Mission
Maelstrom Collaborative Arts is dedicated to serving the growth of innovative artists at the borders of diverse genres, disciplines and media. We produce live performances that foster collaboration between artists and audiences and invite them into new adventurous territory.
Equity Statement
MCA’s work lies at the nexus of theatre, dance, music and visual art, and as such, we are not immune to the dynamics that exist therein. We know intimately that white supremacy and implicit bias in the arts world is real, especially in a city as segregated as Cleveland. We believe that the arts nourish, support and transform those who change the world and that, as an arts company, chipping away daily at the societal forces that inhibit that transformation is an important part of our work. And we are here to do it.
At MCA, we believe in justice for those who have been denied opportunity, representation, hope and peace by the system of white supremacy. We believe that systemic barriers to equitable engagement in the arts must be dismantled and that equal access regardless of race, sexuality, gender identity, disability, culture or economic circumstances is essential to a vibrant Cleveland arts community. And that’s what we want to help create and be a part of.
MCA believes that art should be accessible to all people and we are committed to removing barriers to creation, participation, enjoyment, and community at our events. It is our job to consistently push to increase accessibility to our work for the members of our community including those with mental or physical disabilities, illness, injuries, impairments, or any other circumstance that can negatively affect equal access to artistic experiences. For us, this includes improving physical accessibility to art experiences, offering flexible deadlines and schedules to artists, exploring the greater use of technology in our processes, and clearly communicating the parameters of our events to potential audiences. We also commit to openly receiving feedback and critique on our efforts, and collaborating with community members to improve access to our work in any way that we can.
We believe that anti-racism, accessibility and inclusion are active processes that require us to do individual and systematic work every day to achieve them. We pledge to move forward keeping these three ideas connected to all aspects of our programming, curation, producing, resource sharing, and community-building. We also call on our robust community of artists and audiences to hold us accountable for these values, knowing that this commitment is essential to our ability to accomplish our secret mission: extending the artistic lifespan of Cleveland artists.
As an organization, we aim to extend the time when artists are directly engaged, active, and participating in the growth of our community’s aesthetic sensibilities, points-of-view, and shared knowledge. This goal acknowledges that being a professional artist does not necessitate making a living from one’s art, but rather is an indication of the primacy that being an artist has in one’s life. In a thriving arts scene, more people stay in the mix longer: they discover and teach more, they make better work and that inspires others, and there is more memory in the community, more touch points, more examples of success from which to draw. The longer an artist’s lifespan, the richer the community, and the better the chance that the scene will grow. MCA is committed to building a richer, more inclusive community, and actively working to grow the Greater Cleveland arts scene.