May/June 2014
My Turn
Michael Schwartz
US Department of Arts and Culture
US Dept. of Arts & Culture
Newly Launched U.S. Department of Arts and Culture hosts “Imagining” to Ignite Civic Participation in Tucson
Seventeen U.S. cities participate in a growing national initiative to use arts and culture to activate civic participation
Local artists bring together a diverse cross-section of Tucson residents to strategize new and creative ways to solve looming challenges
TUCSON, AZ - This summer Tucson makes history. On Saturday June 7 and 21, from 3-6pm, at the Historic Y Boardroom, 738 N 5th Ave, Tucson, community members will gather to celebrate our cultural diversity and to collectively envision our community in 2034, strategizing how to creatively address some of the core issues and challenges we face. We are one of 17 cities across the country selected to host an “Imagining” with the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture (USDAC), the nation’s newest people-powered department (not a federally recognized entity, but a new citizen-powered initiative to cultivate the public interest in art and culture and catalyze art and culture in the public interest).
Seventeen U.S. cities participate in a growing national initiative to use arts and culture to activate civic participation
Local artists bring together a diverse cross-section of Tucson residents to strategize new and creative ways to solve looming challenges
TUCSON, AZ - This summer Tucson makes history. On Saturday June 7 and 21, from 3-6pm, at the Historic Y Boardroom, 738 N 5th Ave, Tucson, community members will gather to celebrate our cultural diversity and to collectively envision our community in 2034, strategizing how to creatively address some of the core issues and challenges we face. We are one of 17 cities across the country selected to host an “Imagining” with the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture (USDAC), the nation’s newest people-powered department (not a federally recognized entity, but a new citizen-powered initiative to cultivate the public interest in art and culture and catalyze art and culture in the public interest).
Michael Schwartz
“We are excited to creatively engage our neighbors, fellow artists and community leaders in a provocative dialogue about how we activate positive change,“ Michael Schwartz, the USDAC’s local Cultural Agent expresses.
“This is not your typical performance, art opening, music recital or town meeting. We’re looking forward to a lively, creative gathering of community members envisioning the year 2034, when art’s power to engage, connect, uplift and transform has been woven into all aspects of our hometown.”
Agent Schwartz says about this unique event: “Do you feel there are problems in our community that need to be solved? Do you want to strategize how we can address economic inequality, climate change, education, criminal justice or other issues that are impacting the people in Tucson? Then, join us. You don’t have to be an artist, just to care about our future quality of life here in Tucson. Contact us at 520-623-2119, ArtsBrigadeMAP@gmail.com to let us know you’re coming.” The Historic Y is located at 738 N 5th Ave, Tucson, AZ.
“This is not your typical performance, art opening, music recital or town meeting. We’re looking forward to a lively, creative gathering of community members envisioning the year 2034, when art’s power to engage, connect, uplift and transform has been woven into all aspects of our hometown.”
Agent Schwartz says about this unique event: “Do you feel there are problems in our community that need to be solved? Do you want to strategize how we can address economic inequality, climate change, education, criminal justice or other issues that are impacting the people in Tucson? Then, join us. You don’t have to be an artist, just to care about our future quality of life here in Tucson. Contact us at 520-623-2119, ArtsBrigadeMAP@gmail.com to let us know you’re coming.” The Historic Y is located at 738 N 5th Ave, Tucson, AZ.
Each Imagining is hosted by a local Cultural Agent, sparking ideas, inspiring community action, and contributing to a national vision for the U.S. In addition to their local impact, the 17 Imaginings in this summer’s pilot phase will gather ideas, images, and stories to help shape the USDAC’s policy platform and future programs. What happens in Tucson on June 7 and 21 has the potential to affect the whole country.
About the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture
Launched on October 5th, 2013, in the midst of the government shutdown, the USDAC has no federal line item, office in Washington D.C., or official governmental status. Rather, the USDAC is the new people-powered department dedicated to cultivating the empathy and imagination we need to create the world we wish to inhabit. Radically inclusive, useful, and vibrantly playful, the USDAC aims to harness the power of art and culture to engage millions in envisioning and creating a more just and sustainable world. It does this by sparking local initiatives, connecting people and ideas across sites, and sourcing, articulating, and activating visions for new national-scale policies and programs. More at http://www.usdac.us.
Contact: For more about the Tucson Imagining, contact Michael Schwartz, Cultural Agent.
520-623-2119, ArtsBrigadeMAP@gmail.com
Journalists interested in setting up interviews with other USDAC Cultural Agents or organizers, accessing photographs and video from Tucson’s event and other similar events around the country, or learning more about the USDAC, contact Norman Beckett, Deputy Secretary: 413-658-8379 / usdac.us@gmail.com
About the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture
Launched on October 5th, 2013, in the midst of the government shutdown, the USDAC has no federal line item, office in Washington D.C., or official governmental status. Rather, the USDAC is the new people-powered department dedicated to cultivating the empathy and imagination we need to create the world we wish to inhabit. Radically inclusive, useful, and vibrantly playful, the USDAC aims to harness the power of art and culture to engage millions in envisioning and creating a more just and sustainable world. It does this by sparking local initiatives, connecting people and ideas across sites, and sourcing, articulating, and activating visions for new national-scale policies and programs. More at http://www.usdac.us.
Contact: For more about the Tucson Imagining, contact Michael Schwartz, Cultural Agent.
520-623-2119, ArtsBrigadeMAP@gmail.com
Journalists interested in setting up interviews with other USDAC Cultural Agents or organizers, accessing photographs and video from Tucson’s event and other similar events around the country, or learning more about the USDAC, contact Norman Beckett, Deputy Secretary: 413-658-8379 / usdac.us@gmail.com
