WHY ART?
Art is a universal language that has the ability to dissolve the differences that divide us. As long as division has torn apart the human family, art has offered a mode of reconciliation.
TRANSCENDENCE
Art can create new pathways of understanding that transcend differences and lead us into new ways of being.
CONVERSATION
Art can address sensitive issues without raising defensive barriers. It can dismantle stereotypes and heal divisions.
ENCOUNTER POINTS
Art can foster understanding, alleviate fears and unite people who might otherwise remain apart.
The Transformative Power of Art
“Art has the power to shape individuals and cultures. It can. . . show us the humanity of the other, challenge our ways of seeing and radically alter our framework. . . . Art might be exactly what we need to imagine our way out of the tribalism and polarization that plague us.”
-Yvonne Owuor Adhiambo, Kenyan Novelist
“I am attempting to dig away at…the great mystery of being.”
-Anish Kapoor, British-Indian sculptor
“Art is the conversation…. an opening for the heart.”
-Hafez, 14th century Persian poet and mystic
“Art never stopped a war…. but it can change people.”
-Leonard Bernstein, 20th century composer and conductor