Creativity for Equity and Justice
In the aftermath of the murder of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO, in August, 2014, the USDAC called on all artists and creative activists to join in the movement to demilitarize the police and bring justice to victims of publicly funded racism. Find links and resources to other post-Ferguson activist projects here too.
Artists Rising to Meet the Moment
What can we learn from the past that will help us call a new Culture Corps into being now? What might a 21st century Culture Corps look like? What can we learn from people who are experimenting with both public and private arts job creation today? Three presenters with knowledge and experience to share will lead an interactive discussion that just might send out sparks.
Creativity for Climate Justice
Time for a Culture Corps! Artists' Jobs for the Public Good, Then & Now
What can we learn from the past that will help us call a new Culture Corps into being now? What might a 21st century Culture Corps look like? What can we learn from people who are experimenting with both public and private arts job creation today? Three presenters with knowledge and experience to share will lead an interactive discussion that just might send out sparks.
USDAC Statement in Support of Preserving Sacred Apache Lands
This February 2015 statement called on artists, cultural organizers, elected officials and policy-makers, on all people of goodwill to stand in support of the movement to preserve sacred Apache lands, in the name of the first principle of cultural values establishing the USDAC: that culture is a human right.
Creative Placemaking, Placekeeping, and Cultural Strategies to Resist Displacement
Across the country, “Creative Placekeeping” has come into usage as a counter to Placemaking. Placekeeping as the active care and maintenance of a place and its social fabric by the people who live and work there. It is not just preserving buildings but keeping the cultural memories associated with a locale alive, while supporting the ability of local people to maintain their way of life as they choose.
USDAC Statement on the Syrian Refugee Crisis
In November, 2015, the USDAC called on all artists and creative activists to use our gifts for compassion and justice, sharing images, performances, experiences, writings, and other works of art that raise awareness, build connection, cultivate empathy, and inspire us to welcome those who are forced from homes that are no longer safe.
The statement was adopted at a time that more than four million Syrians have been driven from their homes, becoming refugees, while many U.S. governors issued statements rejecting Syrian refugees within their borders and polls showed that many Americans opposed accepting them.