Arts, Culture, & Democracy
We partner with museums, libraries, and other cultural institutions to engage communities in dialogue and storytelling to make meaning of our shared history and co-create a more complete story of our democracy.
“The stories we tell about the world impact everything.” —Alexis Pauline Gumbs
Our Arts, Culture, and Democracy programs strengthen democratic skills, like perspective taking and critical thinking, to weave new social ties through interactive community dialogue and cultural events. We partner with trusted local arts and cultural institutions where neighbors can explore truthful history, experience other cultures, deepen understanding, and foster more inclusive communities.
Our Approach
We use arts and culture to inform community members and spark their curiosity, learning, and capacity to explore perspectives and power that shape their local experiences. Participants leave our Arts, Culture, and Democracy programs inspired to take civic action with neighbors also committed to building power and relationships to organize and collaborate with others for civic change.
In Arts, Culture, and Democracy events, community members experience and interpret local history, art, and culture, practice democratic skills from dialogue to decision-making, and learn new ways to lead in their community.
Upcoming Events
Westport, CT: Everyday Democracy and Westport Museum for History and Culture co-host a community dinner and dialogue in Westport, CT (January 2025).
In this event for local high-school youth, we explore links between Indigenous, African American, and Afro-Caribbean food cultures, Atlantic history, democratic values, and contemporary life. Our guides include an award-winning chef and historian and a local Indigenous community leader and storyteller.
At Dinner and Dialogue @ The Museum, residents critically engage local history while sharing a beautiful cultural meal together. In our Arts and Democracy Lab, community members explore democratic themes in curated art and practice democratic problem-solving through creative, courageous conversations.
More information about this event coming soon.