Engage with culture, identity and ability at the Philadelphia Inclusive Arts Festival

What does it mean to be truly inclusive?

As with diversity, it’s not just about racial identity, but also sexual identity, gender identity, ability, immigrant status, experience and more.

Philadelphia Inclusive Arts Festival is a new event series hoping to spark that discussion, specifically about inclusivity in Philly’s art community.

Arts and culture publication Caldera Magazine, charitable online art gallery Creating United Empowerment (CUE) and consulting company Access Point are hosting the inaugural fest, which will feature three days of art-making workshops, panels and a community dinner, from Friday, Sept. 7, through Sunday, Sept. 9.

“We want to create an inclusive space for people of all backgrounds and abilities, and especially within the arts industry, but also just within the Philadelphia community,” said CUE founder and Executive Director Davinica Nemtzow. “Art is a really incredible way to make that happen, because through art, you can engage with culture and identity and ability. There’s so much that you can do with it. And it’s fun.”

The panel discussions — “Breaking Through Stereotypes” and “Get Yourself Out There” — are ticketed, with subsidized tickets available, while the workshops are free and open to the public; entry to the dinner is a suggested donation of $10. A kick-off concert and party will also be held on Sept. 6.

Nemtzow said each of the partners brings an expertise to the topic. Access Point is led by an occupational therapist, Alanna Raffel, with an expertise in increasing accessibility at cultural institutions and events for people with disabilities. Caldera was founded by Zoe Rayn to highlight people of color and the LGBTQ community working in the arts. And Nemtzow’s CUE raises money for nonprofits benefitting women and the LGBTQ community, such as Women Against Abuse.

“The three of us coming together gives us a really strong foundation to create an event that’s inclusive for people of all background and abilities — and how those things intersect with each other,” she said, “because they are not mutually exclusive.”