Right side copy: (presented as changing animation) [Image] ART creates indelible images [Image] ART expresses difficult ideas through metaphor [Image] ART communicates beyond the limits of language [Image] ART is a powerful force for illuminating civic experience
Animating Democracy is based on the premise that democracy is animated when an informed public is engaged in the issues affecting people’s daily lives. The arts and humanities can contribute unique programs, settings, and creative approaches that reach new and diverse participants, stimulate public dialogue about civic issues, and inspire action to make change.
Americans for the Arts established Animating Democracy in 1999 with support from the Ford Foundation in order to build the capacity of artists and cultural organizations for civic engagement
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Link to artists and professionals who link the arts and humanities to civic engagement
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Animating Democracy is a resource for linking the arts and humanities to civic engagement and civic dialogue.
Explore this website to find:
- News and Events on current arts- and humanities-based civic engagement activities.
- Project Profiles and Case Studies describing recent arts-based civic engagement projects nationally.
- Publications featuring books, essays and reports exploring arts- and humanities-based civic engagement.
- Directories listing artists, cultural institutions, and dialogue professionals with experience designing creative civic engagement and dialogue programs on a wide range of contemporary issues.
- Professional Development Programs and learning exchanges that offer opportunities to learn and share pioneering practices and innovative methods in arts- and humanities-based civic engagement work.
- Resources and Technical Assistance Services for cultural and community organizations, museums and historic sites, seeking to develop arts- and humanities-based civic engagement activities.