The art of truth, the truth of art: This month we’re talking social justice and the arts

Philadelphia is a city of murals and sculptures, of poets and theater, of its own sound, pop-ups and a scene that is two parts improvisation and three parts homegrown social impact. 

The intersection of social justice and the arts creates a particularly rich and varied space in our city and region.

It’s in evidence in recent Pew Center for Arts and Heritage project grant recipients like Asian Art Initiative‘s Active/ism, which explores the intersections of art, sport, and queer identity in the work of print artist and professional skateboarder Jeffrey Cheung; or Voices from Broad Street Ministry: A Film Storytelling Project, created by filmmaker and Pew Fellow Glenn Holsten with collaboration from people experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia; or the People’s Light production of Mushroom, new play by Eisa Davis that considers the immigrant experience through stories of a Chester County Philadelphia mushroom farming community.

It’s also evinced by Leeway Foundation‘s art and change grantees. like Anissa Weintraub, who will “co-create a piece of original theater with Philadelphia-based educators and students to explore their experiences of the dehumanization of schooling and their visions for educational transformation,” or Ebony Welch, whose “photo-voice project will capture every day ‘beautiful experiments’ of black and brown youth experience within their lives.”

Check back in later this afternoon for a guest column by Lorelei Gauthier, who is also a founding member of the Technology Learning Collaborative (Philadelphia’s first professional development association for digital literacy providers) about the intersection of art and profession

And in coming days look for a piece about the recent TEDX Philadelphia Salon on Social Justice and the Arts, and columns by YallaPunk‘s Rana Fayez, Taller Puertorriqueño’s Carmen Febo, a member of the  teen council of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, and much, much more.

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Is there an individual or organization working in the social justice arts space who you think deserves a shout-out? Send us their name and your reason for nominating them, so we can compile a list to be published at the end of Social Justice and the Arts month.

Nominate someone to be on our Arts and Social Justice list