Animating Democracy

Can the Arts Save Democracy? This episode explores how creative practices can reinvigorate American democracy by bridging societal divides. Featuring insights from Pam Korza and Barbara Schaefer Bacon, we delve into how Animating Democracy has supported arts-based civic dialogue and collective action in communities across the country. We highlight impactful projects such as Traces of the Trade, it underscores the transformative potential of engaging critical and often divisive community issues through the arts. This is a call to action for using creativity to address and heal deep-seated social issues.

00:00 Introduction: American Democracy

01:16 The Role of Art in Democracy

03:24 Animating Democracy: An Arts Organization

04:12 Exploring Belchertown and Personal Histories

09:22 The Power of Community-Based Arts

17:53 Iconic Projects: AIDS Memorial Quilt and Vagina Monologues

22:08 The Laramie Project and Scaling Up

25:20 Animating Democracy: Practical Implementation

38:33 Traces of the Trade: A Risky but Impactful Project

49:09 Conclusion and Call to Action

BIO's

Pam Korza co-directs Animating Democracy, a program of Americans for the Arts that inspires, informs, promotes, and connects arts and culture as potent contributors to community, civic, and social change. She is a co-author and editor of Aesthetic Perspectives: Attributes of Excellence in Arts for Change. She co-wrote Civic Dialogue, Arts & Culture, and the Arts & Civic Engagement Tool Kit and co-edited Critical Perspectives: Writings on Art & Civic Dialogue, as well as the five-book Case Studies from Animating Democracy. Pam is co-chair of the Assessing Practices in Public Scholarship research group for Imagining America (IA), a consortium of colleges and universities that advances public scholarship in the humanities, arts, and design and was a two-term member of IA’s National Advisory Board. She began her career with the Arts Extension Service (AES)/UMass where she coordinated the National Public Art Policy Project and co-wrote and edited Going Public: A field guide to developments in art in public places. She also directed the New England Film & Video Festival.

Barbara Schaffer Bacon’s career launched in 1977 at the UMASS Arts Extension Service, a national leader in professional education for local arts managers, artists and civic leaders. Barbara served as director from 1984-90. She led Fundamentals and Advanced Local Arts Management seminars and contributed to the Fundamentals of Local Arts Management text book and The Cultural Planning Work Kit. In 1996 with Pam Korza, Barbara took a lead role to conduct research for and shape Animating Democracy, a program of Americans for the Arts. Animating Democracy shone an early and bright national light on arts and civic dialogue, built knowledge about quality practice, and created useful resources including Animating Democracy: The Artistic Imagination as a Force for Civic Dialogue; Civic Dialogue, Arts & Culture: Findings from Animating Democracy; Continuum Of Arts Impact: A Guide for Defining Social & Civic Outcomes & Indicators; Aesthetic Perspectives: Attributes of Excellence in Arts for Change; and Trend or Tipping Point: Arts & Social Change Grantmaking. In 2022 Barbara stepped back from Animating Democracy leadership. She currently serves as a program consultant for the