
Our Vision
Cultural Arts, Service, and Action
Our vision for the CASA project is to create community spaces for organizing, sharing resources, and equity-based education for real world issues, local policy, and for building a model for genuinely democratized power in society. These spaces are not just venues; they are hubs owned by communities and culturally rooted. We aim to establish a vibrant and welcoming atmosphere that reflects the rich tapestry of the community it serves
These spaces will foster dialogue and exchange on a neighborhood level, bringing together diverse voices and perspectives. Integrated with workshops spanning newspapers, podcasts, poetry, theater arts, and facilitation, our platform will provide a dynamic environment for learning and collaboration. Our hope is to ensure that everyone feels represented and heard.
We envision this space in tandem with an MA/MFA program that supports residencies in CASA’s. Programs in higher education can support the process of training, student residencies, and organizational support in a sustained way that benefit or provide an institutional backing for CASAs financially and/or in shared resource and management. A combination of these two objectives brings institutions of higher education more fully into alignment with public needs creating a relationship between academia and local communities.
Influences
Mexican Hometown Associations
Freedom Houses
Cuban Casas de Cultura
Velorios and Fiestas
Kitchen Table Press
Art Houses and Salons
Federal Theatre Project
These examples demonstrate the combined value of the arts + social action model. CASA is Cultural Arts and Social Action.