Background
Common Threads focuses on projects that bring people together to address issues of mutual concern. Participants work to promote understanding and build a sense of community among area residents.
In addition to cross-sector collaboration, Common Threads projects incorporate the arts or a cultural component into the process as a tool for building a community of learners with shared goals/objectives.
The Lion and Lamb Peace Arts Center hosted a one-day conference on October 30, 2001, to introduce the Common Threads process to a broad audience of Allen County leaders and citizens, and area students. The conference was highly successful, attracting a diverse group of 800 people to the morning forum and 200 people to the afternoon workshops. Evaluation forms indicate that conference attendees thought that the day’s events accomplished the stated goals: to introduce the Common Threads process and effectively apply this approach to the previously chosen themes of trust among leaders and respecting differences.
The Animating Democracy Initiative
After the October 2001 events, the Council for the Arts of Greater Lima (CFA) assumed leadership of Allen County Area Common Threads. The CFA will build upon the Common Threads methodology by presenting the Allen County Animating Democracy Initiative: Common Threads Phase 2 – Building our capacity for civic dialogue. The goal of this new program is to continue the Allen County Common Threads process by building community capacity for civic dialogue stimulated by a new theater work on the local issues of Trust among leaders and respecting differences.
Financial support and technical assistance for this new program has been provided by the Animating Democracy Initiative, a program of Americans for the Arts, through funding from the Ford Foundation.
What is the ADI?
PROGRAM OF THE AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS
A private sector service organization for local Community Arts organizations since 1976
PURPOSE OF ADI
The purpose of the initiative is to foster artistic activity that encourages civic dialogue on important contemporary issues.
PREMISE
In a society seeking to revitalize democracy, art offers a fresh approach to engaging people in civic issues. By exploring multiple perspectives on critical concerns. Arts-based civic dialogue projects seek to engage more diverse publics in open-ended dialogue and reflection on challenging issues.
ADI LAB
The lab has identified and selected a total of 32 arts-based civic dialogue projects and is strengthening them through financial support and connections to other resources. The lab encourages experimentation and a testing of ideas and approaches to arts-based civic dialogue.
TWO CYCLES OF FUNDING THROUGH THE FORD FOUNDATION
2000-2001: 16 projects nationwide
2002-2003: 16 projects nationwide including the Council for the Arts of Greater Lima, the only Ohio project.
EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS
