Scott Bolman

Personal Statement Against Racism and Oppression

The power of collaborative thinking, the kind of thinking that defines us as designers, comes from resonating individual ideas against each other and shaping that resonance into a vision more powerful than the sum of its parts.  There are many voices that have been excluded or minimized in both our performing arts communities and our society at large.  We have an artistic and a moral obligation to ensure that those voices are not only heard but empowered.

I acknowledge that this nation was founded upon exclusions and erasures of many Indigenous people's cultures and stories. I further wish to acknowledge the enslaved people, primarily of African descent, whose labor built much of the wealth of this country and recognize my own complicity in the white supremacy that continues to inflict damage upon their descendants.

Finally, I wish to offer sincere thanks to the many women, persons of color, LGBTQ+  individuals, and others who have spent time and effort to educate me.  I promise to keep working and learning in honor of those efforts.