Innovation Through Culture, Creativity, and the Arts

Artistic and creative practices can too often be seen by other professionalized fields as too abstract to consider as core parts of the work- or only valuable for aesthetic improvement. However, most of us know on an emotional level that cultural work - rituals, food, experimentation, movement, and more - are critical means through which we express ourselves, make meaning, and create shared experiences. Communities have been practicing arts and culture since the dawn of time, and organizers and advocates have used song, artwork, and much more as healing practices, to generate energy, and increase the urgency of their calls. As we work towards a society in which all cultures are able to express themselves without fear of violence, retribution, or economic consequences, we also see an uptick in interest in the fields of urban planning, community development, and others in the kinds of organizational transformation, political change, and justice more possible through partnerships with artists and culture bearers.