Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Antiracism

We believe that art is a central form of human expression, and as such is a powerful representation in itself of the diversity of human experience. As an institution devoted to art and its histories, The Courtauld has a key role to play in ensuring that this extraordinary form of human creativity draws a range of people as diverse as those responsible for making it.

The Courtauld was founded on the principle of ‘art for all’ and is committed to truly embedding equality, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism into our culture.

We want to be the best version of ourselves, as an inclusive, open and welcoming culture for the benefit of our students, visitors, volunteers, colleagues and supporters, our collections and educational programmes.

We embrace the need to drive change to achieve progress, so that The Courtauld becomes a place which reflects and serves the diversity of the society that shapes us.

We are committed to change.

The Courtauld will:

  1. Develop, embrace and maintain a culture of inclusion, diversity, and anti-racism, by
    • Ensuring that our leadership models this culture and inspires others to do the same
    • Reviewing internal structures and creating resource for delivery of this strategy
    • Engaging, nurturing, training and developing staff and students
    • Celebrating diversity and all its benefits
    • Ensuring that policies and procedures are in place to support this
  1. Shape our knowledge, collections, teaching & learning, research and public engagement in ways that reflect the diversity of human creativity and are easily accessible to people with the broadest possible range of human experience, by
    • Developing and diversifying the curriculum and our research interests
    • Developing inclusive and anti-racist teaching programmes and pedagogies
    • Nurturing and extending our support for students from underrepresented backgrounds
    • Interpreting and developing our collections (photographic, library and works of art) to resonate with a wide range of voices and experiences
    • Reshaping our programmes to appeal and speak to a diverse audience
  1. Become an organisation whose community and audiences better reflect and benefit from the diversity of the world in which we live, by
    • Improving our student recruitment processes to ensure the maximum possible diversity of our student population, and its retention
    • Improving our staff recruitment processes to ensure the maximum possible diversity of our staff and volunteers, and an inclusive workplace
    • Actively seek to attract increasingly diverse audiences
    • Maximise the diversity of our Board & Committee membership and an inclusive approach to their responsibilities

Diversity, Inclusion & Anti-Racism Working Group

The Courtauld’s Working Group on Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism, made up of staff, students and members of The Courtauld’s Governing Board, is supporting work across the organisation to deliver the above strategy, in line with our Action Plan, which details the specific projects and initiatives that will make The Courtauld the organisation it should be.

Citations