COMMENCING THE PROJECT

Assembling a Project Team

The first step to initiating the project itself is to put together a formal team to work on the full endeavor. Utilize the participants secured in the earlier step, with their interest and commitment, or expand to additional ones. The project should be an inherently interdepartmental effort and include representatives from all teams involved with gathering, administering, or utilizing the data and that are entrusted to accurately represent artists and artworks and to archive related data and records. Follow the United Nations’ human rights principle of participation that affected parties should be included in the process and outcomes.

Ideally, at least one representative from each department or function involved in the effort should participate to ensure that all perspectives are included, taking into consideration, however, that the group does not become too large and unwieldy. Selected representatives at this stage should have a working knowledge of the needs and priorities of their respective departments and some authority to implement decisions, as well as the capacity to participate. These departments may include board relations, conservation, communications/marketing, curatorial, DEIAB staff or committee members, development, education, human resources, leadership office, library, membership, public relations, publications, registrar, visitor services, and others, depending on the organization’s structure and staffing. The work of data coordination should be acknowledged as part of each employee’s position description and workload, if not already included. It is

Resource

Universal Values strongly recommended that one person is assigned to lead the project and be held accountable to its completion and success. Without this centralization, responsibilities and ownership can become unclear, leading to dropped balls, timeline delays, and inconsistencies across the various work streams. Appoint additional project managers if needed to ensure consistent administration, accountability, and communication for all members of the project team and advisory group.

At this point, the project team, along with leadership, should create a purpose statement and work plan for the project, along with a document that highlights commitment, transparency, and equitable distribution of work and resources among the project team. Review notes and findings from earlier phases as part of this process (see Preparation and Conceptualization).

Simultaneously, create a stakeholder advisory group to be consulted at milestone phases. This group could include external community members, artist representatives, those from diverse backgrounds, members of underrepresented groups, and especially those who participated in the conceptualization process (see Conceptualization).

As a reminder, the initial individuals who requested the project, such as leadership and the board, must be regularly and consistently updated, while the full staff should be apprised at key stages, likely at less frequent intervals. New discoveries or ideas that impact the project at differing stages, along with planning and policy documents, assessment reports, and external research, should be shared with the advisory group as well as organizational leadership and affected departments. Securing leadership approval and acceptance of each stage is important, as is ensuring that they are provided deadlines for responses. It is necessary to incorporate feedback and thoughtfully document and discuss why information from these sharing opportunities should or should not be incorporated.

Before proceeding at any stage, make sure the project team remains true to the purpose of the project and to the mission and vision of the organization. Ensure adherence to policies and procedures, which may vary depending on the size and structure of your organization.

Training the Project Team

Participants need to have diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and belonging (DEIAB) training before starting the project. This should be above and beyond standard annual human resources trainings and cover race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and any other identity marker related to the project, as well as fluidity and intersectionality—the overlap, intersection, and changeability of these

Resources

DEIAB Training

“13 Diversity Training Programs to Kickstart DEI in 2022,” 360 Learning.

“Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace Certificate, University of South Florida.

Note

Project management templates from the Management Center or project management tools such as Airtable, Asana, or Monday may prove helpful in developing a timeline.

categories. This training will give project team members a shared vocabulary for and a deeper understanding of DEIAB concepts before developing the questionnaire and working with community members and artists.

Due to the fluidity of terminology and understanding around these topics, the project team should keep up with the latest literature, including from sectors outside the arts, such as publishing, education, and media, and additional training will be needed throughout the project development and implementation. This is not a one and done training, but ongoing learning should be part of the project throughout its development and execution. All participants should also have a clear outline of accountability, engagement, and obligations around issues of conflicts of interest, safe spaces, and equitable practices. In addition, they should have an understanding of the basic legal issues around data gathering (see Legal Implications) as well as data collection methodologies at the beginning of the project.

Grounding Research

Team members should acquire an understanding of demographic data collection more broadly. Begin by researching well-established external efforts, such as relevant censuses, local government agencies, nonprofits, etc., to understand how this type of data is defined, gathered, organized, and used. Consider also the literature problematizing these sources (e.g., there is significant debate around U.S. Census categories). It might also be helpful to consult external groups who have undertaken similar projects. (See Case Studies.)

Accountability

Critical to the success of this initiative will be careful messaging on the why of this project internally, ensuring that staff and other organization community members are clear about the goals of the initiative, the desired outcomes, the overall lift, and the broad timeline and motivated to execute on the significant associated workload. Provide space for reporting back to leadership, affected departments, and the full staff at milestones in the project. These presentations may consist of new discoveries or ideas that affect the project, planning and policy documents, assessment reports, and external research. Incorporate and respond to feedback thoughtfully, with documentation and discussion.

Participants need to have diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and belonging (DEIAB) training before starting the project. This should be above and beyond standard annual human resources trainings and cover race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and any other identity marker related to the project, as well as fluidity and intersectionality—the overlap, intersection, and changeability of these categories.

Once the mission and vision for the project is finalized, the organization should publicly share that they are embarking on it. The project team working on it does not need to be identified nor does every step need to be outlined, but leadership should release a short statement on the organization’s website that outlines the purpose. Within that statement should be a clear concession that the process is ongoing and that there is no set start nor end, and that updates will be provided as they are available and relevant. This public admission ensures that the organization will be transparent and authentic in the process, while also creating accountability for the execution of this work.

Project Timeline

At the first gathering of the formal project team, it is critical to set up a regular cadence of meetings with a commitment by the participants to prioritize them. For the group, a basic strategy for effective execution of meetings should be followed for equitable and respectful practices, agendas, summaries, action points, updates, deliverables, and dialogue.

Begin by reviewing the current or anticipated timeline set out at the initial stages. It is vital that a detailed, clear, and structured project timeline that highlights roles and responsibilities for each team member be established. Ensure that time is also built in for leadership review and feedback at regular intervals. Due to the sensitivity of the data, the project needs to proceed carefully and correctly, without artificial time pressures. Anticipate and build into the timeline known large events (such as galas, new exhibitions, or holidays), and ensure every stage has, as noted, time for review, input, and modifications by all involved, including leadership. Build in flexibility given that the need to do things ethically and equitably is paramount, above meeting deadlines, and also anticipating that there could be turnover or leaves among staff.

Goals may shift over the course of the project and the working team should build in moments to periodically assess that its process is aligned with institutional objectives as well as with the artist demographic data project’s vision and goals. Points for reflection may be based on the calendar (e.g., quarterly) or on key milestones, such as the completion of an organizational assessment, significant feedback from stakeholders, the first draft of a questionnaire, etc.

The exact timing will vary depending on the size and scope of the project, the size and capacity of the organization, and various internal and external factors. This will not be a one-timeline-fits-all effort, but regardless of size or internal structure, every institution embarking on this type of project needs to give it ample time to recognize the magnitude of the effort.

Some possible key milestones are listed here, which together could take 24 months or more to complete.

• Finalizing the scope and type of artist demographic data to be collected.

• Selecting the format of the questionnaire and any software needed to create or support it.

• Selecting the repository for the data (existing or newly created or adopted database).

• Authoring the questionnaire, including its introduction and cover sheet.

• Assembling contact information of artists and/or their representatives.

• Setting communications standards and protocols.

• Distributing questionnaires.

• Collecting and processing responses, including entering data.

• Interpreting and analyzing data.

• Incorporating data into the publications and procedures of all departments.

• Reviewing the impact of the data on acquisitions and exhibition planning policies, and incorporating necessary adaptations.

• Presenting findings to stakeholders.

Planning and Policy Documents

First analyze the reports compiled from the assessment phase (see Assessment) and any updates that have occurred since before drafting planning and policy documents. Ensure that they still clearly lay out the purpose of the project and the tasks, timelines, and resources needed to complete, implement, and maintain it. Then review the mission and vision statements for the project to ensure they center transparency, equity, and inclusion. These should include:

• Goals and aims of artist demographic data collection across functions and departments.

• Outlines for sharing aggregated and disaggregated data both internally and externally. Begin to identify where exactly the data will be used— collections management systems, interpretive materials and scholarly publications, digital and print collateral, grant applications and reports, etc. (See Data Use.)

• Plans to report out internally and externally about the project itself— history, process, implementation, participation rates, etc. (See the SFMOMA example in Case Studies.)

• Processes for data integration into existing workflows related to growing and refining collections, documentation and cataloging practices, exhibition and program planning, fundraising, marketing and public relations, and public outreach and partnerships.

• Options provided for artists’ participation in or feedback on the data collection process, as well as opportunities to edit responses. (See Feedback and Updates.)

• The implementation of the questionnaire, such as timing and workflow. (See Implementation.)

• Question development that specifies which data serves research and/or collection needs on specific projects or the larger interpretation of an artist’s work. If there is no practical application for the data furnished by a proposed question, the project team may opt to omit it to maintain the participants’ privacy. (See Questionnaire Content.)

• Institutional policies for management of and access to data. This language may also appear in an abbreviated form on the questionnaire. Determine reasonable expectations of confidentiality for the institution. Who will have access to this information in the database? What information will be shared publicly? Is there any that will be kept for internal use only? (See Data Use.)

• The process for and frequency of questionnaire revision initiated by the staff (e.g., to introduce current and preferred terminology), as well as removing or redacting previously collected data if needed. (See Feedback and Updates and Data Management.)