What Arts, Culture, and Heritage Workers Can Do in the Face of International Events

It is easy to feel helpless in the face of international crises.

In the past month alone, we have seen targeted violence against civilians and the deadliest war in nearly two decades in Israel and Palestine, more than 1.4 million Palestinians displaced, genocide against Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, shootings in the United States, millions displaced by war in Sudan, anti-Trans protests across Canada, climate deaths in Mexico, warnings that climate change is leading towards an extinction-level event, ongoing war and human rights violations in Ukraine, and the list seemingly goes on and on and on. From finding new ways to support yourself and your staff and volunteers, to contacting your elected officials, there are concrete ways to turn anguish into action to support your community and communities around the world.

Self-Care

In stressful situations, self-care can be an afterthought, but to ensure that you, your team, and your institution can support your community, you must prioritize self-care. Self-care can be more than deep breathing exercises, yoga and getting a good night’s sleep. Self-care is taking care of yourself and your staff for long-term health and well-being. Self-care can look different for each person, and so it is important to ensure that everyone is getting the support and care they need both within and outside of work. The BCMA curates a directory of mental health and wellness resources, you can find them on our website.

Self-care and caring for others isn’t something that many arts, culture, and heritage workers are trained to do. The Red Cross offers affordable online psychological first aid training, focused on supporting yourself and supporting others. At $20 per course, this training can be effective for both managers who want to better support their teams and volunteers, and for individuals who want to learn strategies for dealing with stress, loss, and trauma. 

If you, or someone in your life, needs more immediate access to help, Crisis Centre BC operates a 24/7 crisis hotline and chat services for those in distress. They also offer training for both adults and youth. To contact Crisis Centre BC:

• Anywhere in BC: 1-800-784-2433
• Mental Health Support Line: 310-6789
• Seniors Distress Line: 604-872-1234
• Online Chat Service for Youth: www.YouthInBC.com (Noon to 1 am)
• Online Chat Service for Adults: www.CrisisCentreChat.ca (Noon to 1 am)

For racialized and historically marginalized communities, global events can feel even more overwhelming. An individual who has come to Canada as a refugee or has family who came here as refugees, for example, may find the current forced evacuation of Palestine a triggering reminder of personal trauma. For 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals, knowing that anti-Trans protests are happening in their or nearby communities may make them feel especially unsafe working with the public. It is important to review your organization’s policies to include guidelines for stress leave and how unsafe situations are handled within your organization.

It is especially important to not place additional emotional labour on staff who are struggling with the psychological weight of events. Not only may these team members be worrying about the well-being of their friends and family, but being asked to develop programs or public responses to international events may put them in a difficult position with their community. If you are unsure if someone is overloaded, ask them. Open and compassionate communication is essential to fostering a supportive organization in which people can bring their whole selves to work.

Burnout is real and can take years to recover from. Stress from international events can magnify feelings of burnout from people who are already overloaded in their workplaces. The Cleveland Medical Clinic recommends looking for the following signs of burnout in yourself and others to inform next steps in your organization:

• Fatigue
• Feeling apathetic or dissatisfied with your work
• Headaches
• Changes to diet or sleep patterns

Advocacy Canada has a resource for supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ employees during anti-Trans protests and many of these strategies are useful to consider for a wide variety of equity-deserving groups.

Connecting With Your Community

Museums, galleries, and heritage sites often bring communities together around difficult events. Recently, hundreds attended a protest outside the Vancouver Art Gallery to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. In 2021, in response to the confirmation of unmarked graves across the country, hundreds came together outside the Royal BC Museum to create a memorial. As was discussed in our 2022 webinar, Soup-Slinging Syrup Showdowns, whether your institution plans to be or not, museums, galleries, and heritage sites are common sites for protests and community gatherings. 

Instead of reacting to protests and gatherings, you could consider reaching out to community organizers to see how your site can support them. By proactively connecting with communities, you can take steps to develop meaningful relationships of trust and respect. The Royal Ontario Museum’s recent attempt to modify the content of its Death: Life’s Greatest Mystery exhibit without the artists who contributed to the exhibit’s consent, led to an 18-hour sit-in starting on October 28, and damaged its relationship with the Palestinian-Canadian community. If a museum does not honestly and authentically engage with its communities, it will create or even reinforce divides between the museum and its community.

At the same time, we have seen examples of protests that have threatened museum and gallery staff/volunteers, from small-town anti-public health order protests in 2021 to museums located next to anti-Trans protests. If your organization is a common protest site (or near a common protest site) in your community, it is important to develop a safety plan for your staff/volunteers to mitigate potential dangers and prepare everyone in your institution to be equipped to respond. In 2024 the BCMA hopes to develop and share new safety planning resources with our members to help with this work.