Why We Exist:
ArtCorps was founded on the premise that many
organizations, despite well designed programs and financing, struggle
to create the kind of strong local support and partnerships within
communities that are necessary to build sustainable programs. In
reaching out to local communities, organizations face many challenges:
how can they communicate their work in a digestible, culturally
resonant and lasting way? How can they build a sense of community
around projects when racial, ethnic and religious tension prevails?
How can they initiate dialogue around critical environmental and
social issues when few understand the issues? Through the participatory
arts, the organizations can establish a platform for education,
engagement and empowerment.
ArtCorps provides the vital link that connects organizations to
the communities they serve by introducing the arts as an innovative
education, engagement and empowerment methodology. The arts have
the power to establish trust, build confidence and develop initiative.
From theater to mural painting to puppetry, the arts create an opportunity
for local organizations to initiate dialogue around the why and
how of development issues, tapping into the imagination and voice
of the people. By developing the skills of critical reflection and
action, these communities become partners in the development process
and empowered to change the conditions of their own lives.
Why Art?
How are the arts able to build cooperative and sustainable work? The creative process of art:
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Attracts interest and builds trust
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Educates creatively and is remembered
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Helps people develop a voice for expression of differing viewpoints
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Establishes an environment of shared power
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Builds an interdependent process where all participants make decisions that affect one another
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Encourages critical thinking
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Builds confidence, embraces alternative types of intelligence
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Is a collaborative process
Art is a powerful and universal communicator.
