The Work
HOW?
We are a group of independent artists committed to producing work through grassroots support. Our creative producing model is informed by a network of activists, community organizers, and artists dedicated to social change. We create stories with the community, by the community, for the community. We are offering this play free of charge, because we believe this story belongs to St. Louis.
WHO?
We believe in the power of people and community. As a result, the vast majority of our supporters are individual monthly sustainers of $15 - $50. We have a growing network of individuals and grant sponsors, who are dedicated to helping us tell this story and more like it in the future.
YOU.
Our play Action is about maintaining hope in the midst of struggle, and the inherent power of every person to practice their values and be a force for positive change and growth. It is about a group of everyday people who took a stand against the powerful forces of greed and hate.
We are calling on you--our community, to exercise your values by supporting our cause. Through the community organizers we are in collaboration with, we know this kind of work is only sustainable through grassroots community support.
Celebrate and honor a true story that is as shocking, inspiring and deeply relevant today as it was 50 years ago.
OUR NAME
The Action Art Collaborative's name is a nod to our first project, our new play Action, named after Percy Green's organization, Action Committee to Improve Opportunities for Negroes. The central question of this collaborative is "how do we increase our awareness without losing hope?"
As artists, we know that the stories we tell have a direct impact on the culture of our city. We use community art to facilitate opportunities for people to act on their core values, and in doing so, build hope within and around them. The five of us are dedicated to building new spaces and producing more projects of this nature, but we have assembled first and foremost to do justice to this play.
The central question of the play is "how do we maintain hope in times of despair?" We live in a time when the forces of greed and hate are very powerful, and in St. Louis, very visible. The characters in our play answer this question through their actions. Perhaps acting on ones core values, striving for justice and peace, is the anecdote to despair.
Come see our play. We hope this story gives you as much hope as it gives us.