Arts as Civic Commons

The liberal borders of art help us to carry good thinking dispositions nurtured in the context of art to the wider world. Art is an extrovert. Art connects because artists make it connect, because artists strive to express not just the anatomy of bodies but the anatomy of the human condition and of the universe that impinges on it. If most disciplines build moats, art builds bridges. (David Perkins, The Intelligent Eye)

The Arts as Civic Commons (ArtC) project explores how contemporary artists and their artistic practices provoke and inspire us to reframe the way we understand, interpret, and engage the uncertain and complex world we live in. We believe that artists who investigate pressing questions and curiosities about our world in and through their work create what we argue is a civic space for dialogue and action, i.e. a shared space that brings together diverse voices and views in dialogue, in the process nurturing dispositions and ethical behavior that build an understanding of, respect for, and valuing of cultural differences. ArtC is an inquiry into how we might support learners to develop critical thinking, ethical behavior and civic dispositions in and through the arts, so that they can be effective and reflective agents of positive social change.