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.
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
“The stories we tell about the
world impact everything.”
— Alexis Pauline Gumbs
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.
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.
Program Highlights
DC Teens Imagine the Future They Want
With the DC Public Library
Through Everyday Democracy’s Arts, Culture, and Democracy Labs, young people are using civic imagination to connect their lived experiences to history, culture, and civic life—and to see themselves as agents of change. In partnership with DC Public Library’s Teen Council, teens explored DC history through library archives, created art inspired by their communities, and reflected on the future they want to help shape. Everyday Democracy also trained youth facilitators to lead peer conversations on DC history and go-go music, using culture and storytelling to spark dialogue about identity, change, and collective action.
Students Break Bread and Build Democracy
With the Westport Museum for History & Culture
At the heart of democracy is connection—and food is one of its oldest tools. Everyday Democracy’s Dinner & Dialogue in Westport, CT, invited high school students to explore how Afro-Indigenous food traditions serve as a lens for understanding justice, belonging, and civic responsibility. The event blended storytelling, cultural history, and dialogue to spark deep conversations about identity, power, and community. Students walked away not only nourished, but empowered to take civic action in their schools, homes, and neighborhoods.
Art, Dialogue, and the Urgency of Now
With the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Art doesn’t just reflect democracy—it helps shape it. During our Arts & Democracy Lab, college students explored themes of racial identity, labor, family, and civic participation. Centered on the exhibition Witnessing Humanity: The Art of John Wilson, the event included peer dialogue, collective art-making, and deep reflection. Students connected their lived experiences to broader civic themes—affirming the role of art as a vital tool for imagining and building a more just democracy.
Program Highlights
DC Teens Imagine the Future They Want
With the DC Public Library
Through Everyday Democracy’s Arts, Culture, and Democracy Labs, young people are using civic imagination to connect their lived experiences to history, culture, and civic life—and to see themselves as agents of change. In partnership with DC Public Library’s Teen Council, teens explored DC history through library archives, created art inspired by their communities, and reflected on the future they want to help shape. Everyday Democracy also trained youth facilitators to lead peer conversations on DC history and go-go music, using culture and storytelling to spark dialogue about identity, change, and collective action.
With the Westport Museum for History & Culture
At the heart of democracy is connection—and food is one of its oldest tools. Everyday Democracy’s Dinner & Dialogue in Westport, CT invited high school students to explore how Afro-Indigenous food traditions serve as a lens for understanding justice, belonging, and civic responsibility. The event blended storytelling, cultural history, and dialogue to spark deep conversations about identity, power, and community. Students walked away not only nourished, but empowered to take civic action in their schools, homes, and neighborhoods.
Art, Dialogue, and the Urgency of Now
With the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Art doesn’t just reflect democracy—it helps shape it. During our Arts & Democracy Lab, college students explored themes of racial identity, labor, family, and civic participation. Centered on the exhibition Witnessing Humanity: The Art of John Wilson, the event included peer dialogue, collective art-making, and deep reflection. Students connected their lived experiences to broader civic themes—affirming the role of art as a vital tool for imagining and building a more just democracy.
