Art, Dialogue, Action, Activism examines the role of dialogue in the work of cultural organizations oriented toward civic action and activism. Four very different activist endeavors offer insights into dialogue that is integrated within cultural activity as a means of educating and organizing, dialogue as a means to explore different perspectives among people who hold a common goal or position, and dialogue as a necessary precursor to decision-making or action. Through a long-term residency by Sojourn Theatre, the Council for the Arts of Greater Lima’s (Ohio) Allen County Common Threads Theater Project moved a community toward action on long-standing issues of race and trust among city and county leaders. The Los Angeles Poverty Department’s Agents & Assets play and residency investigating the advent of the U.S. crack epidemic was mounted in Detroit to influence an election deciding drug policy related to nonviolent drug offenders. Through The Esperanza Peace and Justice Center’s ongoing Arte es Vida program, cultural activity is a forum for plática, or dialogue, and serves to raise consciousness, recover history, inform people of current issues, and mobilize community members toward action. The Understanding Neighbors project spearheaded by Out North Contemporary Art Center sought to change the contentious tenor of debate about rights of same-sex couples in Anchorage, AK.

Art, Dialogue, Action, Activism examines the role of dialogue in the work of cultural organizations oriented toward civic action and activism. Four very different activist endeavors offer insights into dialogue that is integrated within cultural activity as a means of educating and organizing, dialogue as a means to explore different perspectives among people who hold a common goal or position, and dialogue as a necessary precursor to decision-making or action. Through a long-term residency by Sojourn Theatre, the Council for the Arts of Greater Lima’s (Ohio) Allen County Common Threads Theater Project moved a community toward action on long-standing issues of race and trust among city and county leaders. The Los Angeles Poverty Department’s Agents & Assets play and residency investigating the advent of the U.S. crack epidemic was mounted in Detroit to influence an election deciding drug policy related to nonviolent drug offenders. Through The Esperanza Peace and Justice Center’s ongoing Arte es Vida program, cultural activity is a forum for plática, or dialogue, and serves to raise consciousness, recover history, inform people of current issues, and mobilize community members toward action. The Understanding Neighbors project spearheaded by Out North Contemporary Art Center sought to change the contentious tenor of debate about rights of same-sex couples in Anchorage, AK.