The Artist As Citizen Conference

The 2018 Artist as Citizen Conference is here! Looking for young artists interested in using their social & creative skills to make a positive impact on their communities. Join us in New York City at The Juilliard School, June 3rd - 9th, 2018. To learn more, check out our new website -- applications are live today! #artistascitizen Artists Striving to End Poverty

#artistascitizen2018 starts this sunday!

Paola Mendoza is a film director, activist and author. She served as a national organizer and the Artistic Director for the Women’s March, the largest protest in recorded history. Paola will share candid, behind-the-scenes stories from the field and explain why Art is ultimately what it will take to "reopen our collective heart." #ArtistAsCitizen2018

On the final day of AAC 2018 the extraordinary Michael Thurber will join us. Whether playing bass on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, composing music for the Royal Shakespeare Company, co-founding the smash YouTube channel CDZA, or hosting his Thurber Theater variety show at Joe’s Pub, Michael Thurber’s musical voice defies genre and category. One of his superpowers is creating community where he goes. Get ready to have your understanding of traditional musical boundaries and genres explode! #ArtistAsCitizen2018

We are thrilled to begin announcing our AAC 2018 speakers with Emily Simoness. Emily is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of SPACE on Ryder Farm, a nonprofit residency program for artists and innovators in Putnam County. Now entering its 8th season, SPACE has developed a reputation as an incubator for some of our culture’s most exciting and relevant creators. Emily was a featured speaker at TEDx Broadway in 2015, and was honored with the Lucille Lortel Visionary Award by the League of Professional Theatre Women in 2017. For more information follow Space on Ryder Farm on Instagram @spaceonryderfarm and Twitter @spaceonryder. (Photo credit: Dave Brown) #ArtistAsCitizen2018

Only 17 days until the 2018 Artist As Citizen Conference begins! So today we are throwing it back to the last four years of AAC. We can't wait to welcome our newest class of Fellows! #ArtistAsCitizen2014 #ArtistAsCitizen2015 #ArtistAsCitizen2016 #ArtistAsCitizen2017 #ArtistAsCitizen2018

Today we are following up with #PastPresenter director Yara Travieso Travieso, whose newest show, El Ciclón, premieres today in Miami! To learn about this wildly talented, multi-hyphenate, artist and activist read the full interview on our Facebook page. #artistascitizen AAC: When did you realize you wanted to connect your art and activism? Was it always a priority? If not what shifted? Yara Travieso: I think the work I was doing always centered around a story that I had nev...Continue reading

Each year, in the middle of a very rigorous week at the Artist As Citizen Conference, we leave The Juilliard School for Family Dinner. This is an opportunity to get to know each other better, have fun and share a meal at a new and surprising location in New York City. It's one of the most fun moments of the week! #TBT to our first Family Dinner of raw and local food hosted at The Brooklyn Grange #ArtistAsCitizen2014

Congratulations to everyone who applied to the 2018 Artist As Citizen Conference! We had more applications than ever before! Each application was carefully considered by our Leadership Team and we were blown away by your creativity, tenacity and vision. Thank you for your hard work! We can't wait to meet our 50 #ArtistAsCitizen2018 Fellows this June! #artistascitizen #congratulations #wearewaitingforyou (Photo by Joe Curnutte of Ali Stroker's workshop at #ArtistAsCitizen2017)

This Monday we're following up with #FormerFellow Adam Ashraf who attended #ArtistAsCitizen2016. Check out what he had to say when we interviewed him! AAC: When did you realize you wanted to connect your art and activism? Was it always a priority? If not, what shifted? Adam: I’ve always wanted to write and create, and also always wanted to contribute to causes that meant a lot to me, like LGBTQ rights. Initially, I assumed that that meant I had to volunteer with an NGO or do ...research related to that community. I tried to do these things yet I never felt like they were a good fit for me. Simultaneously, I continued to develop my skills in playwriting by writing more. I realized that all of my writing was about these communities and causes I cared about. I also realized that my writing was actually helping raise awareness about these causes in a context where these issues were not talked about as much. My art became my activism without me realizing it, and now, in the process of art-making, I actively question myself and what elements of my work are activist. AAC: What are the most important entrepreneurial skills you’ve developed in the pursuit of your career? Adam: Being able to advocate for myself fearlessly and being so comfortable with a potential no; what that means is that I will introduce myself to other artists and people I want to collaborate with knowing that they might not be interested in working with me at all. I am constantly networking and presenting my work and chatting people up with confidence (or at least feigning confidence). This has allowed me to develop connections with artists and collaborators that then became mentors who were instrumental in me getting opportunities related to playwriting. AAC: What advice would you have given your18-year-old self? Adam: Advocate for yourself. Make your art-making process a part of your weekly routine. Surround yourself with other growing artists who inspire you and have a strong work ethic. Try to retain and maintain the connections you make. AAC: What’s one resource you’d like every young Artist As Citizen Fellow to have in their back pocket? Adam: The HowlRound blog is something I consistently use to keep myself grounded and aware of discourses surrounding art making and diversity and inclusion.

Remember that the scariest part of doing the work is getting started. Go to the studio, write an email, make a plan and start something today! #TBT to #ArtistAsCitizen2014

This Monday we're sending a huge birthday shout out to AAC #pastpresenter and Artists Striving to End Poverty volunteer, Samira Wiley! Happy birthday, Samira! Thank you so much for your support and inspiration. Today we celebrate you! Here's a throwback picture of Samira and AAC Executive Producer Dylan Moore. #ArtistAsCitizen #SamiraWiley (Photography by Rachael Shane Photography)

#artistascitizen2018 starts this sunday!

Paola Mendoza is a film director, activist and author. She served as a national organizer and the Artistic Director for the Women’s March, the largest protest in recorded history. Paola will share candid, behind-the-scenes stories from the field and explain why Art is ultimately what it will take to "reopen our collective heart." #ArtistAsCitizen2018

On the final day of AAC 2018 the extraordinary Michael Thurber will join us. Whether playing bass on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, composing music for the Royal Shakespeare Company, co-founding the smash YouTube channel CDZA, or hosting his Thurber Theater variety show at Joe’s Pub, Michael Thurber’s musical voice defies genre and category. One of his superpowers is creating community where he goes. Get ready to have your understanding of traditional musical boundaries and genres explode! #ArtistAsCitizen2018

We are thrilled to begin announcing our AAC 2018 speakers with Emily Simoness. Emily is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of SPACE on Ryder Farm, a nonprofit residency program for artists and innovators in Putnam County. Now entering its 8th season, SPACE has developed a reputation as an incubator for some of our culture’s most exciting and relevant creators. Emily was a featured speaker at TEDx Broadway in 2015, and was honored with the Lucille Lortel Visionary Award by the League of Professional Theatre Women in 2017. For more information follow Space on Ryder Farm on Instagram @spaceonryderfarm and Twitter @spaceonryder. (Photo credit: Dave Brown) #ArtistAsCitizen2018