This Monograph tells the story of the Arts Council of Greater Lima (Ohio), which harnessed the power of the arts to prompt civic action, and high-lights best practices culled from the experiences of 37 arts and humanities projects.

Arts and culture not only attract creative workers but also have a positive impact on the community. Researcher a the University of Pennsylvania's Social Impact of the Arts Project found that the presence of art and culture offering in a neighborhood has a measurable impact on the strength of the community. (p.1).

Civic Dialogue, Arts & Culture explores the power of the arts and humanities to foster civic engagement while advancing possibilities for arts and humanities organizations to be vital civic as well as cultural institutions. From 2000 to 2004, Americans for the Arts, with support from the Ford Foundation, implemented Animating Democracy, an initiative to foster artistic activities encouraging civic dialogue on important contemporary issues. This book examines the experiences of 37 arts and humanities projects, realized by a wide range of cultural organizations. These projects

Museums and Civic Dialogue features exhibition projects that demonstrate how three museums have functioned as provocative and effective forums for civic dialogue. Focusing on contemporary and conceptual works of art as well as historic images, the projects highlight new and adapted approaches to curatorial practice, interpretation, and education prompted by civic intention. The case studies also offer insights regarding institutional challenges and changes in practice that necessarily occurred. Through Gene(sis): Contemporary Art Explores Human Genomics, Henry Art Gallery

Dialogue in Artistic Practice explores the work of three exemplary artist companies. Case studies examine the Animating Democracy projects implemented by these companies, as well as their long traditions of community engagement, to highlight how dialogue is inherently a part of their artistic practice. Through a form that alternates dance performance and dialogue, Urban Bush Women’s Hair Parties Project taps personal experiences to generate dialogue about the politics of hair within the African-American community and to examine deeper issues of race, class, and

History as Catalyst for Civic Dialogue offers an inside look at three compelling projects that mined hidden, forgotten, or suppressed histories of slavery and lynching in the United States in order to stimulate meaningful dialogue about persistent issues of race and marginalization. The Slave Galleries Restoration Project at St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church (implemented with the Lower East Side Tenement Museum) engaged neighborhood residents in dialogue about issues of marginalization in Manhattan’s Lower East Side by tapping the power of the church’s

Critical Perspectives: Writings on Art and Civic Dialogue is a collection of essays that explore art, civic dialogue, and reflective critical writing. Twelve essays focus on three compelling and very different projects supported by Animating Democracy that employed the unique capacities of theater, visual art, and historic preservation to stimulate people to talk together in new ways about issues that matter in their communities: Dell’Arte theater’s Dentalium Project, about the impact of a Native American casino on the small town of Blue Lake, CA; MACLA’s

Art, Dialogue, Action, Activism examines the role of dialogue in the work of cultural organizations oriented toward civic action and activism. Four very different activist endeavors offer insights into dialogue that is integrated within cultural activity as a means of educating and organizing, dialogue as a means to explore different perspectives among people who hold a common goal or position, and dialogue as a necessary precursor to decision-making or action. Through a long-term residency by Sojourn Theatre, the Council for the Arts of Greater Lima’s (Ohio) Allen County