In honoring and respecting life, we acknowledge the first footsteps and presence of the Indigenous Nations of the Hopi, Havasupai, Hualapai, Yavapai, Zuni, Paiute, Ute, White Mountain Apache, Chiricahua, Mescalero, Navajo, Tohono’O’Odham, Gila River, and Mojave. By acknowledging these Five Fingered Beings, we also acknowledge the injustices, and profess to continually work to be of better service to Indigenous Peoples. We recognize our presence in a Sacred Space held sacred and holy by these 13 Nations. In the arms of this Mountain, we declare ourselves as instruments of healing and reconciliation as we work towards justice and equity for all Peoples of all walks of life, as the original stewards of the land had first demonstrated.

The statement above is used with permission. It was crafted in collaboration with Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival by Makauis, 19-year-old Diné male. Creative Flagstaff is tremendously grateful for FlagShake’s leadership and strives to live up to the principles in this statement.  Read more about the festival and their equity-focused work.

Flagstaff’s culture is rooted within its diversity and traditions. Together as a creative community, our opportunity is to provide informed, authentic leadership for cultural equity, pursue cultural consciousness within our community, acknowledge and dismantle inequities wherever we gather, our workplaces, schools, churches, and homes and inspire others to do the same.

Creative Flagstaff’s community-driven strategic plan acknowledges that our cultural sector institution leadership, including Creative Flagstaff itself, needs to be more diverse and inclusive. By the end of 2021, CF is committed to developing an equity-focused leadership development plan for itself and has encouraged all cultural organizations to develop cultural equity plans.

Modern settlement of Flagstaff began as a stop on the trail to California in the 1870’s. Movement and transportation are important themes to this day with the iconic Route 66, BNSF Railway, and Interstate 40 traveling east to west, much as the original wagon road. Flagstaff has evolved from a community rooted in the forest economy to a world-class destination with a top-notch university.

As a university town, we gather thinkers and creative professionals from all walks of life to enliven the cultural scene but also to contribute to critical discourse. The empathy and understanding fostered by artists and others help reconcile inequity and address challenging issues facing our region such as climate change.