The Sachs Program statement on the Palestine Writes Literature Festival
September 14, 2023
The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation would like to clarify our role regarding the upcoming Palestine Writes Literature Festival. The Sachs Program, through a Community Partnerships Grant to the Wolf Humanities Center this past year, supported two arts components of the festival:
- A panel of mural and graffiti artists
- An exhibit of art and photography
We acknowledge the concerns that have been raised over some of the festival speakers. As we did not fund this programming, we will not comment directly on it. The Sachs Program supports projects that reflect our Priorities for Grantmaking and align with our Mission. We condemn all forms of discrimination. Equity, inclusivity, belonging, and antiracism are core values of our program, and we strive to center those values in all that we do.
The Sachs Program Mission Statement
The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation’s mission is to support and inspire creative practice and practitioners across the university – in all twelve schools, in the university’s artistic and cultural centers, and through the many partnerships and collaborations that connect Penn to the world at large. We support a vibrant creative community and wish to ensure that our community members are valued and supported in the ways necessary to thrive. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism are central to our goals as a program, as well as to our priorities for grantmaking.
We aim to bolster marginalized peoples and elevate voices that have historically been silenced. We also seek to support artists and practitioners in the creation of work that grapples with current issues and ideas relevant to our time, as well as in contextualizing scholarly and historical research in topical ideas and innovative approaches to practice and pedagogy. Experimentation is a core value of The Sachs Program, as is collaboration within and across disciplinary and institutional boundaries. We are committed to a holistic approach for enriching the arts at Penn, investing in schools and centers, as well as in creative practitioners, and contributing to collective efforts for the growth and expansion of arts-driven activities and spaces.
The Sachs Program is also committed to cultivating meaningful partnerships between Penn and its surrounding communities and encouraging non-hierarchical artistic and intellectual exchange. The Sachs Program does not place greater value on one art form over another but rather aims to support a range of innovative and experimental practices across disciplines, departments, centers, creative groups, and peoples.