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Our mission
Allies in Arts is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Our mission is to support artists who are women, BIPOC, and LGBTQQIA2S — all of whom are underrepresented individuals in creative industries.
Artists from our communities face barriers as a direct result of race, gender, sex, and sexual orientation. We seek to break down those barriers by awarding grants, curating exhibitions and screenings, and connecting artists with the decision-makers who can hire them.
We are proud to partner with SONY Pictures on our annual screening series, Reel Her In.
Other signature projects include the Queer Black Futures virtual exhibition and 2020 Collection of short films by BIPOC women directors, both sponsored by Gia Coppola Wines, and our 2017 Intersectional Feminism Panel hosted by The Annenberg Space for Photography.
Definition of terms
LGBTQQIA2S
LGBTQQIA2S stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, and 2-spirited. We support artists who identify under any of these terms as well as folks who identify as gender non-conforming, gender fluid, and any other gender and sexual orientation under the rainbow.
BIPOC
BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. We support BIPOC artists.
Queer
Queer is becoming an umbrella term used to signify all folks who identify under the LGBTQQIA2S acronym. We support all artists who identify as queer and/or LGBTQQIA2S.
Our Team
In 2015, queer filmmaker/activist Drew Denny discovered she was being paid less than half than her male colleague while being asked to do 7x the work, so she partnered with entrepreneur/musician Paco de Leon to found Allies in Arts.
7 years later, our nonprofit is helmed by Denny and designer/activist Kyle Lasky and operates in collaboration with an advisory council representing all communities that we support.
Each of our programs is spearheaded by a member of the community that program means to empower.
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