Art as a driver of social inclusion and transformation
Socially Engaged Art
We promote art and culture as a drivers of citizenship and personal and collective development, supporting artists, mediators and cultural agents committed to strengthening social cohesion and respecting diversity.
Socially Engaged Art is a way of being in the world: a practice that listens, connects, and proposes. It is born in the everyday (in a classroom, square, museum, health center) and grows through artistic practices where different voices imagine solutions and put them into action. We propose a way of creating culture that awakens critical reflection, strengthens life together, and promotes care for people and the planet.
Programs in Action
Strategic guidelines of Socially Engaged Art in Spain.
To ensure this approach takes root in every school, we collaborate with educational communities and regional administrations to implement artistic and cultural mediation programs with demonstrable impact.
We support educational centers, institutions, public officials, and cultural agents in designing policies that connect schools and communities, and promote collaborative ways of working that enhance community fabric and embed artistic practices sustainably in local educational and cultural life.
To achieve this, we build territorial and civic alliances around participatory artistic projects in contexts lacking cultural resources or with diverse audiences; we support cultural initiatives linked to social, environmental, and territorial issues; we help cultural institutions to engage with people in a more open, horizontal, and participatory manner, and we strengthen the cultural mediation sector and its professionals, key pillars of cultural democracy, by creating networks and promoting training programmes.
To achieve this, we support the creation of stable networks and shared resources that foster co-construction, research, and experimentation between arts and sciences.
In addition, we promote interdisciplinary practices for the creation of knowledge, mutual learning, cross-cutting research, and connect actors and organisations that combine art, science, and commitment to scientific, cultural, socio-economic, and environmental challenges.
We do this by engaging and supporting artists and their ecosystems around ecological transition through residencies and support programs; supporting the transformation of cultural organisations' practices to better sustain creators and expand their impact on communities and exploring new ways of supporting artistic creation and professionalisation, based on values of social and environmental responsibility.
Art to Come | Grants + Residences
Arte por venir (Art to Come) is an initiative promoted by the Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation that aims to strengthen our artistic fabric through a grant program and another of residencies for artists and collectives. It supports artistic practices that explore other ways of inhabiting reality and offers close accompaniment that takes care of creative processes and their social impact.
Experiences with an impact
Relevant socially engaged art projects, supported by strong evidence and valuable insights for replication.
Resources and publications
Socially Engaged Art guides and tools for learning, teaching, and sharing.
Culture for Life: A Critical and Plural Study of Culture
14 Mar. 2023 · PDF 6 MB
Notebook “Alliances for a Cultural Democracy”
14 May. 2024 · PDF 26 MB
The health-culture interface in Spain
14 Oct. 2024 · PDF 13 MB
Le voix de l'art citoyen (The voices of Socially Engaged Art) the podcast of artists who are making a difference
With our podcast series Le voix de l’art citoyen (The voices of Socially Engaged Art) we dive into captivating stories where art, civic engagement, and environmentalism come together.