It takes four to Tango: designing E-D-I practices in cultural districts

How do arts institutions and cultural districts deal with diversity and inclusion, and what actions can they take to actively represent the different cultures within a city? Moreover, will these actions be enough? These are some of the challenges that practitioners in the arts are facing in the US and beyond, ever since the Black Lives Matter movement brought them into the spotlight of public debate again. In this paper, we try to answer these questions by focusing on cultural districts, as they are sites where different cultural institutions, possibly representing different values, traditions, and segments of the community, coalesce. As forms of loosely coupled public networks, the actions and behavior of a cultural district in terms of diversity and inclusion are a matter of concern. This paper builds on insights from five anonymous interviews with some of the practitioners involved in a specific cultural district--the Dallas Arts District. Drawing on the practitioners' perspectives, we propose a conceptual framework that might be conceived as a guide for cultural districts (and cultural institutions) willing to transform themselves into more plural and diverse organizations. The paper will also provide insights for researchers willing to fill the gaps in the arts management literature regarding triggers for diversity and inclusion in the arts ecosystem