I’ve just moved back to the Bay Area with the intention of settling down after years of ecstatic mobility. In recent years, I’ve learned the immense importance of rootedness, stable relationships, and community. But having flitted about for nearly nine years, I haven’t exactly been keeping up my community-building skills. I’ve been meaning to knock on my neighbors’ doors for the last month. I’ve been meaning to explore the local farmers’ market that’s half a block away. I’ve been meaning to look for funky little art galleries and playhouses in my neighborhood, a community garden I can join, and a local Unitarian church. And while Google and Yelp helped me with my initial research, they were not able to propel me out the door. Unable to plow through this mental block alone, I’ve thought to myself, “I wish there were someone to hold my hand and lead the way.”

Through my work at New Village Press, I’ve discovered an organization that does just that. The Press is currently partnering with The Center for the Living City (CLC) - a New York City-based, educational non-profit – on a collection of original essays re-envisioning the work of activist and self-taught urbanist Jane Jacobs for the present day. This book, What We See, is the sister project to the CLC’s ongoing, international series of neighborhood tours - Jane’s Walk. (more…)

Anusha Venkataraman has written a thoughtful and enlightening review of Beverly Naidus’s new book Arts for Change. From the apt overview—

“Part memoir, part historical narrative, part resource guide, Naidus’ book summons in an accessible and easy-to-read format her experiences, challenges and advice from years of working in the field.”

to insight about how 20th century social movements influenced teaching—

“. . . the social movements of the 1960s and 70s brought forward the re-emergence of the artist as social agent. It was during this time that Naidus shaped her creative practice in relation to feminism, the antiwar movement, environmentalism and, eventually, progressive education theories. What all of these movements — and Naidus’ involvement in them — have in common is that they advocate, implicitly or explicitly, a politics of pedagogy that fundamentally shifts the power dynamics between student and teacher, haves and have-nots, oppressor and oppressed.”

it’s the kind of meaty, reflective review that sets one to wondering years later if we have, in fact, read the book or just a great write-up of it. To increase the effect, CAN also offers a tasty pdf excerpt of Chapter 4, “Facilitating an Interdisciplinary Arts Curriculum.”  Nonetheless, dear friends, please note that however useful Venkataraman’s commentary in CAN’s Reading Room, I am not suggesting you skip a full and rewarding reading of Arts for Change!

Since its inception in 2002, the Insight Garden Program (IGP) has provided prisoners in residence at California’s San Quentin State Prison with an unusual route to rehabilitation: organic gardening.

The hands-on program walks prisoners through every stage of maintaining their 1,200 square-foot organic flower garden, teaching them how to plan, budget, irrigate, and work with the soil, as well as identify and propagate the plants they wish to grow. In doing so, IGP is helping prepare inmates for meaningful jobs in landscaping and agriculture upon their release. Proponents of the program believe that this will help reduce the number of people caught in the cycle of incarceration, which sees over 70% of inmates back behind bars within three years of their release. (more…)