Members of the Seattle Environmental Justice Committee participate in drawing, storytelling and theatre activities to identify creative ways to address environmental issues.
The EJC ultimately decided to partner with Muckleshoot cultural educators to share traditional ecological knowledge with city officials.
My work with EJC and the City of Seattle’s Creative Strategies Initiative was featured as a “snapshot” in the Municipal Artist Partnership Guide.
Photo by Zorn B. Taylor
Video by New Canoe Media
What is cultural work? What is a cultural worker? Neither are in mainstream dictionaries, but the terms are usually used in an apolitical way in government studies and in various politicized ways in academic journals.
When I use the terms to describe myself and my work, I mean I deploy various creative tools in service of building community and working towards social justice. Sometimes it’s easier to understand by focusing on action, so here are some of the things I do:
Make and teach art
Curate art exhibitions
Write stories
Conduct workshops on ways of seeing and bias
Organize creative efforts to address social needs
Facilitate groups working towards social change
Document social issues through photography and storytelling.