Trend Papers by Topic

Working Guide Trend Papers are a growing collection of new and extant papers by leaders in and chroniclers of the field.  Papers offer snapshot descriptions of various types of arts for change work within the arts, community development, civic engagement, and social justice fields, as well as work focused on particular issues.

 

Participatory Democracy


Social / Justice / Practice: Exploring the Role of Artists in Creating a More Just and Social Public

by Lori Lobenstine

Participatory Art-Making and Civic Engagement

by Ferdinand Lewis
 

Playing for Good: The Arts in Planning and Government

by Jon Catherwood-Ginn and Bob Leonard
 

Cultural Organizing: Experiences at the Intersection of Art and Activism 

by Javiera Benavente with Rebecca Lena Richardson
 

Dance


Dance and Civic Engagement

by Paloma McGregor

 

Music


American Orchestras: Making a Difference for Our Communities

by Polly Kahn

 

Popular Musicians as Allies in Social Change

by Erin Potts

 

Contemporary Art


Socially Engaged Contemporary Art

by Nato Thompson

 

Issues & Settings


Art in Service: Supporting the Military Community and Changing the Public Narrative

by Maranatha Bivens
 

Environmental Art

by Sam Bower
 

Immigration: Arts, Culture and Media 2010 / A Creative Change Report

by The Opportunity Agenda
 

Arts in Corrections

by Grady Hillman
 

Arts in Healthcare: 2009 State of the Field Report

by The Society for the Arts in Healthcare
 

History Organizations and Engagement

by Pam Korza and Barbara Schaffer Bacon with the Heritage Philadelphia Program
 

Publicly Engaged Scholarship in the Humanities, Arts, and Design

by Jamie Haft

 

Popular Culture


Comedy and Democracy: The Role of Humor in Social Justice

by Nancy Goldman
 

Popular Musicians as Allies in Social Change

by Erin Potts
 

Media for Creative Change: The Role of Popular Media in Advancing Social Change

by Sarah Ingersoll

 

Media Arts


Open Space Documentary

by Helen De Michiel
 

A Youth Media Agenda for Social Justice

by Diana Coryat 
 

Media for Creative Change: The Role of Popular Media in Advancing Social Change 

by Sarah Ingersoll
 

 

Youth


The All-Ages Music Movement: How It Impacts Culture, Civic Engagement, and Leadership

by Shannon Stewart
 

A Youth Media Agenda for Social Justice

by Diana Coryat
 

Community Centered Arts & Culture


Folk and Traditional Arts and Social Change

by Betsy Peterson
 

Building Worlds Together: The Many Functions and Forms of Arts and Community Development

by Lyz Crane
 

Arts-based Community Development:  Mapping the Terrain

by William Cleveland
 

Community Arts at Work Across the U.S. 

by Linda Frye Burnham
 

The Spirit of Sovereignty Woven into the Fabric of Tribal Communities: Culture Bearers As Agents of Change

by Lori Pourier (Oglala Lakota)

 

Echoes of the Earth in Times of Climate Change: Native American Artists’ and Culture Bearers’ Knowledge and Perspectives

by Edward Wemytewa

 

Microfest: New Orleans


MicroFest: Artists Spotlighting the World As It Is and the World As It Should/Could Be

by Carol Bebelle
 

Three Lenses on MicroFest USA: Intentions, Values, and Prepositions

by Gerard Stropnicky
 

Art and Community Development - New Orleans Style

by Erik Takeshita

 

Microfest: Appalachia


Microfest: Democratic Arts in Appalachia's Coal Country 

by Mark W. Kidd
 

Creative Engagement and a Moral Economy in Appalachia

by Caron Atlas

 

Microfest: Detroit


Making Art, Making Detroit, Making a Difference

by Eddie B. Allen, Jr.
 

Re-imagining Revitalization: Thoughts on MicroFest: Detroit

by Michael Premo

 

Microfest: USA


MicroFest: USA | A synthesis of learning about art, culture & place

by Pam Korza
 

A Community of Practice: NET Learning in Place

by Gerard Stropnicky

 

Microfest: Honolulu


MicroFest: Honolulu - Theater and Society in the Center of the Sea

by Sonny Ganaden
 

In Praise of Context - MicroFest: Hawai`i and the Expansiveness of Ensemble Theater

by Jan Cohen-Cruz

 

For other papers, case studies, books, and resources on arts and civic engagement
and dialogue, click here.

For case studies on assessing the social impact of the arts for change work, click here.