Arts & Democracy Project Update

September 2010
Greetings from the Arts & Democracy Project! 
 
As the battles over immigration policy rage on in Arizona and around the country, we share information and cultural organizing resources in this update that are related to migrant and immigrant justice.
Migrant and Immigrant Justice: Cultural Organizing Resources

ORGANIZING RESOURCES

Arts, Media and Immigration: Opportunity Agenda's Creative Change Report
This report offers recommendations for those working at the intersection of immigration advocacy and the arts and an exciting list of examples.

Building a Race and Immigration Dialogue in the Global Economy
A Popular Education Resource for immigrant and refugee community organizers from the National Network for Immigrant & Refugee Rights

ART & MEDIA

Dignidad Rebelde
An Oakland-based graphic arts collaboration that has created images and posters in solidarity with protests and actions against police-ICE collaboration, harassment of
Brown communities and unjust policies such as SB1070, 297g and "Secure" Communities.

brown & proudAlto Arizona Art Campaign
Artists opposed to Arizona's anti-immigrant legislation have submitted images in support of Alto Arizona's viral campaign.  Images are published as prints to generate revenue for the campaign.

By the Time I Get to Arizona
Minneapolis rapper Toki Wright updates Public Enemy's 1991 controversial song "By the Time I Get to Arizona," in response to that state's passing of its contentious immigration bill.

The Stories of Versai
A youth-led oral history and documentary project to celebrate the lives of New Orleans' Vietnamese communities --from the Vietnam war to growing up in Versai and surviving Hurricane Katrina.

Morristown - film by Anne Lewis / Appalshop
This documentary chronicles nearly a decade of change in Morristown, Tennessee, through interviews with displaced or low-wage Southern workers, Mexican immigrants, and workers and families impacted by globalization.


Musicians without Immigrants
Citizen Engagement Lab's cultural campaign piloted with the Thievery Corporation, highlighting the impact on our culture of immigrants being removed from our favorite bands.

Teatro Jornalero Sin Fronteras
A theater made up of day laborers in LA, growing out of a partnership between Cornerstone Theater and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network

Ping Chong's "Undesirable Elements" Undesireable elements
An ongoing series of community-specific oral history theater works about the lives of people born in one culture but living in another.

Welcome to Shelbyville
Active Voice Campaign around a film by Kim Snyder that addresses immigration in a small Southern town.

P.L.A.C.E. (People, Land, Arts, Culture and Engagement) Initiative of the Tucson Pima Arts Council
Supports artists' projects, cultural exchanges, and partnerships to improve cross-cultural understanding and contribute to a healthy democracy. Grantee projects include a Tuscon Borderland Theater play addressing the issues of women who cross the U.S./Mexico border and Pan Left Productions' videos about border issues, SB 1070, and Sheriff Joe Arpaio. 

CAMPAIGNS & NETWORKS

The Sound Strike - Artists Boycotting AZ
Hundreds of music, film and comedy artists from Kanye West to Sonic Youth to Chris Rock are standing up for civil rights in Arizona through petition drives, benefit concerts, and awareness raising.

Artists Against Arizona's SB 1070
A Facebook campaign organizing artists to boycott performances and exhibitions in Arizona and raise visibility for immigrant rights issues.

New York Neighbors for A
Vigil for American valuesmerican Values
 A new coalit
ion of more than 100 organizations demonstrating support for Park51, the Muslim cultural center planned for Lower Manhattan near the World Trade Center site. 


Immigration Sites of Conscience Network
Part of the international sites of conscience, this network of immigration history museums across the United States and Europe collaborates to use historical perspective and heritage to open new centers for education and dialogue on today's immigration issues.


The Highlander Center
The Pueblos de Latinoam�rica program works with new Latino immigrants throughout the Southeast; its Cultural Organizing Residency Project continues a long tradition of culture being at the heart of its organizing.

As always, we're proud to highlight the great work in this field to support and cross-pollinate an extraordinary network of artists, cultural workers, policymakers, educators, and activists.  

All our best,

Amalia, Caron, Kathie, Jason, Javiera, Lena, and Yolanda
The Arts & Democracy Team

In This Issue
Event Reportbacks
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Events & Resources

Arts, Media, Immigration report

Arts, Media, and Immigration Telephonic Briefing and Webinar
Opportunity Agenda and Unbound Philanthropy host a discussion drawing on their new report on Oct. 27, 3-4pm
  RSVP:
[email protected]


Facing Race
Facing Race Conference
Applied Research Center's conference on racial justice, taking place in Chicago Sept. 23-25.
 

Creative Time ticket
Creative Time Summit: Revolutions in Public Practice
40+ artists, curators and thinkers discuss how their work engages pressing issues affecting our world. Taking place in New York City Oct. 9-10


in every town
In Every Town: An All-Ages Music Manualfesto
A toolkit and roadmap for creating space for music and youth in your community.


Calls for Submissions

vote again
Vote Again Video Contest
Create at 1-5 minute video encouraging your friends to vote again in 2010! Deadline: Oct. 19.



e-misf�rica
A biannual peer review publication, e-misf�rica explores the relationship between performance and politics in the Americas. The Fall 2010 issue invites academic reviews of books, performances and films. Deadline: Sept. 15.


Who We Are


The Arts & Democracy Project builds the momentum of a cultural movement that draws on a rich history of arts activism, social justice organizing, and grassroots engagement. The program catalyzes and supports cross-pollination between sectors, cultures, and generations and the linking of practitioners, policymakers, educators, and activists.

Arts & Democracy is a sponsored project of:


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