Date: March 17, 2021

I hope to lend apologies for something shared on social media by an officer. Chaparral Artists is an organization lending support to artists searching for inspiration and community, youths searching for art experiences, and confidence-building tasks. We do not wish to muddy the relationships between people by engaging in politics. Typically, we try to avoid the political scene in as many forms as it might leak into our organization dealings.

We failed on this front. I apologize on behalf of Chaparral Artists.

That said, we are, and we strive to be a diverse group. We understand that our members maintain their own thoughts, beliefs, triggers regarding the past, and excitement regarding the future. Chaparral Artists tries to present an inclusive space to move forward with our goals of art and community. We try to understand one another, we try to support one another.

To do this, groups like ours, the officers intended to reflect the group's ideals, must present a vaguely neutral front during group gatherings. As you might guess, because we are all unique in our backgrounds, neutrality can be difficult to maintain, and slip-ups occur. But still, we must maintain that peaceful objectivity. Today, in these times of online focus and information sharing, 'group gatherings' by necessity include the social media world!

A comment was posted that was not neutral in the slightest. It was offensive, it was disrespectful and it does not reflect the views of the Chaparral Artists organization. Apologies are being made to the parties that this comment has affected the most. We will do our best to rectify this situation and changes have already been made to see this through. Khrysso Heart LeFey has resigned as President and is no longer a member of Chaparral.

Thank you to all who create art with us, who support us by lending us space in their lives—heartfelt apologies to those that were hurt during this exchange. We will continue to do our best, and we hope that such a promise is enough.

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