Despite its name, the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture (USDAC) is not a government agency.
Rather, it is an independent organization formed around the importance of arts and culture to the health of communities (and, by extension, to any nation), gave themselves the name of governmental department — in part, to make the point that there should be such a department and also to demonstrate what it looks like when we get the work done instead of waiting for the government to form it.
The USDAC holds that artists, art and culture are important beyond their entertainment or decoration: “Art and culture can build empathy, create a sense of belonging, and activate the social imagination and civic agency needed to make real change. When we feel seen, when we know that our stories and imaginations matter, we are more likely to bring our full creative selves to the work of social change.”
Recently, the USDAC released the “People’s WPA,” an inspiring and visually rich compilation of essays, toolkits and 25 real stories of artist-led and community-led efforts in cities and towns across the US to advance change, health and well-being. These change stories span a wide range of issues, concerns and dreams, and have been clustered within the publication into 7 themes: Healing, Nourishment, Regeneration, Remembering, Liberation, Truth Telling and Deepening Democracy. A poster accompanies each story to illustrate and celebrate it while tying it to the larger transformative theme the story has brought to life.
