetts.
- Make a public statement with actionable steps and goals for how Walnut Hill will accomplish this work (with deadlines and guidelines to hold the school and community accountable).
The list above is non exhaustive, but a start. We expect you to do the heavy lifting in devising radical changes and figuring out how to make the necessary leaps. The responsibility for change has too long fallen on the shoulders of your Black students and alumni. As an institution of the arts, we know that you are fully equipped with the capacity and imagination to disrupt the very system you have been actively supporting.
We hope that you will reflect on this, and answer in action.
Thank you,
Your Community
Pamela Earle Clark, Music '75 Leslie Lambert, Academics '76 Sarah Morrison Cail, Dance '76 Jennifer Natalya Fink, Theater '84 Michelle Bloom, Dance '86 Jill Springer Marks, Gymnastics '86 Erika Stuart, Dance/Music '86 Pamela Vail, Dance '86 Tracy MacDonald, Theater '87 Josie Waters, Dance '87 Jennifer Wells, Music '87 Becky Whidden, Music & Creative Writing '87 Susan Van Pelt, Dance/Visual Art '87 Liberty Bradford, Theater '88 Joe Daley, Theater '88 Eddie Armendia, Music ’89 Sacha Blackburne, Theater/Visual Art '89 Ralph Farris, Music '89 Andrea Hamblin, Music '89 David Macklem, Theater '89 Ana Osgood, Dance & Visual Art '89 Luke Rothschild, Visual Art '89 Alison Simon, Theater '89 Emily Weissman Schindler, Creative Writing '89 Stacey Weatherspoon-Sugar, Music '89 Lara Eberly Garniewicz, Theater '90 Laura Haney, Dance '90 Jonathan Deily-Swearingen, Music/Theater '90 Melanie Atkins, Dance '91 Jamie Conheady, Visual Art '91 Heather Gehring, Dance '91 Susan Deily-Swearingen Theater '91 Rose Tizane Merrill, Writing/Visual Art '93 Chi (John) Wright, Theater '93 Jeremy Conn, Theater '94 Nicole Krieger, Theater '95 Helen Hayashi, Music '90 Elana Lanczi, Dance '90 Kadi Adar, Dance '96 Lauren Lewis, Theater '96 John Brooks, Theater '97 Walker Vreeland, Theater '97 Susanna Schell Cerrato, Creative Writing/Theater '98 Ruby MacDougall, Dance '99 Whitney Tenney Pak, Theater '99 Carolyn Scanlan, Theater & Music ’03 Ty Freedman, Theater '03 Jesse Van Buren, Theater '05 Laura Rossi Garcia, Theater '05 Liza Schwartzwald, Music '05 Johanna Seale, Music '05 Ian O'Brien, Music '06 Tahiri M Silcock, Music '06 Katherine Wilkinson, Theater '06 Britton Bagwell, Theater '07 Chelsea Feltman, Music '07 Céline Ferro, Music '07 Christine Gill Lovegood, Theater '07 Lindsey Payson, Visual Art '07 Annie Smith, Theater '07 Jordan Stamper, Writing & Publishing '07 Benjamin Warner, Theater/Dance '07 Lydia Zimmer, Ballet '07 Aina Adler, Theater '08 Phoebe Cyr, Writing & Publishing '08 Joey Frangieh, Theater '08 Stefano Fuchs, Theater '08 Pinkney Gould, Visual Art '08 Anastasia Papanicolaou, Theater '08 Amanda Picardi, Writing & Publishing '08 Alanna Tonetti-Tieppo, Music '08 Alex DeLeo, Theater '09 Jason Collins, Dance '09 David Glista, Dance '09 Eric Herbst, Theater '09 Carrie Hyde, Visual Art '09 Hannah Kapsak, Dance '09 Cassie Levine, Theater '09 Elliot Peterson, Theater '09 Grace Rao, Theater '09 Scott Shedenhelm, Dance '09 Celina M. Sowadska, Writing & Publishing '09 Ethan H. Van Ness, Theater '09 Megan Wright, Dance '09 Keith Allen, Theater '10 Alexa Aron, Theater '10 Sarah K. Dingle, Visual Art '10 Todd Elfman, Theater '10 Gabriella Fee, Writing & Publishing '10 Priscila Garcia-Jacquier, Theater '10 Audrey L. Hamm, Theater '10 Eric Ibarra, Theater '10 Ashanté Nicole Jefferson, Theater '10 Catherine (Keller) Van Ness, Dance '10 Sierra Kellogg, Dance '10 Kristin Khan, Dance '10 Amalia Lieberman, Music '10 Kimberly MacCormack, Writing & Publishing '10 Alison Mahoney, Theater '10 Margeaux Maloney, Music '10 Kate Maxted, Dance '10 Lucy McGrath, Dance '10 JT McGrath, Dance P'10 Kris McGrath, Dance P'10 Katie K. Robinson, Theater '10 Madison Rothery, Visual Art '10 Conor Ryan, Theater '10 Lauren Traub, Dance '10 Sumi Yu, Theater '10 Sarah Whitney, Visual Art '10 Rose-Antoinette Bellino, Music '11 Morgan Bothwell, Music '11 Scott Coffey, Theater '11 Serena Creary, Music '11 Angela D’Amico, Theater '11 Andrew Kotzen, Theater '11 Peter Molesworth, Theater '11 Katherine Nemetz, Dance '11 Rebecca O’Krent, Theater '11 Jenny Spicola, Dance '11 Jess Anderson, Theater '12 Ava, Visual Art '12 Sofia Basile, Music '12 Melanie Benker Wedeking, Dance '12 Rocco Chodat, Visual Art '12 John Drisko, Theater '12 Nicole Duquette, Visual Art '12 Jake Evans, Theater '12 Turner Frankosky, Theater '12 Geoffrey Gillman, Theater '12 Grace, Dance '12 Danny Hutchins, Theater '12 Andrew Iannacci, Theater '12 Cacia LaCount, Dance '12 Sophia Martins, Writing & Publishing '12 Hunter McCormick, Theater '12 Mari Moriarty, Theater '12 Austin Jesse Fenway Parker, Theater '12 John Parker, P'12 Alynn Rinah Parola, Dance '12 Renee Richard, Writing & Publishing '12 Gina Richard, P'12 Micheal J Richard, P'12 Natalie Seabolt, Theater '12 Anya Wilkening, Music '12 Katherine “Ren” Wilkins, Theater '12 Alex Zaslav, Dance '12 Taylor Adkin, Dance '13 Tess Bissell, Dance '13 Hannah Doyle, Music '13 Audrey Emerson, Theater '13 Rebecca E Grover, Theater '13 Alexandra Lankiewicz, Theater '13 Adele Leikauskas, Theater '13 JJ McGlone, Theater '13 Alessandro "Sani" McLaughlin, Theater '13 Maria McLaughlin, P'13 Peter McLaughlin, P'13 Ashley Marie Robillard, Music '13 Sophia Shapiro, Theater '13 Sarah Tollman, Theater '13 Dana Vanderburgh, Dance '13 Elise Chessman, Dance '14 Kelli Fox, Visual Art '14 Leo Galletto, Theater '14 Kess Kesler, Writing & Publishing '14 Alexa Lieberthal, Theater '14 Caroline Maloney, Theater '14 Madison Murrey, Writing & Publishing '14 George Wu Teng, Music '14 Kat Ward, Theater '14 Mara Wilson, Theater '14 Ciara Wright, Visual Art '14 Maria Baquerizo, Visual Art '15 Carmine Burdi, Theater '15 Al Driscoll, Dance '15 Samantha Flahive, Theater '15 Samantha Gordon, Theater '15 Caroline Joyner, Music '15 Luke McDonough, Theater '15 Rachel Ravel, Theater '15 Sydney Shepherd, Theater '15 Lena Skeele, Theater '15 Lydia T, Theater '15 Paulina Ukrainets, Writing & Publishing '15 Tess Voelker, Dance '15 Elena Woughter, Theater '15 Dylan Matthew Contreras, Dance '16 Lior David, Music '16 Teddy Edgar, Music '16 Alley Ellis, Theater '16 Lauren Fanger, Theater '16 Sarah Farr, Dance '16 Ted Gibson, Theater '16 Kalie Jamieson, Dance ’16 Julia Kearney, Theater '16 Robert Murphy, Music '16 Christopher Olson, Theater '16 Lillie Pincus, Dance '16 Andrew Stevens Purdy, Theater '16 Anthony Ra, Visual Art '16 Kaoru Seki, Music '16 Jeff T, Music '16 Witt Tarantino, Theater '16 Loy Sydney Weissman, Theater '16 Yan Diego Wilson, Visual Art '16 Mikayla Almandoz, Theater '17 Kiara Burch, Dance '17 Kathleen Burch, P'17 Kenn Cedergren, Dance '17 Gabrielle Corsino, Theater '17 Hannah Cyr, Dance '17 Leina Fieleke, Dance '17 Olivia Flowers, Theater '17 Hannah Freedman, Visual Art '17 Samantha Howe, Dance '17 Aubrianna Majewski, Theater ’17 Michelle Nee, Visual Art '17 Skylar K Roach, Dance '17 Katherine Scherer, Theater '17 Laura St.Pierre, Theater '17 Kendall Al-Bashir, Dance '18 Hannah Brennan, Theater '18 Colin Canavan, Dance '18 Bréa Corcoran, Visual Art ’18 Aniella Day, Dance '18 Travis Doughty, Theater '18 Isabelle Fama, Dance '18 Elise Goetz, Music '18 Thalia Cook-Hansen, Music '18 Bernadette Harding, Theater '18 Shannon Harkins, Dance '18 Avery Held, Dance '18 Kai Horvit, Theater '18 Yu-Ting “Christine” Huang, Music '18 Emily Kayser, Dance '18 Matt Krauss, Theater '18 Sara Jordana Kurshan, Theater '18 Jason M, Music '18 Noah Martzall, Dance '18 Hannah McManus, Dance '18 Karen Morey, WFMA '18 Lucia Mulligan, WFMA '18 Claire Newman, Visual Art '18 Hannah Ortiz, WFMA '18 Maddie Pettit, Dance ’18 Katie Roeder, Theater '18 Mariah Rogers, WFMA '18 Shannon Ross, Music '18 Jenna Sage, Theater '18 Chili Shi, WFMA '18 Selin Yalcinkaya, Theater '18 Miles Ames, Music '19 Brooks Andrew, Theater '19 Camryn C, Theater '19 Michael Cameron, Theater '19 Luke Deuterman, WFMA '19 Jade Diskin, Dance '19 Manasi Eswarapu, Visual Art '19 Grace Hall, Dance ’19 R Joenk, Dance '19 Lila Jones, Theater '19 Audrey Lung, Visual Art ’19 Nyah Malone, Dance '19 Nicholas Meyers, Dance '19 Zamo Mlengana, Theater '19 Grace OBrion, Theater '19 Mia Philippon, Dance '19 Jülide San, Music '19 Victoria Rae Soucy, Theater '19 Alisha Ragatz, Dance '19 Harriet Rovniak, WFMA '19 Kate Ruddy, Theater '19 Darren W, Music '19 Greg Ward, Theater '19 Kaelan Woodward, Theater '19 William Yang, Music '19 Addy, Visual Art '20 Izzy Amoruso, Theater ’20 Tia Marie Apicella, Theater '20 Taylor Beckmann, Theater '20 Graham Campbell, Theater '20 Charlene Cheung, WFMA '20 Grace Eberts, Dance '20 Katherine Farrar, Visual Art '20 Ross Freeman, Dance '20 James Gagnon, Theater '20 Kannen Glanz, Dance '20 Kate Herlihy, Theater '20 Ryan Honey, Theater ’20 Emma Hudler, Visual Art '20 Sadie Levinsohn, Dance '20 Seed Lord, Visual Art ’20 Kathy Jo Maas, Dance '20 LejlaRaven Martin, Dance '20 Maddie McCluskey, Dance '20 Sarah Milch, WFMA '20 Keara McHaffie, Visual Art '20 Imogen Morehouse, Theater '20 Sanzia J Pearman, Theater '20 Nathaniel Sheehan, WFMA '20 Olivia Shrenzel, Theater '20 Brigit Smith, Theater '20 Savannah Riggs, Dance '20 Naamah Romano, Music '20 Hadley Sparks, Dance '20 Clara Vegas, Theater '20 Taylor Wang, Music ’20 Hannah A, Dance '21 Harper Azevedo, Theater '21 Rachel Aveni, Theater '21 Paulina Bartholomew, Dance '21 Georgia Branger Klein, Theater '21 Myah Bridgewater, Theater '21 Skye Busiek, Theater '21 Lidia Calixte, WFMA '21 Leandro Capurso, Music '21 Caroline Connelly, Dance '21 Dante D’Antonio, Theater '21 Angelica Estrella, WFMA '21 Ellie Flacke, Dance '21 Michela Galego, Theater '21 Paloma Garcia, Theater, '21 Katie Hanson, WFMA '21 Izzy Laria, WFMA '21 Chloe Little, Theater '21 Erica Maul, Music '21 Lucy Morton, Dance '21 Mateo, Music '21 Jacqueline Ould, Dance '21 Alex Poliakoff, Music ’21 Jane Ann Sandback, Visual Art '21 Jessie Scheer, Dance '21 Amy Scoggins, Theater '21 Jack Solomon, Dance '21 Natasha Rawls, WFMA '21 Leore Rider Shacham, Dance '21 Madison Rizzo, Visual Art '21 Cristian S, Theater '21 Sarah Silbert, Dance '21 Sophie Sherlock, Theater '21 Payton Shepardson, Dance '21 Jonathan Van De Loo, Theater '21 Ru Van der Ploeg, Music '21 Tate van der Poel, Visual Art '21 Carina Wachtler, Dance '21 Heather W, P'21 Mackenzie Wilcox, Theater '21 Annie Zhu, WFMA '21 Emily Ames, Music '22 Heidi Ames, P'22 Steve Ames, P’22 Jordan Barrant, WFMA '22 Katherine Clifford, Music '22 Sophia Gulati, Theater '22 Grace, Theater ’22 Mason Lenehan, Theater '22 Kelsey Lewis, Dance '22 Sophie Locke, Dance '22 Maddie McCabe, Theater ’22 Gefen Mor, Visual Art '22 Olivia Na, Cisual Art '22 Tara Ngyuen, Visual Art '22 Anna Paradiso, Theater '22 Skylar S, Theater '22 Elena Wrinkle, Dance '22 Dominic Carroll, Theater '23 Virginia Clauson, Dance '23 Ryan Dowd, Theater '23 Jacqueline Filip, Visual Art '23 Tamsin Gay Clark, Theater ’23 Hope, Theater ’23 Vy Le, Theater '23 Mika Or-Barkan, Visual Art '23 Edwina Sun, Music ’23 Reese Wang, Visual Art '23 Zen, Theater '23 Emily Radke, Theater '24
How Will Walnut Hill Hold Itself Accountable? 