Craigardan 2021-2025 Strategic Plan

CRAIGARDAN

20212025 STRA TEGIC PLAN 1

CONTENTS WHAT WE DO

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WHO WE ARE

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MISSION, VISION, + EQUITY VISION

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OUR VALUES

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OUR IMPACT

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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GOAL 1

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Preserve Place

GOAL 1 BENCHMARKS

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GOAL 2

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Share Knowledge

GOAL 2 BENCHMARKS

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GOAL 3

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Explore Relationships

GOAL 3 BENCHMARKS

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GOAL 4

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Steward + Nurture

GOAL 4 BENCHMARKS

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LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT

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Action Plans are available as a separate document

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“You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.” —Angela Davis

“In the space between chaos and shape there is another chance.”

— Jeanette Winterson, The World and Other Places: Stories

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WHAT WE DO Craigardan is a nonprofit arts organization and educational working farm that leverages collective creativity for social good. We bring people together for place-based and interdisciplinary learning, providing creative residencies, courses, and events that span diverse artistic and knowledge disciplines in order to foster curiosity, inquiry, and collaboration.

Craigardan supports ceramic, literary, visual, and performance artists, as well as farmers, chefs, activists, scholars, and researchers from the Adirondack region and around the world. We cultivate a dynamic that amplifies each individual’s work and activates collective creativity within the community. We believe that fostering the interaction between artists and the local public is as important as providing sheltered time to artists to further their creative practices.

As an organization deeply rooted in this region’s unique history, Craigardan exists at the nexus of processes (re)making this region’s present and future: environmental conservation, the resurgence of small farms, rural economic revitalization, and cultural/social activism.

By developing interdependent connections within our local Adirondack community, we nurture a deep sense of place through people, culture, food, stories, and the exchange of ideas and skills.

With a built-in focus on equitable exchange across a wide range of disciplines, Craigardan offers an experience that ties the creative process to larger contexts. This experience leads to new questions and new initiatives; and it generates positive social change through collective creativity.

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PLACE-BASED Place-based education promotes learning that is rooted in what is local — the unique history, environment, culture, economy, literature, and art of a particular place.

It includes the natural and social communities and the interplay/ relationship between them.

INTERDISCIPLINARY Interdisciplinarity involves thinking across boundaries, drawing on/from two or more disciplines in one activity or investigation. It often draws knowledge from several fields such as sociology, anthropology, architecture, economics, or art.

COLLECTIVE CREATIVITY Collective creativity harnesses the diverse experiences, skills, and insights of individuals in the service of collaboration, learning, and open-minded engagement with materials, projects, and issues.

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CRAIGARDAN 2021-2025 STRATEGIC PLAN WHO WE ARE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Lanse Stover, President David Speert, Vice-President Lorene Garrett, Treasurer Kate Moses, Secretary Mary Barringer Allison Eddy Loren Michael Mortimer Andrea Volpe Frances Westley STAFF Michele Drozd, Executive Director

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MISSION + VISION Craigardan is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a mission to encourage the human imagination to interpret the world with philosophical, ecological, and artistic perspective.

We envision an Adirondack region defined by its makers who are committed to the development of sustainable systems that integrate the needs of human communities with the integrity of the natural world.

EQUITY VISION We create space, hold space, and build space to benefit all.

We believe in providing equitable opportunities for all people. We are intentionally focused on the support and implementation of inclusivity, with the goal of eliminating barriers to participation by Indigenous Peoples, people of color, people who identify as LGBTQIA+, and people with disabilities, as well as all who are historically underserved, under-resourced, and underrepresented.

Craigardan is antiracist. We reject racial hatred, bias, systemic racism, and the oppression of marginalized groups. We are actively raising our own awareness of and unconscious complicity in systemic racism through trainings, dialogue, accountability, and truth and reconciliation processes.

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OUR VALUES 8

We inhabit a space of process.

We design for movement and change.

We support and respect diversity in all forms.

We are responsive as much as generative.

We leverage collective creativity for social good.

We think forever.

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2017-2020 10

Craigardan supported

103

individual residencies

Delivered

186

public programs

Educated

2842

course + event participants

Spanning

25+

different disciplines 11

GOAL 1: PRESERVE PLACE

GOAL 2: SHARE KNOWLEDGE

Bring people together to experience and create place.

Bring people together to learn from each other.

Establish and sustain the organization and its new physical home through a deep understanding of place.

Foster the creative process and build community through place-based, experiential, and crosspollinating programming.

STRATEGY A // Establish Our New Home

STRATEGY A // Host an Internationally Recognized Residency Program

STRATEGY B // Build Fiscal Stability

STRATEGY B // Design Innovative Public Programs and Convene Conversations

STRATEGY C // Strengthen Our Organizational Foundation

STRATEGY C // Anchor the Farm as a Tool

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GOAL 3: EXPLORE RELATIONSHIPS

GOAL 4: STEWARD AND NURTURE

Bring people together to gain new perspectives.

Bring people together to catalyze change.

Open space for the opportunity to say “yes, and...” Explore connections and possibilities introduced by the alchemy of our place, programs, and people.

Steward and nurture our places, people, relationships, and knowledge to leverage the power of collective creativity for good.

STRATEGY A // Adopt an All-Program Approach To Welcoming Diversity

STRATEGY A // Serve Others Through Organizational Volunteerism

STRATEGY B // Expand an All-Property Approach To Inspiring Exploration

STRATEGY B // Seed Partnerships and Cultivate Networks for Impact

STRATEGY C // Strengthen an All-Community Approach To Fostering Relationships

STRATEGY C // Define and Perpetuate “Craigardan-ness”

STRATEGY D // Develop an All-Ecology Approach To Understanding Systems

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GOAL 1

PRESERVE PLACE 14

bring people together to experience and create PLACE Culture Environment Systems

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Bring people together to experience and create place. Establish and sustain the organization and its new physical home through a deep understanding of place: past, present, and future.

STRATEGY A // Establish Our New Home In 2019, after two successful and influential start-up years, Craigardan purchased 320+ acres in Elizabethtown, New York. The land is a mixture of field and forest; recently logged and ready for stewardship. Defined by its river and streams, mountain views, and rocky outcroppings, the property borders Hurricane Mountain wilderness and sits between the fertile Champlain Valley and the forever-wild High Peaks region of the Adirondacks. The existing farmhouse is part of an early settlement that included a mill, forge, kiln, and cattle. We have repurposed the roadside farmhouse into a farm store and gallery, reintroduced animals and vegetables to the land, and renovated our riverside cabin. We are now charged with building the remaining physical structures of our new campus and doing the work necessary to ground our organization, affirm our mission, and imagine the long-range possibilities for growth and expansion.

OBJECTIVE 1 // Build a Campus

Complete design and construction phases of the main campus and auxiliary buildings, with a focus on accessibility, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Although the entire scope of the project includes three large, main structures, a kiln pavilion, two barns, and six cabins, the project is designed to be built in phases over many years and still provide necessary space for concurrent, scalable programming.

OBJECTIVE 2 // Steward the Land

Conduct farm master planning and implementation in order to develop a fully diversified working farm in harmony with our conserved wilderness landscape, using agroecological principles. (Agroecology is the study of the relation of agricultural crops and environment.) Repair damage done by careless logging practices and turn select skidder tracks into public trails. Develop Land Acknowledgment protocols and practices in partnership with our Indigenous neighbors, reflecting a commitment to build mutually beneficial and intergenerational relationships rooted in our shared obligations to care for the land.

OBJECTIVE 3 // Understand Place

Learn, record, and acknowledge the history of our property and the surrounding region through Indigenous and non-Native documents, land-use studies, and story sharing. Understand how Craigardan’s distinctive place-based identity has evolved over time. Develop a multidimensional conception of place through our organizational impacts, and within our organization and the people it serves.

STRATEGY B // Build Fiscal Stability To facilitate our 2019 transition, we raised $900,000 to purchase the property, invest in design and permitting, improve current infrastructure, run programs, and sustain general operations. This responsive effort would not have been possible without incredible trust and support from our dedicated community.

Now we must stabilize and grow on our new campus by increasing revenue and diversifying income streams. This in turn will allow us to improve the property, build infrastructure, provide greater economic support to participants, and exceed the expectations of the communities we serve.

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OBJECTIVE 1 // Complete Capital Campaign Raise remaining silent phase funds and launch the public phase of our capital campaign to build campus buildings and support programs in stages.

OBJECTIVE 2 // Pursue Grant Opportunities Improve grant-writing skills, cultivate new relationships, and increase revenue to fund the capital campaign, programs, and general operations through grants from foundation, organization, and government sources.

OBJECTIVE 3 // Improve Annual Fundraising Grow Craigardan’s constituency, improve donor engagement, and increase annual giving through multiple opportunities to support — and be supported by — Craigardan’s work year-round.

OBJECTIVE 4 // Increase Program Revenue Offer educational programs with affordable fees to a growing audience while realizing a net gain; increase residency revenue in tandem with campus construction while providing more financial aid; and generate reliable and profitable farm store and gallery sales.

STRATEGY C // Strengthen Our Organizational Foundation Within our first four years, we built an exceptional team of 13 staff and board members, developed a strong organizational platform for our work, met demanding fiscal benchmarks, surpassed expectations on transparency and accountability, developed critical policies, and pursued the goals of a much larger organization. As a young but quickly growing nonprofit pursuing major plans, it is important now to invest in ongoing structural growth and measurable improvement, with special consideration for advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion. Craigardan’s staff, board, and operating systems must continue to mature over the next five years to meet these advanced goals.

OBJECTIVE 1 // Grow Staff and Board Attract, train, and support a diverse, inclusive, and talented staff and board of directors who are dedicated to advancing the mission of Craigardan through progressive thinking, heartfelt engagement, and strategic risk-taking.

OBJECTIVE 2 // Improve Outward-Facing Efforts Promote the organization’s mission, innovative programs, and social leadership, and expand its reach through well-designed and thoughtful forms of communication that inspire diversified and inclusive participation.

OBJECTIVE 3 // Refine Inward-Facing Systems Refine and build out anti-racist policies, plans, and procedures across branches of the organization in order to ensure efficacy, transparency, inclusivity, and accountability across all of our systems.

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Goal 1 Benchmarks

• We build the new campus as designed in phases to match our financial resources • We design and implement a farm and wholesystem master plan • We research the land’s history within regional contexts and develop a philosophy of place • We complete phase 2 of the capital campaign and begin to envision a path toward endowment • We receive funding from diverse sources including local, state, and national agencies, organizations, foundations, and individuals

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• We increase annual revenue to exceed increasing annual operating expenses • We sustain a diverse team of staff and board members who are actively working to improve the organization and pursue continued learning • We regularly and effectively communicate Craigardan’s work through multiple channels in creative and innovative ways • We develop and refine internal policies and procedures that reflect Craigardan’s values • We implement the strategic plan through actions informed by our goals of diversity, equity, and inclusion

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GOAL 2

SHARE KNOWLE DGE 20

bring people together to learn from each other and share KNOWLEDGE Art Agriculture Scholarship

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Bring people together to learn from each other. Foster the creative process and build community through place-based, experiential, cross-pollinating programming.

STRATEGY A // Host an Internationally Recognized Residency Program Craigardan’s artist-in-residence and internship programs bring diverse perspectives together, enabling participants to build skills, develop ideas, and help inform and grow a sense of place and purpose within a safe, supportive environment. Since our opening in 2017, we have continued to expand the concept of an arts residency to include at any given time ceramic artists, visual artists, writers, performing artists, farmers, chefs, scholars, thinkers, and other disciplines. We have supported over 100 residents working in more than 25 different disciplines, at all stages of creative development, from all over the world. We offer scholarships, fellowships, internships, and work exchange opportunities to provide financial support that meets everyone’s needs.

OBJECTIVE 1 // Increase Cultural and Social Diversity Identify and remove barriers and increase safety and support for creative individuals from different cultural backgrounds. Attract, select, and support residents who more accurately reflect the diversity of our global population. Proactively seek to support the creative work of people who are disabled and people who identify as Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, LGBTQIA+, and Women.

OBJECTIVE 2 // Increase Geographic and Economic Diversity Attract, select, and support international, national, and local participants in order to ensure a broad range of perspectives, skills, backgrounds, and techniques within and across media. Proactively seek to support the creative work of people who are underserved and under-resourced.

OBJECTIVE 3 // Increase Point-of-Career Diversity Attract, select, and support emerging, mid-career, and established artists-in-residence in order to bring a range of innovation, ideas, and experience together at all times. Strengthen connections between individuals of all ages through a welcoming environment of mutual respect and learning.

STRATEGY B // Design Innovative Public Programs and Convene Conversations Within our first three years, Craigardan offered more than 180 public programs with over 2700 participants.

We developed programs that actively fostered cross-disciplinary creative exchange between visiting artists and scholars and the local community. And, we inspired other organizations to look beyond the traditional and the expected in their own programs. In these next five years we intend to push past our early achievements and challenge ourselves to go even further in three key areas. We wish to foster relationships and the sharing of knowledge with our Indigenous neighbors. We aim to create educational experiences that encourage dialogue across the boundaries of media and thinking. And, we will design intentional, place-based programs for all ages that are inclusive, responsive, and generative. These three goals will be at the forefront of each objective.

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OBJECTIVE 1 // Offer Educational Classes and Workshops

Design courses that respond to community and cultural needs and also span concepts and cross disciplines. Create space for learning that surprises and delights, challenges norms, and inspires new ways of thinking.

OBJECTIVE 2 // Offer Innovative Lectures and Events

Design annual, monthly, weekly, and singular events, such as our summer speaker series, annual food justice summit, and Monday Night Dinners, that highlight a broad range of voices and expertise while responding to current cultural and social topics.

OBJECTIVE 3 // Offer Land-Based Learning

Design campus-wide experiential learning opportunities that develop a deepened sense of place, such as guided walks, kids camp, art outdoors, land-responsive performance, and other courses taught from our remote cabins, fields, and trails.

STRATEGY C // Anchor the Farm as a Tool Craigardan was one of the very first artist residency programs in the world to include agriculture and culinary arts and to be set within an educational working farm. In addition to providing food to program participants and the public, the fully diversified farm and working forest activates place beyond beauty and sets the stage for creative thinking. The setting reflects our region’s current and historic ties to agriculture, environmental conservation, and arts and culture. Serving as a nexus between art and life, work and play, wild and cultivated, the farm is a medium through which we learn interwoven social, ecological, and financial frameworks for understanding process and making decisions. To maximize the potential of the farm, we will actively steward and design our working landscape to serve as a direct and indirect mode of education and inspiration.

OBJECTIVE 1 // Directly Educate

Use our classes, workshops, and events to bring multiple communities of people together around the joy and satisfaction of cultivating our most basic human need -- food.

OBJECTIVE 2 // Indirectly Teach

Convey ideas through farming and eating, and inspire dialogue on diverse and complex topics such as food justice, environmental conservation, agroecological principles, cultural appropriation, structural racism, and food sovereignty.

OBJECTIVE 3 // Inspire Self-Perpetuation

Design the farm as a hands-on, place-based experience that inspires the sharing of values and knowledge and can be scaled, replicated, or modeled through a ripple effect of growth, movement, and change.

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Goal 2 Benchmarks

• We support an annual roster of artists-inresidence who are culturally, geographically, and artistically diverse • We seek out prospective residents for their ability to expand our knowledge and direction • We offer an abundance of on-campus events, courses, and workshops to the public which highlight our growing community of artists and scholars and introduce new skills, ideas, and possibilities to participants • We create space for learning and outreach across disciplines with staff, residents, the

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local public, and Indigenous groups that inspires new ways of thinking • We design the farm as an open learning space that is welcoming and accessible to all people • We articulate our agricultural values based on agroecological principles and continued learning • We develop and offer farm-integrated programs that establish Craigardan as a valuable resource within the local food system

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GOAL 3

EXPLORE RELATION SHIPS 26

bring people together to gain new perspectives and explore RELATIONSHIPS Multi-discipline Cross-discipline Inter-discipline

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Open space for the opportunity to say “yes, and...” Explore connections and possibilities introduced by the alchemy of our place, programs, and people.

STRATEGY A // Adopt an All-Program Approach To Welcoming Diversity In addition to the residency program for visiting artists and scholars, our public programming includes dayand week-long workshops, courses taught by artists and scholars-in-residence, a free lecture series, gallery events, social justice summits, and educational conferences. We will creatively design all of Craigardan’s programs to support self-exploration and discovery. And we will actively seek diverse audiences and encourage multiple perspectives at all times.

OBJECTIVE 1 // Ensure Multidisciplinary Program Support Support multiple creative disciplines on-campus at all times and provide the appropriate time, tools, and space for productive and reflective work.

OBJECTIVE 2 // Ensure Cross-Disciplinary Program Support Provide opportunities for individuals in different disciplines to engage with one another, share experience and knowledge, and generate or collaborate on new processes and ideas.

OBJECTIVE 3 // Ensure Interdisciplinary Program Support Develop flexible pathways for individuals and groups to work within and across multiple disciplines and encourage new modes of interdisciplinarity.

STRATEGY B // Expand an All-Property Approach To Inspiring Exploration At our original, temporary location, the organization was confined to existing buildings on a small land base with inherent limitations and inaccessible spaces for people with physical challenges. Hemmed in by close neighbors and a busy road, the parameters required constant creative use of limited space to provide privacy, interaction, collaboration, and a strong sense of community. With the help of architect and designer Nils Luderowski, we are carefully designing Craigardan’s new buildings, farm, studios, flex spaces, ancillary spaces, and off-campus access in order to encourage and inspire exploration outside of a participant’s current way of thinking, doing, and making.

OBJECTIVE 1 // Provide In-Studio Space Open and allow space for the individual, formal creative process to take place in private, universally accessible, safe studios.

OBJECTIVE 2 // Provide On-Campus Space Design and create communal spaces for casual engagement that open possibilities for serendipitous exchange. Formal and informal gatherings at the kiln, the preparation of shared meals, and comfortable fireside time allow for the development of new relationships.

OBJECTIVE 3 // Provide Outdoor and Off-Campus Space

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Provide access to the world outside and hold space for participants to find inspiration in nature, ferment new ideas, and advance self-discovery through exploring the Adirondacks.

STRATEGY C // Strengthen an All-Community Approach To Fostering Relationships At Craigardan, the building of bonds between visiting artists and the local public is a cornerstone of the program. We constantly strive to facilitate dialogue and respectful exchange among and between all communities: visiting, regional, Indigenous, international, disadvantaged, privileged, scientific, and artistic.

We will expand on this approach with intentional outreach and greater inclusion beyond our existing relationships.

OBJECTIVE 1 // Invite the Greater Craigardan Community Maintain a creative working relationship among staff, board, volunteers, alumni, teachers, ambassadors, partners, and donors. Bring the Craigardan community together whenever possible through multiple avenues.

OBJECTIVE 2 // Invite Regional Indigenous Communities Create and nurture reciprocal relationships with Native American communities through the arts, which allows us to learn from Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Indigenous Ways of Being as we begin to forge land-based decolonial alliances, dismantle historic structures of inequity, and redress the traumas of racism and dispossession.

OBJECTIVE 3 // Invite North Country Communities and Beyond Harness the expansive resources in our region and beyond (nationally and internationally) as an extension of the campus through individual relationships, programmatic collaboration, and institutional partnerships.

STRATEGY D // Develop an All-Ecology Approach To Understanding Systems Programs are an important first step in making the world a better place. However, we are constantly looking to move beyond programs with the goal of understanding and changing whole systems. We have exemplified this effort through our food systems initiatives and other social change work. Looking ahead, we will leverage our interdependent environment (programs, place, and community) as a guide for program participants to explore relationships and develop a deeper understanding of systems.

OBJECTIVE 1 // Understand Webs of Interdependence Identify those dynamic structures and cycles that are integral to the survival and well-being of a shared ecology. Teach mutual dependence through example by staff, educators, and programs.

OBJECTIVE 2 // Understand Habitat Creation Aid in the exploration of the relationship of living beings to their environment and to each other. Provide guidance in tending to the day-to-day of experiential learning and living on campus and in community.

OBJECTIVE 3 // Understand Personal Impact Model the value of vulnerability and adaptability to circumstances, cycles, and change. Create opportunities to investigate how actions influence larger systems. Encourage thinking in terms of systems change.

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Goal 3 Benchmarks

• We support artists of different disciplines working on campus year-round • We provide professional staff, guides, and mentors who facilitate cross-disciplinary programming • We provide an environment that fosters collaboration and stimulates new ideas across disciplines • We develop programmatic pathways for groups and individuals to explore interdisciplinarity • We design and build innovative facilities that physically support multiple artistic and knowledge disciplines while allowing for their interchange • We design, and provide all program participants with, welcoming and accessible shared campus spaces that inspire formal, informal, and impromptu gatherings • We provide regular access to off-campus sites, trails, events, organizations, and communities

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in order to help deepen participants’ experience and understanding of the region • We actively and regularly include the greater Craigardan community in all aspects of the program, and remain an active presence in the individual lives of our community members.

• We develop and nurture mutually beneficial and respectful relationships with the Indigenous community • We deepen and strengthen our local programing through the exchange of knowledge with the indigenous community • We strengthen and develop relationships with regional, national, and international partners, that enrich our programming and expand possibilities for participants • We incorporate interpersonal, place-based, and ecological thinking into our programs in ways that empower individuals to make conscientious change

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GOAL 4

STEWARD AND NURTURE 32

bring people together to catalyze CHANGE Collaboration Action Inspiration

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Bring people together to catalyze change. Steward and nurture our places, people, relationships, and knowledge to leverage the power of collective creativity for good.

STRATEGY A // Serve Others Through Organizational Volunteerism Craigardan’s staff and board are active members of local, national, and international groups. We serve on boards, grant-selection panels, advisory boards, and steering committees. As respected leaders in our communities, we uphold the values of Craigardan, and we exemplify its ethos in our personal and professional lives.

We will continually reach outward beyond self-interest to participate in timely conversations and serve our communities.

OBJECTIVE 1 // Lead and Advise Join the advisory councils, boards, and grants panels of complementary organizations and initiatives in order to remain informed and engaged in local and national issues.

OBJECTIVE 2 // Present and Share Organize, present, and/or facilitate conference panels, community talks, and public presentations to present and share our work and to highlight the work of others.

OBJECTIVE 3 // Create Social Good Lead and participate in initiatives that promote community building and education, generated through local programs, fundraising, and workshops.

STRATEGY B // Seed Partnerships and Cultivate Networks for Impact To date, Craigardan has established dozens of active partnerships with individuals, nonprofits, universities, arts collectives, businesses, and private initiatives. These partnerships are often non-traditional, unexpected, and interdisciplinary in nature — resulting in an amplified impact and creative solutions in a short amount of time. We will continue to work beyond silos, be collaborative, and focus on the collective good. We will provide service through leadership, and leadership through service, by moving our concepts out into the world.

OBJECTIVE 1 // Lead Craigardan Programs Offsite Replicate and adapt the Craigardan experience off-site at new locations with partner organizations. A placebased, interdisciplinary experience that brings people together should be available to everyone.

OBJECTIVE 2 // Collaborate to Amplify Impact Create new programs for collective impact by engaging peer organizations to help convene and lead crucial conversations, workshops, and trainings. This collaboration allows Craigardan to highlight and make accessible the expertise of others.

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OBJECTIVE 3 // Invite Organizations Onsite Invite other mission-driven, mission-compatible programs, people, or initiatives to bring their work to Craigardan and to do their work on our campus. Welcoming other people, ideas, and organizations to our property will deepen and enrich our own sense of place and possibility, while assisting the creative changework of others.

STRATEGY C // Define and Perpetuate “Craigardan-ness” Over the course of these next five years, we will continually ask the question: What is “Craigardan-ness”?

This is a question without end. Asking this question reflects Craigardan’s process: bringing people together to understand and experience place, to learn and gain new perspectives through interdisciplinary learning, and to use creativity to change the world for the better.

OBJECTIVE 1 // Continue to Bring People Together Ask: How can initiatives such as The Gardan journal and the Farm Store grow to become effective tools to connect, support, educate, and change? How does our on-site and off-site programming support collaboration and cross-pollination? What are other new, innovative ways we can accomplish this in the future?

OBJECTIVE 2 // Continue to Learn and Gain New Perspectives Ask: How can we activate alumni? How do our alumni continue their exchange? How do people carry their Craigardan experience out in the world? How do they create change in their own work and in their own spheres?

OBJECTIVE 3 // Continue to Work to Change the World Ask: How do we understand Craigardan as an active designer of the world we want to see? What are our biases and how do we interrupt them? How do we disrupt institutionalized inequities and engender systems change?

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Goal 4 Benchmarks

• We increase the quantity and quality of staff and board service on mission-compatible committees, boards, panels, and initiatives • We lead innovative programs in other national and International locations and we collaborate with others to bring crucial conversations to the North Country • We host mission-compatible organizations and programs on-campus, which increases opportunities for cultural exchange • We define “Craigardan-ness” and articulate how it functions to leverage collective creativity for social good

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• We develop durable relationships with program alumni with the intention to create exponential impact through continued learning and action • We identify the qualities we want to see in the world and how “Craigardan-ness” supports this vision • We identify the biases inherent in this vision and work to disrupt those biases • We are able to provide quantitative and qualitative evidence of regional systems change due, in part, to our work

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Craigardan occupies the Indigenous lands and waters of the Kanienʼkehá:ka people, keepers of the Eastern Door of the Six Nations Rotinoshoni.

We acknowledge that Kanienʼkehá:ka people still safeguard the mountains, valleys, rivers, and lakes of Kohserà:ke, as their ancestors had done for millennia.

We bring our minds together as one as we give our greetings and our thanks to the Kanienʼkehá:ka people and their relatives among the Six Nations for being on their land today.

We affirm our obligations to live in balance and harmony with each other and all living things.

We honor the Great Law of Peace and Indigenous treaties that made these lifegiving spaces a shared “dish with one spoon” with Wabanaki and Anishinaabe peoples who have held these lands as sacred since time immemorial.

We recognize our Indigenous neighbors at Akwesasne Mohawk Territory, Ganienkeh Territory, Kanatsiohareke Mohawk Community, Kahnawake Mohawk Territory, Mohawks of Kanesatake, Oneida Indian Nation, Abenaki Nation at Missisquoi, the Koasek Band of the Koas Abenaki Nation, Elnu Abenaki Tribe, the Nulhegan Abenaki Tribe, and the Abenakis at Odanak as the original stewards of the land and their past, present, and future connections to their sacred spaces within the Adirondack Park.

We accept responsibility for deceptive land sales and broken treaties that enabled non-Native settlers to establish a farm now called Craigardan on Indigenous land more than two centuries ago.

We commit ourselves to healing the intergenerational traumas of colonization, racial discrimination, and environmental degredation through mutually beneficial alliances with our Indigenous neighbors to build sustainable systems that integrate the needs of human communities with the integrity of the natural world.

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CONTACT CRAIGARDAN www.craigardan.org info@craigardan.org 518.242.6535 9216 NYS Route 9N, Elizabethtown, NY 12932 All photography is by Jeff Mertz

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