Liberating through Participating

Participating in a work of art is key to tapping its transformative power. Artists can move audiences with traditional forms like painting or music performance, but there is also an enormous field of lesser-understood arts that invite audiences to bring their own creative resources to the work. Folk traditions such as African American spirituals, many tribal dances, acoustic jam sessions and simple finger painting offer a glimpse of these arts in a number of historical and cultural contexts. 

Since the 1960s, Western culture has spawned a number of recognizable movements in participatory arts, many based on the pioneering work of Brazilian Paolo Freire and his work, Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Freire sought to enable deep learning by breaking down articifical barriers between "teacher" and "student." Similarly, post-modern movements in the fine arts have sought to break down barriers between "artist" and "audience." 

Jubilee Arts offers a venue to explore and promote participatory forms extending from this vast tradition of folk resources. We believe that full engagement of audiences' creative resources -- even if it's not the most marketable or profitable kind of art -- is key to transforming the world we all share.