Arts and Democracy Profiles

Title (click for comments)	Description	Attachment	Date Updated
We Got Issues!	We Got Issues! (WGI!) is a women-led movement and performance project dedicated to unleashing young women's leadership through the transformative power of creative expression. Founded in 2003 by performance artist and activist Rha Goddess, WGI! is rooted in the belief that the voices of young women ”their visions, poetry, song, battle-cries, and movements ”have the power to transform the challenges facing them, their families, their communities, and the world. As a women's initiative, WGI! is committed to creating a safe and supportive space for all women across race, class, gender, and socio-political lines, and to amplifying their diverse voices, ideas, beliefs, and experiences.	We Got Issues! Profile.pdf	05/20/2010 - 2:11pm
ACCESS and the Arab American National Museum	Since 1972, the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) has supported long-term community building and empowerment for the Arab-American community in Dearborn, Michigan (a suburb of Detroit).) In May 2005, ACCESS literally broke new ground when it opened the Arab American National Museum. The first museum in the world devoted solely to Arab-American history and art, it reflects the Cultural Arts Program's philosophy that art is an important tool for nourishing the spirit and building relationships.	ACCESS and AANM Profile.pdf	03/05/2010 - 1:22am
Working Films	In my work as a curator, I was excited that 200 people could sit in a dark room, see a film, be moved, and ask, "what can we do?"...So then, Judith Helfand and I began to think about an organization that could deliberately connect the non-fiction stories of struggles with ground-level activists and organizers. -- Robert West.	Working Films.pdf	11/30/2008 - 5:57pm
Urban Bush Women	Throughout its 23-year history, the Urban Bush Women performance ensemble has resolutely danced the road less traveled. Company founder Jawole Willa Jo Zollar wanted to create a company that could explore the use of cultural expression as a catalyst for social change, and today that company-- "sassy, strong, and relevant" as proclaimed on its website--combines movement from a multiplicity of dance styles with music and storytelling infused with the spiritual traditions of African Americans and the African Diaspora. All this, and community activism, too.	Urban Bush Women Profile.pdf	11/30/2008 - 5:55pm
Sojourn Theatre	Based in Portland, Oregon, Sojourn Theatre creates community-engaged theatrical productions that have explored a broad array of social issues, ranging from the Oregon school system (Witness Our Schools), the future of Portland as a city (One Day), and the meaning and impact of going to war (The War Project). The Sojourn company, headed by Artistic Director Michael Rohd, has worked together since the 1990s, settling in Portland in 2000.	Sojourn Profile.pdf	11/30/2008 - 5:54pm
Marty Pottenger	Marty Pottenger is a critically acclaimed writer, director, and performer with more than 20 years of experience in creating and directing community-based arts initiatives. She uses art and art-making as a point of departure to "address social issues, reveal the underlying connection between people, and activate people's inherent desire and momentum for justice and equity."	Marty Pottenger Profile.pdf	11/30/2008 - 5:53pm
League of Young Voters	The League of Young Voters is a national youth-led organization with state-based affiliates in Maine, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, New Mexico, and California that support young people in developing the power to solve problems facing their communities. As the League's website describes it, "We work with young people who have been shut out of the political process to make politics fun, engaging, relevant, and meaningful.	League of Young Voters Profile.pdf	11/30/2008 - 5:52pm
John Malpede and Los Angeles Poverty Department	LAPD was founded in 1985 to "create performance work that connects lived experience to the social forces that shape the lives and communities of people living in poverty." Since then, they have created numerous productions that have toured nationally and internationally, receiving critical acclaim for both their artistic quality and social impact. Rooted in Los Angeles' Skid Row neighborhood, LAPD's performances reflect the "realities, hopes and dreams" of the people who make up this community, giving them a way to raise awareness about social and political issues and create opportunities for people to intervene in policy decisions that affect their lives.	LAPD Profile.pdf	11/30/2008 - 5:51pm
Hip Hop Congress	The Hip Hop Congress (HHC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that uses hip-hop culture to foster social action, civic service, and cultural creativity among young people. HHC's Politics Initiative marks a transition from HHC's primary status as a music and cultural organization to a network with an articulated human rights and social justice movement-building focus. Rooted in a belief in the powerful potential of the hip-hop movement, the Politics Initiative seeks to build on this history to develop organizing skills and a civic-engagement focus among hip-hop artists and community members.	HHCProfile.pdf	11/30/2008 - 5:50pm
Future of Music Coalition	The Future of Music Coalition (FMC) gathers expertise in the fields of music, technology, public policy, and law to promote public understanding and discussion about freedom of speech, control of music production and distribution, and public ownership of the airwaves and bandwidth. FMC's focus is fundamentally educational: conducting original research, writing for and speaking to arts communities, translating highly technical and legal language into plain English, and offering expert testimony on the implications of policy.	Future of Music Profile.pdf	11/30/2008 - 5:49pm