Read our response to the July 2020 global reckoning.

Eyebeam believes that the open distribution of inventive work by a broad and diverse group of artists provides an antidote to toxic forms of supremacy in its many forms. Eyebeam is committed to creating equitable systems in support of creativity and in service to artists, and therefore to society at large. Eyebeam’s work is guided by three key values. These principles inform every action of the organization, providing guardrails for decision-making and guidance for internal growth and public programs and partnerships.

Openness: Eyebeam requires artists who receive funding from us to release their work into the public domain. This is to not only prevent discrimination against persons, groups, or fields of endeavor but to address the systemic biases of both the technology and art worlds.

Invention: Eyebeam encourages participating artists to engage in experiment-based processes that lead to more equitable improvements or new processes that increase access and awareness.

Justice: Eyebeam believes all people are deserving of full recognition for their inherent worth and dignity, at all times. Eyebeam acknowledges that both the art world and the technology realm are inequitable environments for marginalized communities. We aim to combat that injustice by executing our mission through a values-driven approach.

Building Partnerships: Eyebeam learns from organizations that do the hard work of combating injustice. We aim to be a good ally to those activist organizations fighting for the rights of LGBTQ+, Black, disabled, indigenous, and other communities that have historically been undersupported or unrecognized in the art and technology realms.

Internal Growth: Eyebeam’s public work happens in parallel to the harder work of institutional and internal growth and evolution towards more equitable practices. The organization is learning from its advisors, and friends, to build strategies for equity that become rooted in the organization’s internal functionality.

Community Outreach: Eyebeam is working to make all of its programs, hiring opportunities, internships, and student education initiatives more anti-racist and anti-ableist. This is being done through building materials that are targeted for those communities with whom we are developing relationships, and ensuring that all programs are fully accessible. In fact, every meeting agenda in the organization begins with the following prompt: “access, equity, and inclusion should be part of all decision making.”

While we acknowledge that growth takes time, this values-based approach has become a core part of the organization and is changing Eyebeam’s culture from the inside. Eyebeam is proud of what it has done in this realm and makes this a top priority, while acknowledging that there is always room to grow. We continue to see immense potential in making a space for creation and imagination built from our deeply held values of openness, invention, and justice.

If you’d like to learn more about our artists and the ways Eyebeam supports them, subscribe to our comprehensive, long-running newsletter, in which we explore society through the lens of artistic practice. Our newsletter also features profiles on artists’ projects, Eyebeam events, and ways to get involved. Sign up here.