+About

+ Mission:

Art Education + Social Justice Book Club engages readers in an exchange of readings + dialogue regarding contemporary issues in the arts, arts education + social justice.


+ Values:

  • love + learning: Loving-kindness and compassion are at the root of teaching and learning. We lead with love and compassion. We cultivate and communicate this love and respect through our thoughts, language, actions and creative-making.

  • growth + transformation: Intentionally allot the time, space, energy and labor to nurturing personal, communal and creative transformation. Change and growth are challenging, powerful and continuous.

  • thoughtfulness + criticality: Practicing critical and creative thinking with themes, ideas and questions related to the readings, writings and relevant resources. We are open to reflecting and respectfully responding to our process of learning, unlearning, and/or relearning.

  • inclusion + intersectionality: Being our most authentic self while being in community. Reflecting on our lived experiences, honoring intersectional identity, and examining our positions of power, privileges and biases. Practicing inclusive language and understanding that language evolves, just like we do.

  • community + interconnectedness: We are connected to each other; our histories and ancestors are, too. Interweaving socio-cultural consciousness, intergenerational awareness and global perspectives helps us to understand our positionality, roles, responsibilities and leadership, especially within the complexities and continuum of histories and art histories.


+ History

In 2016, Art Education + Social Justice Book Club was founded by Nathalie Sanchez as a direct response to the U.S. presidential election and in the hopes of cultivating a community of thought partners and change makers in arts education. After receiving an overwhelming response to her Facebook post: “Who wants to start an art education and social justice book club with me,” the book club was born and, shortly afterwards, she organized the first in-person meeting on December 8, 2016 at With Love Cafe in Los Angeles with seven readers in attendance. Over the years, Art Education + Social Justice Book Club has hosted nearly 20 in-person and online meetings based on relevant issues in the arts, education and social justice. Today, Art Education + Social Justice Book Club has over 350 members worldwide and continues to grow.

Art Education + Social Justice Book Club Rights Reserved. 2016. Art Credit: Jane Mount.