Newcomer Arts and Culture Directory

A Collection of Profiles Featuring

Refugee and Immigrant Arts and Heritage Projects

The Institute for Cultural Partnerships

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Welcome to the Institute for Cultural Partnerships Newcomer Arts and Culture Directory . Through our ongoing work with newcomer artists and communities, we have become aware of the powerful relationship between arts and heritage and effective cultural integration, as refugees and immigrants from around the globe settle in diverse settings across the United States. Not only can participation in arts and cultural activities help build strong newcomer communities in diaspora from within, but it also has the potential to connect refugees and immigrants with their host communities. As the realms of arts and culture and the social services intersect, we find that creative and heritage-based activities can help newcomers integrate into receiving communities through addressing such areas as professional and economic development, health and wellbeing, childcare, English language acquisition, education, civic engagement, and more.

In addition to the lessons we cull from our own projects, we are also continually learning of innovative work being done by our colleagues in the arts, social services, and philanthropy. We were motivated to create the Newcomer Arts and Culture Directory as a way to share the good work being done in the realm of refugee and immigrant arts and culture, so that we might all benefit from each other’s experiences.

The project profiles presented here emanate from diverse organizational contexts and encompass a wide range of arts and heritage activities taking place around the country. The stories in the directory demonstrate that there are many models for connecting newcomers with opportunities to better integrate into their receiving communities through the arts. The directory reflects a broad spectrum of work, including public arts programming and presentation, arts in education, professional and economic development, micro-enterprise, health and wellbeing, childcare, advocacy, and more.

The first step in understanding the ever-changing cultural landscape in any community may be to find out who is there, and what interests and needs exist among newcomer artists and communities. Several cultural and traditional arts surveys present models for conducting field research to determine who the newcomer artists and communities are in a given location, what cultural traditions they bring with them, and what their artistic or professional needs might be. In addition to their heritage, newcomers bring their unique experiences to the U.S. Some of the projects here give voice to the transformational process of leaving home and starting life in a new country. The arts also provide an excellent forum for exploring issues especially relevant to newcomers, such as immigration policy and practice, health, and education, among others. Included in the directory are myriad formats for presenting newcomer arts and experiences, including concerts, festivals, exhibits, musical recordings, radio programs, driving guides, artists’ markets, murals, writing projects, theater, and other public programs.

Some of the projects presented here address the need among newcomer communities to keep their artistic traditions and cultural practices vibrant in a new home. Others look to in-school programming as a domain where newcomer arts and cultures can enrich the curriculum, while addressing educational content standards. One profile gives insight into communities from which immigrants leave to come to the U.S., and how the arts can help citizens grapple with some of the problems that drive people to immigrate. Whether they focus on music, dance, visual arts, foodways, film, radio, theater, or writing, all of the profiles point to the power of collaboration.

We hope that you find inspiration and practical tools among these profiles. Through the directory, we have sought to make available the experience and expertise of colleagues around the country who are doing innovative and exciting work, creatively mobilizing local resources to nurture newcomer arts and cultural heritage—and ultimately, foster positive community relationships. Each profile includes contact information for project personnel, so that others might consult them for more detailed information about particular projects. Although we all work in diverse organizational, cultural, and geographical settings, our common goals and interests can connect us so that we might learn from one another and discover new ways to tap the unique possibilities in our own communities.

Please note: As of March 2008, all information presented in the Newcomer Arts and Culture Directory is current. The contact information provided in the project profiles is the best source of current information about each program.

Go to Newcomer Arts and Culture Directory

Compiled and edited by Laura R. Marcus

Photo: Okanogan, Washington's Virginia Granger Elementary School Folklórico Dancers between performances, Latino Folk Arts Fiesta, Pearrygin Lake State Park, Winthrop, Washington, September 2005. Photo, Jens Lund; courtesy of Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, Folk and Traditional Arts in the Parks Program.

© 2008 Institute for Cultural Partnerships