Art can help build stronger, safer communities and serve as a bridge to employment, education, and therapeutic opportunities.
Through partnerships with artists, arts institutions, and community-based arts organizations, we operate art-based programming in all five boroughs. From photography, theater, and spoken word, to music production, mural creation, songwriting, graphic design, and video game design, drawing on the arts allows clients and community members to express themselves and connect to others, learn new skills, and consider different viewpoints.
Arts provides an engaging entry point for clients who may mistrust justice interventions or be reluctant to acknowledge accountability. Our arts-based programming—both one-time experiences and long-term programming for voluntary and court-mandated clients—are led by teaching artists, art activists, and social workers all with the goal of helping community members get to know each other, creating opportunities for personal reflection, increasing hope for personal and community change, and the provision of concrete skills for school or work. Additionally, arts can be levers for civic engagement and community strengthening—block parties, talent shows, and theatrical productions can provide opportunities to address complex issues and support meaningful dialogue.
An alternative to the traditional system, Project Reset has looked to innovate again by partnering with arts institutions to create meaningful arts-based programming. Project Reset’s partnerships with the New Museum and the Brooklyn Museum are the latest chapter in a longer history of work in the arts.
A lifelong New Yorker, Jukie Tsai’s work with the Center has taken him all over the city. “I’m still surprised by how massive this city is and how many wonderful communities there are.” As a planner with our Neighborhood Safety Initiatives program, Jukie currently works with residents in public housing to co-create meaningful community change through tenant-directed projects including building community gardens, designing lighting improvements, and creating public artwork. “There’s so much expertise among residents about what is going on and needs to be addressed.
The arts make us confident, hopeful, and resilient. Based on decades of research and experience, we know that investing in the arts can help us achieve justice. Watch a conversation between artists, government, and community-based organizations on how investing in the arts allows communities to thrive.
Safety is a basic human need. In Brownsville, Brooklyn, young community leaders are building it with placekeeping, using creativity and design to bring neglected public spaces back to life.
