By inviting anyone to step up as a Citizen Artist to imagine a more just and vibrant world—and having already evoked the ire of Glenn Beck—we knew that the USDAC might be subject to continued scrutiny and suspicion by those interested in maintaining the status quo. But we were surprised to see dissent pop up in the form of a group of protesters in Lawrence, Kansas, who call themselves “the Grays” and have postered the town, calling for a boycott of the Imagining. Watch this video of the protesters to see what we’re up against and why this work is more urgent than ever. Cultural Agent Dave Loewenstein of Kansas has vowed to carry on with the Lawrence Imagining despitethe naysayers.
The USDAC Announces Founding Cultural Agents
On Saturday, April 26th, the USDAC released the names of its 17 Cultural Agents during a live announcement at the Bowery Poetry Club in NYC. Chief Dot Connector Liz Maxwell and Under-Over Secretary of Poetic License Bob Holman gave remarks and poetic invocations. Deputy Secretary Norman Beckett then gave a speech and announced the USDAC's founding Cultural Agents. Watch the recorded livestream announcement here and see the full transcript of the Deputy Secretary's remarks below.
NB: Good afternoon, ladies and gentleman. Thank you for coming out to join us at the Bowery Poetry Club for this important announcement. And to those joining us from across the country as we livestream this event: welcome!
I am not the only person you’ve heard in recent weeks to suggest that this is an era of broken systems. From energy to education to the way our entire economy is structured—we inhabit a planet on the verge. The problems are complex and the solutions uncertain, but there is one truth we can hold onto: if we are going to keep our society and planet healthy, all people must be empowered to imagine and enact alternatives for a better world. In order to do this, to cultivate effective co-creators of new systems better aligned with equity and sustainability – we must deepen our investment in the tools and tactics that grow empathy, imagination, and the capacity to collaborate. In order to tell a new story of our common humanity—to shift our collective culture from one of consumption to one of creation, one of competition to one of compassion, one of isolation to one of interdependence—we must encourage creative thinking and risk-taking. We must nourish the artist in us all.
And that is why, just under 7 months ago we launched the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture at a press conference in Syracuse, NY. With little more than a handful of buttons and a Statement of Values we imagined this new people-powered department into existence, asking: how might we shift art and culture from the margins to the center of civil society, given their true value and full support as catalysts for social transformation? We set out to find new ways of thinking about community cultural development and arts engagement that could catalyze local action, connect that action across sites, and ignite a bold national rethinking about the power of arts and culture.
Since launching, the department has been met with great enthusiasm from artists, cultural workers, and educators across the country and with occasional antagonism from those worried about the ways in which robust cultural participation and creative expression can challenge the status quo.
Now, the USDAC is meant to live in the world not just as a button or an idea but as a community of practice taking action together to create a more vibrant and equitable society. Today, we are marking a truly historical moment for the fledgling department. A moment of landing, and of take off. A moment in which this act of collective imagination extends from language and ideas to real on-the-ground action.
Less than two months ago we put out a call for founding Cultural Agents from across the country. Founding Cultural Agents are charged with bringing the USDAC to life where they are by hosting Imaginings, arts-infused events that bring together a diverse cross-section of neighbors to imagine their communities in the year 2034. We were searching for artists, civic leaders, and intrepid changemakers of all sorts, looking to both deepen their local work and to be a part of something bigger.
We were awed by what we uncovered.
Nearly one hundred imaginative, experienced, deeply thoughtful and passionate folks from across the country stepped up, eager to spark creative conversations in their communities about our shared future. From bustling metropolises to rural towns we heard from students, filmmakers, professors, security guards, gallery owners, retirees, performers, parents, photographers, dancers, community organizers, state health officials, and so many others eager to see the arts transformative power fully infused into the fabric of society. It has been a great honor to read through their stories and hear their visions for the world. And it has been a real challenge to figure out what to do with this abundance of potential.
Though we wish we could take in all applicants right now, we see the need to build solid foundations in this pilot round, to grow with care, so as to be able to feed the hunger that we now know is out there. In the next few months we’ll learn through trial and error and build the base for much greater participation.
So, to everyone who applied to be a Cultural Agent, thank you for your dedication and your vision and for the culture-shifting work you’re already doing. We ask for your patience as we create the infrastructure to support meaningful engagement in our shared act of imagination. Know that we are looking forward to working together very soon.
And now without further ado, it is a great honor and privilege to announce the founding Cultural Agents of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture:
Krystal Banzon of Queens, New York
Carole Brzozowski of Syracuse, New York
Hayden Gilbert of Cleveland, Ohio
Beth Grossman of Brisbane, California
Lynden Harris of Cedar Grove, North Carolina
Patricia Hicks of Seaside, CA
David Kimball of Marlborough, MA
Teresa Konechne of Minneapolis, MN
Dave Loewenstein of Lawrence, KS
Michael Premo of Brooklyn, NY
Kara Roschi of Phoenix, AZ
Carissa Samaniego of Shafer, MN
Michael B. Schwartz of Tucson, AZ
Jess Solomon of Washington D.C.
Fabiola Torralba of San Antonio, TX
Amy Walsh of Providence, RI
Roseann Weiss of St. Louis, MO
Yolanda Wisher of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Please join me in welcoming all of our Cultural Agents to the Department. And get ready to cheer them on and support them in the months ahead, for their first mission with the USDAC is a tall order indeed. In just over two months, each Cultural Agent will be hosting a local “Imagining.” Taken together, these 18 Imaginings will help us understand what’s needed and what’s possible at a larger level, leading the USDAC to imagine new policies and programs that could make for a more creative, just, and culturally vibrant country. We can’t wait to see what our Cultural Agents come up with.
And, what you too come up with. Because everyone is invited to step up as a Citizen Artist with the new Department. (You don’t have to be a citizen in the legal sense of the word, or an artist to do so!) Indeed, this Department is itself a collaborative work of art that asks you to play your part by deploying the resilience, resourcefulness, and imagination of artists at their best. Of the world’s many limited resources, creativity is not one. We have it in abundant supply and can harness it together, as artists of society, working to widen our collective circle of care.
Thank you for joining us here today. We look forward to the journey ahead.
Hundreds Visit the USDAC's Pop-Up Headquarters
During the month of April, the USDAC set up temporary headquarters at the Bowery Poetry Club in NYC and invited in hundreds of artists and organizations to come mix, meet, mingle, share, and help spark a grassroots movement that harnesses the power of art and culture to cultivate empathy, equity, and social change. Each Café was divided into two sections. First, open space for mixing and tabling. Then, an open mic for both performances and project sharing. Complete with a barter board, interactive video booth, break-out conversation tables, and pop-up performances, the USDAC Café created a vibrant space of encounter and dialogue for artists and cultural workers, catalyzing an array of new collaborations. Over the course of three weekends a powerful dialogue had begun.
USDAC to Create Pop-Up Headquarters
Though it has no central office, the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture will be setting up pop-up headquarters at the Bowery Poetry Club in NYC on Saturdays April 12, 19, and 26. Known as the USDAC Café this will be informal space to meet, mingle, share, collaborate, and help spark a grassroots movement that harnesses the power of art and culture to cultivate empathy, equity, and social change!
From 12:30-1:30pm the space will be open for all kinds of conversations and meetings of minds. From 1:30-2:30 there will be an Open (Project) Mic where participants can perform and/or share the project they’re working on. Each afternoon will also feature pop-up performances, a barter board, and break-out conversations. Lots of possibility; no panel.
Anyone working on a creative project aimed at making the world a more just and sustainable place is invited to come share at the USDAC Café. Set up a table. Hold “office hours.” Make connections. Find collaborators.
If you would like to have a table for your project or present in some form please write to usdac.us@gmail.com with a brief description of your project and your preferred dates of participation. More details can be found here.
U.S. Department of Arts and Culture Now Recruiting Founding Cultural Agents
Nation’s newest people-powered department seeks dedicated individuals to play critical role in defining next steps of “act of collective imagination.”
March 3rd, 2014
The U.S. Department of Arts and Culture (USDAC) announced yesterday that it is recruiting its first cohort of Cultural Agents. This move signals an exciting new phase in the growth of the fledgling department. Drawn from a dozen different communities across the country, the twelve new Cultural Agents will embark on a process of training and community-building, culminating in the co-creation of “Imaginings.” These arts infused events will invite local participants to imagine and enact the world they wish to inhabit in 2034.
Launched on October 5th, 2013, in the midst of the government shutdown, the USDAC has no federal line item, office in Washington D.C., or official governmental status. “Right now, we’re doing a lot with a little.” remarked Deputy Secretary Norman Beckett at a recent press conference. “The first step was conjuring ourselves into existence. Now we’re inviting in others to help us barn-raise the USDAC. These will not be covert agents, mind you. They will be visible forces for connection and change within their communities.”
After six weeks of basic training, Cultural Agents will prepare to host local Imaginings, bringing together artists, organizers, and others to envision their communities and the country in the year 2034, when art’s transformative power has been fully integrated into all aspects of public life. Part performance, part conversation, part celebration, these events will unfold around the Fourth of July, 2014, “an apt time to get in touch with our nation’s democratic roots and to reimagine where we want to go as a country,” according to Beckett.
The USDAC is seeking individuals who have experience with facilitation and organizing, who are plugged into the cultural life of diverse communities, and who are passionate about art, creativity, and social change. Asked why there are only 12 positions available for Cultural Agents at this stage, the Deputy Secretary explained that the USDAC sees this first initiative “as a testing ground to develop the tools and infrastructure that will enable anyone to step up as a Cultural Agent someday soon. Indeed, barn-raising the new Department will truly require the participation of all creative citizens."
Aspiring Cultural Agents have until March 24th to apply. A link to the applications and more information can be found here: www.usdac.us/call-for-cultural-agents
USDAC Releases Welcome Video
The USDAC releases a new welcome video. Later this week, the Department will be announcing a call for Founding Cultural Agents.
Deputy Secretary Norman Beckett Addresses the Center for Ethnic, Racial, and Religious Understanding
During his keynote address at the Center for Ethnic, Racial, and Religious Understanding's at Queens College, Deputy Secretary Beckett invited students, faculty, and members of the general public to remember arts-infused moments that had changed their lives. He then led the public on an imaginative journey to the year 2034 in which the USDAC disbands, having rendered itself obsolete. A full transcript of the remarks is available here.
The USDAC Thanks Glenn Beck for Inadvertent Support
During his television program on Thursday, October 17th, conservative pundit Glenn Beck devoted a lengthy segment to warning viewers about an organization that "truly horrified" him: The U.S. Department of Arts and Culture (USDAC), a new citizen-led initiative that seeks to harness the power of art, culture, and creativity in the service of social justice and cultural equity. "When I found this a week ago Saturday," Glenn Beck said on The Blaze TV, "I was laying in bed, it was early in the morning, my wife was up, she was putting on her makeup in the bathroom, and I said, 'Honey, God help us all. Come and look at this!'" He proceeded to warn his viewers: "I guarantee you, with what they have just begun [...] if you don't have an equal and opposite reaction, in five years, the country is gone, with no chance of resetting."
When reached for comment, USDAC Deputy Secretary Norman Beckett said, “We've barely launched, and Glenn Beck is already predicting we'll change the country. It’s great to be taken so seriously.”
Click the image to watch an excerpt from the episode.
The U.S. Department of Arts and Culture is a newly minted, people-powered department that invites anyone to step up as a Citizen Artist or Cultural Agent and perform creative work that advances social equity. During his indictment of the non-governmental entity, Beck enumerated the USDAC’s Statement of Values, which seemed to catch him off guard. After reading the first value –"Culture is a human right" – Beck looked befuddled. "It is?" he asked. It certainly is, at least according to the 1948 United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, which declares "Everyone has the right to freely participate in the cultural life of the community." Beck winced as he continued to recite values that apparently contradict his own: culture is created by everyone, cultural diversity is a social good, and the work of artists is a powerful resource for community well-being.
In response to the unanticipated attention, Deputy Secretary Beckett commented that the Department "thanks Mr. Beck for the opportunity to share its values with a large and very attentive national audience. Since this Department is an act of collective imagination, it's always useful to add more imagination to the mix." He added, "While we don't agree that the existence of the USDAC should make anyone want to 'pull their kids out of school' or make wildly inappropriate historical comparisons to the Nazi Germany, we do appreciate Beck's prompt to 'tell your friends' – it is indeed up to us to take a stand for cultural diversity and equity."
Calling the USDAC "America's latest propaganda machine" and mistakenly claiming that the group is trying to "erase" and "rewrite" American history, Beck then spoke with Rafael Cruz, the pastor father of Senator Ted Cruz who also lent his inadvertent support to the USDAC. Cruz claimed that answers are not going to come from the government; rather, "we need for We-the-People to be awakened to what's happening in America." Artists and cultural workers, as Beck well knows, are adept at doing just that —helping individuals and communities identify ways in which our current systems are failing, awakening imagination and creative alternatives.
The recent federal government shutdown largely provoked by the likes of Beck and his Tea Party supporters cost the nation over 24 billion dollars (more than 164 years worth of NEA funding at its current rate), but did not affect the USDAC, given that it is not an actual federal agency. Indeed, the United States has no such cabinet level position for arts and culture. "Would the government shutdown have happened if our lawmakers had grown up partaking in powerful creative experiences that bolstered social imagination, empathy, and the capacity to collaborate?" Deputy Secretary Beckett said in his statement. "When you play in a music group or perform in a piece of theater you come to know that collaboration is our most powerful tool for making worthwhile, important, and beautiful things happen. Through art we can connect, empathize, and find creative paths forward."
Deputy Secretary Beckett continued, "To accuse the USDAC of trying to erase history is to fundamentally misunderstand the Department’s stated mission. We seek the creation of a just and sustainable future, and believe this will require that we all step up as artists of society, working to expand our collective circle of care. Beck certainly got one thing right: we are trying to 'change the world.'"
Anyone interested in learning more and supporting the USDAC should go to www.usdac.us to find out more and sign up.
The USDAC Addresses Cultural Diplomats at the World Policy Institute
In a castle in Sands Point, NY, Deputy Secretary Norman Beckett of the USDAC appeared on a panel with the World Policy Institute and addressed UN Diplomats, artists, and policy-makers.
The U.S. Department of Arts and Culture Launches
The USDAC officially launches with a press conference and strategy session in Syracuse, NY at the Imagining America Conference. (Read and/or listen to the full launch speech here.)
Citizen Artist Enlistment Begins
At the PRELUDE Festival in New York City and at Art Break Day in San Rafael, California the USDAC began recruiting Citizen Artists for the soon-to-launch department. Dozens stepped up, added their imagination to the mix, and received badges.
Despite the Federal Government SHUTDOWN, the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture remains on schedule to launch.
USDAC Press Conference Scheduled - Oct. 5th
The first USDAC press conference is scheduled to be held on October 5th, 2013, at the Imagining America Conference in Syracuse, NY.