By mapping links onto satellite imagery, Radio Garden provides an easy way to listen to the online broadcasts of radio stations around the world. Through these broadcasts, a listener can expand their cultural awareness in a direct, entertaining way that reinforces common humanity while retaining distinct individuality.
Read MoreThe Kenan Trust is philanthropic foundation that supports “social practice art,” in which the arts facilitate change like restoring homes in urban areas and revitalizing immigration services. Their funds have reached the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim Museum of Art, and the Laundromat Project. A recent $6million program supports 21 New York City-based arts organizations that engage with hard to reach communities. Kenan argues that its approach is not “charity” but “justice.”
Read MoreMuseums all over the country are trying to attract diverse audiences. One of those is the Frick museum in New York which has a program called the Ghetto Film School project. Twenty students from the Bronx are selected to attend a weekly discussion-based seminar. At the end, students must write a script. “The winning script is turned into a movie and filmed at the museum.” “People should feel they can go to museums, learn something, and improve their lives in doing so.”
Read MoreLayette is replatforming itself to embrace local culture over a dangerous oil dependency. CREATE, a voter-approved initiative in the city, funds cultural events and festivals to create new economic drivers and to promote the cultural legacy of the region. The fund draws upon money designated from a larger pool of surplus property tax revenue, as well as from philanthropic donations.
Read MoreBuilding community around storytelling preserves cultural heritage. Across Lebanon, individuals and institutions like the Lebanese Ministry of Culture and the Theatre Monnot in Beirut are working to preserve oral culture as a medium for storytelling. Initiatives, including the long-running International Storytelling Festival and Beirut’s Hakaya, bring together storytellers, known as hakawati and hakawatiye.
Read MoreCreating spaces for art and artists to thrive can have a positive impact on a city’s economy. By converting disused buildings into studio spaces and galleries for artists, the Tides Institute and Museum of Art (TIMA) in Eastport, Maine, has made arts and culture a crucial component of the city’s character. In addition to TIMA’s Studioworks initiative, many of the city’s residents are actively engaged in festivals and other activities that attract tourism.
Read MorePublic art adds value to communities that have experienced decline in recent decades. In towns like Mansfield and Marietta, Ohio, public art plays a positive role. Murals created by groups like Mansfield Murals Inc., or by other local artists, enhance public buildings and offer a way for residents to connect and express their history. In Marietta, the Marietta Community Foundation funds the city’s Public Arts Committee.
Read MoreA more diverse theater scene requires arts and culture organizations that embrace and reflect communities of color. In Detroit, Michigan, the nonprofit Black and Brown Theatre works to eliminate barriers for actors of color. The organization fosters a supportive network, casting actors, directors, and staff from communities of color in the Detroit area. Still, disparities in access to funding for arts organizations focused on racial minorities remain a challenge.
Read MoreCultivating a sustainable art scene that allows creatives to make a living requires a delicate balance of various factors. Fellowships are vital for providing the time and space that artists need to develop their craft. Cultural institutions such as museums, galleries, and even art fairs are also key for providing a platform through which artists can exhibit their work. Art buyers can also be supported through loan initiatives to spur investment, especially for buyers who support local artists. Lastly, creative placemaking merges art and culture with community planning to meet the specific needs of an area.
Read MoreThe Spanish-Language Community Advisory Network works with a performing arts center in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, to bring in Latino audiences by showing culturally-relevant films, reducing language barriers, and even inviting the films’ cast and crew to the screenings.
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