CONTACT:

Caron Atlas, caron@artsanddemocracy.org

Staff:

Caron Atlas, Project Director

Javiera Benavente, Cultural Organizer

Kathie deNobriga, Project Manager

Florence Kabwasa-Green, Research & Content Coordinator

R. Lena Richardson, Writing Coordinator 

The creative power of arts and culture—especially among those who have been traditionally disenfranchised—is a catalyst for action. The Arts & Democracy Project builds the momentum of a cultural movement that draws on a rich history of arts activism, social justice organizing, and grassroots engagement. We are engaging the following questions:

• How do arts and culture play an active role in our democracy?
• What forms of cultural expression move people to participate in decision-making?
• What forms of activism and organizing are best linked to arts and cultural work?
• How can this work become more strategic, effective, and sustainable?

The project catalyzes and supports cross-pollination between sectors,cultures, and generations and the linking of practitioners, policymakers, educators, and activists.

Projects linking arts with civic participation »

Bridge Conversations  Some of the most creative strategies live in the intersections of disciplines, sectors, cultures and generations. This series of essays seeks to learn from a diverse group of creative people who recognize and further deep connections between environment, education, community development, politics, social service, public health and anthropology, and art and culture. The essays focus both on people's work, and on how their journey to a holistic perspective includes how they grew up, how they connect cultures and world views and how they balance their personal life and work.