What We Do

Fundamentally, we help make social and environmental change work more effective. And we help make it more fun. Which in turn makes it more effective. We do this through helping people practice artistic activism.

In practical terms, we train and advise organizations, grant-makers and individuals to help them practice outstanding activism and advocacy by using creativity and culture. We also conduct innovative research to figure out what exactly it means to succeed when it comes to artistic activist projects. We sometimes run big multiyear creative advocacy programs like our current Unstoppable Voters work. And we share tools, resources and publications to make all of this accessible to as many people as possible.

Click the category you represent to learn more about how we can help:

C4AA and Advocacy Organizations

Center for Artistic Activism specializes in helping advocacy groups use creativity and culture to implement impactful campaigns. We’ve trained, mentored and advised staff at hundreds of advocacy organizations and the staff at these organizations say our trainings and mentoring help them bring creative strategy as well as their own creativity and joy to their efforts, and the results are incredible campaigns that work.

• Creative Strategy Advising: We help organizations to develop strategies for long term engagement with creativity as a key part in their work. More on advising here.
  
• Trainings and Talks: We deliver inspiring and useful presentations and interactive workshops online and in person. More about the content of our trainings here.
  
• Professional development: We help advocacy staff and volunteers develop and use practical skills so they can practice excellent creative advocacy.
  
• Research & Assessment: We research what works in creative activism and share that. We  help organizations figure out what success looks like for them, and how to measure it, and how to adjust their practices as they go. More about research and assessment here, including a powerful toolset.
  
• Creative Campaign Mentoring: We help make innovation happen through direct and practical help with campaign implementation.
  
• Unstoppable Voters: We work on a range of issues, but we’re also currently working on a multi-year project to support voting organizations through trainings, fellowships, research, consulting and tools. Contact us for more info.
  
• Tools and Information: we create and share resources and tools like our assessment app, and our forthcoming Creative Campaigning Kit. 

Groups we’ve worked with recently:

• Greenpeace,
• Open Society Foundations,
• Fair Count,
• Indivisible,
• and hundreds more. 

Email us a quick note if you think you’d like to work with us.

C4AA and Grantmakers

Center for Artistic Activism helps funders who support grantees in developing creative advocacy strategies and implementing projects in the intersecting fields of arts and activism.

• Creative Strategy Advising: We help grantmakers to develop strategies for long term engagement with creativity as a key part in their work. This may include new ways of working with grantees and of soliciting proposals. More on advising here.
  
• Trainings and Talks: We deliver presentations and interactive workshops about creative activism online and in person. More about our trainings here.
  
• Professional development: We help program officers and other foundation staff assess and understand creative activism best practices so they can best support their grantees and mission.
  
• Research & Assessment: We research what works in creative activism and share that. We  help organizations figure out what success looks like for them, and how to measure it, and how to adjust their practices as they go. More about research and assessment here.

Grantmakers we’ve worked with recently:

• We are helping Open Society Foundations and A Blade of Grass to implement impactful creative advocacy strategies through strategic planning, staff trainings, assessment research and in partnership on long term projects.

Email us a quick note if you think you’d like to work with us.

For Arts Organizations

Center for Artistic Activism helps arts organizations that are interested in the ways that the arts can support advocacy and social and environmental justice.

• Creative Strategy Advising: We help arts organizations to develop strategies for long term engagement with social and environmental justice. More on advising here.
  
• Trainings and Talks: We deliver inspiring and useful presentations and interactive workshops online and in person. More about the content of our trainings here.
  
• Research & Assessment: We research what works in creative activism and share that. We  help organizations figure out what success looks like for them, and how to measure it, and how to adjust their practices as they go. More about research and assessment here.

Groups we’ve worked with recently and in the past:

• A Blade of Grass
• Recess Arts, and
• Public Assistants. 

Email us a quick note if you think you’d like to work with us.

For Individuals

Center for Artistic Activism provides resources for individuals who are interested in artistic activism.

• Learning Labs: For a limited time, we are able to offer this six week online course on artistic activism as a pay-what-you-can offering. Art of Activism Learning Labs are our remote trainings supported by our tried-and-tested lessons, global team of some of the top practitioners in the world, and The Art of Activism book and workbook. The course is made up of weekly meetings, very small class sizes, discussions, and exercises, as well as activities you can do on your own schedule throughout the week.
  
• Fellowships and Internships: occasionally we are able to offer fellowships, internships and other opportunities. Join our mailing list to get the latest.
  
• Actipedia: A user-generated database of artistic activism actions from across the world.
  
• Resources: We offer resources like our founders’ book, The Art of Activism, as well as webinars, publications, videos tools and other resources.

“You are amazing (and effective). The whole workshop was informative, engaging, and strategically crafted. I’ve done organizing trainings, artist-activist trainings, etc. and you all have this down to a science!”

Workshop Participant from Arts Action Academy at the Queens Museum

Join our mailing list to learn more about opportunities and resources as we release them.

Contact us to learn more about what C4AA offers

Featured projects