THE PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE

“Art no longer wants to respond to the excess of commodities and signs, but to a lack of connections.”
— Jacques Rancière

Urbano fosters a philosophy of artistic expansiveness, supporting works that blur boundaries between art and everyday life. It is our belief that artistic creation can be a vehicle for personal transformation, community cohesion, and social change. We promote the model of the artist as citizen, actively engaged in conversations with our surrounding community through the lens of contemporary art. We support youth to become civically engaged artists as they are challenged to tackle current social issues in their community that directly affect their lives.

Urbano offers an opportunity to develop an appreciation of socially engaged art while challenging youth to express and practice through art a strengthened identity as active, powerful, and involved citizens. Through artistic collaboration, participating teens and adults are challenged to create projects that take place both within the boundaries of our exhibition space and in the community beyond the walls of the studio.

Urbano’s community is made up of artists of all ages engaged in dialogue with their audience through participatory works of art and performance. Urbano’s corps of youth artists learn to make connections between creative thinking, self discovery, and citizenship. Our goal is to promote civic engagement through works of art that address the major issues of our times.


Resources

Crossroads-Specific Resources (for Artists):

Links to Lectures, Discussions and Interviews

Links to Publications and Texts

Other Resources

https://moma.org/learn/moma_learning/themes/investigating-identity/intersecting-identities
Gentrification in Mission, Kai Interview