Although most Americans take pride in the diverse mosaic of people that makes up the United States, the past year has thrown into stark relief the divides facing our communities and our nation. What role can arts and culture play in both bringing communities together and in amplifying dissenting views?

The United States is increasingly viewed in terms of red vs. blue; rural vs. urban. But art and artists exist everywhere, not just in elite coastal communities. This is a central belief for ArtPlace America, a funder collaborative that works to integrate art into community planning and development in both urban and rural communities all across the country. ArtPlace supports projects that bring together diverse stakeholders and sectors to develop arts-based interventions that strengthen social cohesion. One way they do this is through a 3-year grant program targeting community and economic development organizations, specifically funding arts programs in non-arts institutions to prove the value of arts in building and strengthening communities.

Art can also be used to battle stereotypes and to provide a window into the experience of a different community. That is the idea behind Pop Culture Collaborative, a new initiative working to expand the landscape of pop culture narratives of people of color, immigrants and Muslims. Pop culture has the potential to reach audiences that may otherwise not have contact with people from different ethnic, economic, or other backgrounds. And unlike many other forms of art, which require proactive engagement, pop culture can share these stories without the traditional barriers that accompany some art experiences – meeting people where they are most comfortable in order to build cultural understanding and empathy.

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