incomplete it feels and yet still so full. How much is unwritten, how imperfectly I’ve portrayed a complicated network of people, art, and money. But this is endurance work. We are in the marathon and it requires a commu- nity of individuals who join together to tell their story, one piece at a time. Many individuals and the entities they work within are now passing on leader- ship (whether it's voluntary or not) largely to femme, queer, disabled, immigrants or folks of color.
networks. Administrators toe the line between artist and institutions, our peer administrators shuttle news down from the proverbial mountaintop of white-led philan- thropy bodies, but we too are largely reliant on the pub- lic press release which lands in our overflowing inboxes, months (or years) after the funding source has already been eliminated. Last to know, in my experience, were the artists who are the direct recipients of these funds. The ripple effect is immediate yet delayed as grantees fin- ish out their previous year’s funds only to realize as they craft next year’s budgets, that the pool of resources is dry. With chagrin, I ask, after all we “learned” from 2020, should not the artists with the least amount of relative power have been consulted first? Creating With chagrin, I ask, after all we "learned" from 2020, should not the artists with the least amount of relative power have been consulted first? New Futures (CNF) emphasized the same query in its 2021 Phase 2 document, “Notes for Equitable Funding from Arts Workers,” which was shared with funders at large. My experience as a reader of CNF at the time, was that the cumulative writing, organizing work and relationship building done by CNF contrib- utors was publicized widely and shared among peers and organizations alike. Some changes occurred, in general applications became more accessible and cer- tain requirements and acknowledgements became more inclusive. But overall, the document and related advocacy still could not break through philanthropy’s gates to radically transform systems, drive increased partnership and center collaboration in the way that artists deserve. This choice is now reverberating throughout our community as we face yet another economic emer- gency fueled again by Trump. Averse to risk and art- ist-led efforts, foundations instead chose to maintain hierarchy and hoard power. And here we are, forecast- ing into 2026 and committed to still embodying and dancing through alternatives. As amara tabor-smith invoked in a recent work-in-progress show, “this is endurance work.” Here, I’ll touch briefly on the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Public funding outlets have largely escaped my line of questioning in this essay. But recent (unconstitutional) changes at the NEA regarding DEI, “gender ideology,” and an “encourage- ment” to celebrate “American 250” only add to the ten- uous funding landscape. While news of those changes was distributed fairly quickly and was followed by subsequent injunctions that paused the impact, there
are infinite questions about what is next and how to proceed. Organizations and administrators are deal- ing with the impact now; artists may not experience a shift until later this year when NEA-funded projects were meant to occur. In November 2024 (pre-election), I called Christy Bolingbroke at the National Center of Choreogra- phy – Akron (the commissioner of Artists on Creative Administration ), to ask her perspective on what felt like a major tide change to me. Bolingbroke reminded me of the post NEA Four era when foundations responded to the conservative turn of the agency. 6 Art- ists and their support systems created nonprofits and applied for funding with NEA-eligible infrastructures. Administrators (largely white and cis-male) helped form the intermediaries previously mentioned, but then became gatekeepers to the subsequently emerg- ing resources, entities and the relative power as part of their actions. However, as Bolingbroke and I talked, we both acknowledged the major changing of the guard in terms of the artists, administrators, and advocates whose perspectives will shape the future of the arts in the US. Many individuals and the entities they work within are now passing on leadership (whether it’s volun- tary or not) largely to femme, queer, disabled, immi- grants or folks of color. I joyfully and humbly include myself in this mix. But, this transference of power however is not without its pitfalls. Many leaders of color were thrust into positions of power in the non- profit response to historic racism–from interpersonal to police violence – without the resources or sources really needed to sustain programming, staff careers, and community support. IMPROVISING THE FUTURE S o what next? The history and trends I laid out only scratch the surface of how we got here. Each footnote and link deserves its own reflection.This work is undoubtedly under-researched. And, tracing the adminis- trative footprints of the nonprofit dance ecosystem is not exactly fundable work, especially when the thesis of the work is a critique of the funding bodies them- selves. 7 But I’m willing to believe in Christy Boling- broke’s optimism, Dr. Michelle Ramos’ unwavering trust in community, and Creating New Future’s call to “build slower and commune and dance together more.” We have to keep thinking outside of systems that 6 Four artists, Karen Finley, Tim Miller, John Fleck, and Holly Hughes, sued the NEA in 1990 after their previously accepted peer-reviewed grants were terminated by the agency due to pressure from Congress. They won their case in 1993, but the agency was required to implement decency clauses that remain today and ceased to fund individual artists directly (save for their creative writing program). 7 If you got this far, you should read Sarah Wilbur’s EXCELLENT book on the history of the NEA, Funding Bodies, which is available OPEN ACCESS because she deeply understands how important it is to account for administrative labor within arts institutions. https://dukespace.lib.duke.edu/items/f61d057a-f0f5-43fd-a2ed-53050077362d
exist in white structures because as the brilliant Audre Lorde invoked, “the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.” Now is the time to look instability in the face and turn toward another path. I know not everyone can afford this route, but for those arts administrators who can, we must (again) advocate for what we need, desire, and deserve. We can dream toward a funding future that is unrestricted, does not require reporting and extends beyond the 501(c)(3) model and its lackey, fiscal spon- sorship. Let’s believe in a service economy, one that is hinged on exchange and camaraderie. As Dr. Valerie Luzadis describes in “The Serviceberry” (2022), an article by Indigenous scholar Robin Wall Kimmerer, “economics is how we organize ourselves to sustain life and enhance its quality.” The conclusion of this essay hopes to spark dance makers’ collective imagination regarding the future. I propose alternative, people-centered, non-capitalist economies. I ask: • What small moves, or micro choreographies, can advance financial equity and promote the participa- tion of all dance makers in funding decisions? • How might acknowledging and redistributing power from foundations and nonprofits through macro cho- reographies support the development of financial equity for dance artists? • And, if the field moves past the immediate future and instead leans upon queer, Black, speculative theories, what or alternative economic models (such as land trusts, worker-owned cooperatives, mutual aid, etc.), may better serve the long-term financial stability of artists historically under-funded by current systems? T he day before the final draft of this essay was due, I went to see amara tabor-smith’s offering, “to break with care: A Parable of NOW,” or “an oracle working in process. a performance (practice) of communal care amidst uncertainty.” I walked into the space, the rit- ual already begun, deep bass thrums through my body. I received a cotton bag for my phone, a notebook and a pen. The message is clear. The work has already begun; I better take notes. amara begins to run in a circle, her col- laborators follow behind, she yells, “THIS IS ENDURANCE WORK. THIS IS A PRAC- TICE OF ENDURANCE.” She beckons with her arms, her feet keeping pace against the sprung floor. I witness all the pairs of feet that follow in her wake. I think about this writing, how
WORKS CITED Andersson, Fredrik O., and Daniel G. Neely.
“Bringing Fiscal Sponsor Activity to Light.” Nonprofit Policy Forum , vol. 10, no. 1, Apr. 2019, https://doi. org/10.1515/npf-2019-0021. Creating New Futures. Notes for Equitable Funding from Arts Workers . 2021. https://creatingnewfutures.tumblr. com/. Creating New Futures. Working Guidelines for Ethics & Equity in Presenting Dance & Performance. 2020. https:// creatingnewfutures.tumblr.com/. Kimmerer, Robin Wall. “The Serviceberry: An Economy of Abundance.” Emergence Magazine, 10 Dec. 2020, https://emergencemagazine.org/essay/the-serviceberry/. Lockyer, Tonya, editor. Artists on Creative Administra- tion: A Workbook from the National Center for Choreog- raphy . The University of Akron Press, 2024. Villanueva, Edgar. Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance . Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., 2018. REBECCA FITTON (she/they) is a queer, mixed race asian american, dis- abled immigrant. Their work as an artist, administrator, and advocate fo- cuses on arts infrastructure, asian american identity, and disability justice and takes form through community gatherings, score-based dance works, essays, and improvisational quilts. They have been an artist-in-residence at the Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography, the National Center for Choreography – Akron, SPACE 124 @ Project Artaud, Center, LEIMAY/ CAVE, EMERGENYC, and The Croft. Her writing has been published by Triskelion Arts, In Dance, The Dancer-Citizen, Etudes, Critical Correspond- ence, and Dance Research Journal. Currently, they serve as a Co-Director at Bridge Live Arts and as Co-Exec- utive Director of Jess Curtis/Gravity. She holds a BFA in Dance from Florida State University and an MA in Performance as Public Practice from the University of Texas at Austin. rebeccafittonprojects.com
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