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What if local artists made art about city government? What if city workers made art about the work they do everyday? What if the art informed and inspired the government & the community? |
Welcome Arts & Equity Initiative is a national initiative to improve municipal government through strategic art projects between artists, city departments, unions, elected officials and the community. Police Poetry Calendar This project was designed to address two key challenges that PPD had identified last year - their relationship with the public, and low department morale. While not discounting the importance of issues like wages, benefits, job conditions and policies, AEI's working hypothesis is that it's useful for people to make art about their work and lives, and that doing so increases their chances to come up with better solutions to longstanding problems. Our hope for the calendar is that it would give the world a better picture of the work that police departments do and that it would raise money for Rob's family and for more projects like this calendar. Another hope is that the men and women of the Portland Police Department (PPD), sworn and civilian, will see the value of their service reflected back to them by the people of Portland. “Officers are brave by nature, but it takes a different kind of courage to write a poem for all the world to see.” -The New York Times "We like it, the uniform, the badge, the justice, We hate it, the computer, the pen, the law." - from Fishbowl, by Lt. Sauschuck, Fox News Read the full Associated Press story here
Interested in bringing AEI to your community? Ever since national press covered the Police Poetry & Photography Calendar, the Arts & Equity Initiative has been hearing from cities, towns and counties across the United States and Canada who want to explore becoming one of AEI's next sites. Whether it's police poetry calendars, fire department digital stories, city council choruses, public works coffee cups or a health & human services story blogs - art is a smart, cost-effective, powerful way to improve your government and community. Please send inquiries to Director Marty Pottenger |
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