Inclusive Arts Campaign

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Our main purpose for screening the film is to see inclusive arts projects springing up all over North America. The inclusive arts campaign asks community artists and disability advocates to build collaborative relationships which extend beyond the screening event in order to establish ongoing, sustainable projects.
– Polly Medlicott, 2010

Welcome to our grassroots campaign for inclusive arts!  Film has the power to move people to action, and screening A New Kind of Listening promotes new ways of thinking about how the arts can connect people. Beyond awareness, however, our film and website can help you initiate arts projects where people with and without disabilities come together to express their creative ideas. Through this process, real community is born.

Our hope is that you and your organization will use a screening of A New Kind of Listening to lay the groundwork for an inclusive arts project in your community.  The screening event can be the first step in a process of creating new opportunities for arts experiences that are fully accessible and  welcoming to all members of the community. (See Inclusive Arts Campaign Success Stories)

In each place where a screening is organized, pre-existing state- or city-level partnerships support the early networking process. Individuals with disabilities and parents, representatives from the arts and disability advocacy communities, members of the faith community, and others are invited to form a short-term committee.  These people use their local knowledge and contacts to get the word out about the screening; and in the process, they explore and brainstorm possibilities for new inclusive arts opportunities in their own community.

Inclusive arts projects can be based on any kind of creative expression, such as theater (improv or scripted); visual arts (painting, collage, sculpture); music (percussion ensembles, choirs); creative writing (poetry, journaling, short stories); dance and movement; photography and filmmaking, and more.

Different types of projects emerge born out of the expertise and interest of the local community.  And perhaps most importantly, major financial or other resources are not necessary. Usually a space is all that’s needed, and one person or organization can provide a focal point for meetings, etc.

An inclusive arts project is a deeply meaningful experience that draws community members together into a collaborative, creative endeavor. The sense of connection and sharing of each others’ lives brings participants back and leads to exciting synergy.

Please spend some time reading through our Organizer’s Toolkit to learn more about our model for the Inclusive Arts Campaign. And if you’re ready to get started you can order the DVD for your event here.

Read about Inclusive Arts Success Stories.