School for Creative Activism Awarded Third Year of Funding

For Immediate Release

Contact: directors at artisticactivism-dot-org

OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATION FUNDS THIRD YEAR OF THE SCHOOL FOR CREATIVE ACTIVISM

The Democracy and Power Fund, an initiative of the Open Society Foundations, has announced a third year of funding for CAA’s successful School for Creative Activism workshops.

The School of Creative Activism is a participatory workshop infusing community organizing and civic engagement with culture and creativity.  The School was founded by the Center for Artistic Activism in 2010 and held two successful workshops for activists in the New York area and North Carolina.  In 2012 CAA held four workshops, in Auston, Boston, Houston, and New York, with organizers working on public finance reform, fair tax initiatives, juvenile justice reform, and coalition-building for leaders of diverse faiths active in the Occupy Wall Street movement.  

Working directly with organizers and community actors, the SCA leverages the strengths of grassroots activism and the attention grabbing and complex messaging of art through a curriculum designed to:

  • Teach cultural tactics and creative strategies employed effectively by organizers in the past.

  • Recognize and draw upon the cultural resources and creative talents residing within individuals, organizations, and communities in the present.

  • Collectively run scenarios and plan campaigns that utilize culture and creativity.

  • Build a network of organizers and artists using a model of creative organizing more effective in our media-saturated, spectacle-savvy world.

The Center’s co-founders, Stephen Duncombe and Steve Lambert, are thrilled.  “This continued support has allowed us to hone our work, and our curriculum keeps getting better and more effective.  It’s an honor to work with these groups,” said Lambert.  “We can’t wait to hit the road again,” added Duncombe.

2013 workshops will be held throughout the U.S.  Locations and calls for participants will be announced in the coming months.  For more information on the School of Artistic Activism and other CAA programs, visit The Center for Artistic Activism.

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