What's Good in 2020: A Shout Out to Courageous Creativity
This is little embarrassing to admit, but anytime I read, watch, or hear something that really resonates with me, I get an immediate and short-lived lump in my throat. In and out. Like my body’s way of saying “Yo, you need to pay attention to this.” The weirdo throat response has happened so often and for so long and in such unexpected ways that I’ve really learned to trust it. All that to say, each of these projects, organizations, and episodes elicited the two-second throat lump in 2020. (I should say that many of these projects began way before 2020, too.)
In no particular order, each project in their own (or their funder’s) words with links and videos to learn more.
1. Fertile Ground: Inspiring Dialogue about Food Access. Jackson, Mississippi
“…The City of Jackson has worked with an interdisciplinary team of local and national artists including designers, landscape architects, filmmakers, farmers, chefs, nutritionists, and community members to understand how to visually represent this civic issue. In April 2020 the City of Jackson will host a city-wide exhibition with art installations and performances that promote dialogue about issues related to food access. The artwork explores topics of food policy, food sovereignty, nutrition, domestic hunger, and the agrarian landscape. Each site has a theme that is specific to its location and will use art as a medium to express that topic. The overall ambition of the project is to tell a story that captures a national audience yet is unique to Jackson.”
Check out the free PBS documentary about the project here.
Sowing the Seeds of Love by Sabrina Howard. Jackson State University Blackburn Learning Garden, Jackson Mississippi. Photo credit: Fertile Ground Project.
2. Dream Cube, Kub Stevens. Des Moines, Iowa.
“Artist Kaleb Stevens and youth from the Iowa Homeless Youth Shelter construct a collaborative sculpture in Greater Des Moines called the Dream Cube, a monolithic structure of pillows stretching eight feet high, illustrating and creating conversation around the promise of our youth, including those without a safe space to call their own.”
3. Prototype for poetry vs rhetoric (deep roots), Jordan Weber. Minneapolis, Minnesota
According to the Walker Art Center where Weber was the 2019 Artist-in-Residence, “Jordan Weber partners with local youth-development organization Youth Farm to transform a vacant lot into a new public artwork in the form of an urban farm for the community. Designed for use by the local residents, the farm will grow fresh produce and pollution-mitigating plants; vegetables, fruits, berries, and herbs will be available for free; and a community gathering table will create a space for reflection, meditation, and respite.”
4. Unstoppable Voters, The Center for Creative Activism. United States.
In the words of the c4aa, the organizing sponsor of Unstoppable Voters:
“In this contentious election season, many people are wondering how we can move past division and tension to celebrate democracy and our freedom to vote. Artists, in the business of storytelling and culture-making, are working around the country to turn the focus to honoring and encouraging participation in our democratic process. With this in mind, the Center for Artistic Activism created the Unstoppable Voter Project. We funded 11 of the most ambitious, innovative collaborations between artists and civic organizations seeking to increase voter engagement after receiving more than 100 applications. Artistic events will take place nationwide, with a focus on states where voters are facing barriers to the polls.”
5. Arts Across America, The Kennedy Center. United States.
“In August, the Kennedy Center and Facebook launched Arts Across America, a program to uplift artists and showcase art from communities and regions across the country. In collaboration with arts organizations from coast to coast, Arts Across America presents free, online programming every weekday at 4 p.m. ET available on Facebook Live, YouTube, and the Kennedy Center website.”
I have to say, these Facebook Lives really livened up working on the couch.
6. Harvest Feast, Sayge Carroll and Keegan Xavi. Minneapolis, Minnesota.
“Artists Sayge Carroll and Keegan Xavi … partner[ed] to connect arts and healing activities through food, artmaking and acts of collective nurturing in their respective Northside and Southside neighborhoods. This joint community project connects two Minneapolis neighborhoods with 2 hosted events tailored to each location. The project includes artist hosted neighborhood gatherings around food, music and performance and the distribution of arts activity kits and artist made dinnerware. The artists … also host[ed] ‘Tiny Art’ workshops with YO MAMMA’S HOUSE and will distribute ‘Tiny Art Kits’.”
Learn about 9 other Minneapolis-based art projects to promote community healing in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. And read a fantastic interview by Arts Midwest with Sayge Carroll and Keegan Xavi about Harvest Feast.
Neighbors connect at a Harvest Fest Event. Photo: Pierre Ware, courtesy of Arts Midwest.
7. Craft in America: Democracy, PBS.
“DEMOCRACY explores how craft is intertwined with our nation’s defining principles. PBS Broadcast premiere December 11, 2020.” Excellent, excellent, excellent.
Stephen Burks works with Berea College student Joseph Tayo Opaleye. Courtesy of Berea College and PBS.
8. $EED: Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration. Stockton, California.
The Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration (SEED) is the country’s first mayor led guaranteed income demonstration. We aim to test a simple yet innovative solution to poverty and inequality. SEED is born out of the simple belief that the best investments we can make are in our people. In February 2019, we began giving 125 Stocktonians a guaranteed income of $500/month for 18 months. This income is unconditional, meaning there are no strings attached and no work requirements. A hand up, rather than a hand out, SEED seeks to empower its recipients financially and to prove to supporters and skeptics alike that poverty results from a lack of cash, not character.”
9. First People’s Fund. Black Hills, South Dakota.
“Founded in 1995, First Peoples Fund's mission is to honor and support the Collective Spirit® of First Peoples artists and culture bearers.
Collective Spirit® is that which manifests a self-awareness and sense of responsibility to sustain the cultural fabric of a community. Collective Spirit® moves each of us to stand up and make a difference, to pass on ancestral knowledge and simply extend a hand of generosity.
First Peoples Fund recognizes the power of art and culture to bring about positive change in Native communities, beginning with individual artists and their families.”
The FPF supports everything from one-year Artist Business Fellowships, Professional Development training for native artists, Rolling Rez Mobile Arts Space, Dances with Words, a Youth Spoken Word Initiative, and the Intercultural Leadership Institute.
10. Humanize My Hoodie, Jason Sole and Andre Wright. United States.
Co-founded by abolitionist Jason Sole and fashion activist Andre Wright, “The Humanize My Hoodie Movement is not about a single moment in time - it’s a movement rooted in building power for racial equity. Every Humanize My Hoodie sweatshirt makes a powerful statement that debunks racist myths, invites conversations, and empowers marginalized communities to be seen, heard, and valued…. Humanize My Hoodie University is an online educational tool for concerned community members. We are revolutionaries using an Afrocentric pedagogy to inspire change. Our first offering, Humanize My Hoodie Ally Workshop, has empowered white allies to fight for racial equity in schools, corporations, and communities. To date, we’ve trained over 1,000 people. Our topics include: Fashion Activism, Healthy Masculinity, Police and Prison Abolition, Effective Leadership amid Crises, Educators as Allies and more.”
Additionally, Humanize My Hoodie empowers youth through sweatshirt sponsorship, art and storytelling professional development and resources, and a free online tutoring service for K-12 students.
Check out the trailer for the Humanize My Hoodie documentary below.
Who else deserves a hat tip?
What other projects inspired y’all this year?
Comment below!
Curious about other community-driven artists? Check out interviews with artists Akwi Nji, Catherine Reinhart, Jordan Brooks, Reinaldo Correa, Kristin M Roach, and Rami Mannan, and interviews with community arts leaders Amber Danielson, Allison McGuire, Andy McGuire, and Jennifer Brockpahler.