Giving Compass' Take:

• Mr. Jacque Liu shares the story of Philadelphia’s Civic Practice program, when government engaged artists in civic dialogue. 

• How can funders learn from this model? How would your community benefit from this type of partnership? 

• Learn about bringing artists into municipal communication efforts. 

From 2015 to 2017, the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE) planned and implemented Civic Practice, a program exploring government-initiated artist-led work in the community. Civic Practice was co-led by myself and Art in City Hall Program Manager Tu Huynh.

Working with then Creative Time Artistic Director Nato Thompson, Civic Practice began with the formation of a National Task Force that would come together with local government leaders, artists, and community leaders to learn about best practices and experiences regarding how government can be proactive in civic dialogue through the arts.

Three day-long meetings were held, each topic-driven and structured in two parts: 1) morning meetings of dreaming—what would we do if we could do anything?—and 2) afternoon meetings with artists, municipal departments, and community leaders to discuss general ideas for a pilot project to put to work the principles and practices of government-initiated, artist-led work.

The morning meetings were fast paced, filled with solutions and a feeling of joy, as we talked about the way things should be. The afternoons were equally filled with passion, but moved more slowly, with a sense of prudence. There was a feeling of having something tangible at stake as we discussed ideas and real logistics for the pilot project.

In many ways, simply gathering this group of creatives and civic leaders in this type of facilitated discussion was a major breakthrough. Innovation and input came equally from artists and bureaucrats and led to many unexpected, but needed and wanted, conversations. The facilitation made all the difference. Mr. Thompson, the Task Force, and our Philadelphia thought leaders set a tone of depth, caring, and creativity and our government partners reciprocated. The excitement and generosity of everyone floored us.

Read the full article about building civic dialogue through the arts by Mr. Jacque Liu at Americans for the Arts.