The Community Arts Network (CAN) project promoted information exchange, research and critical dialogue within the field of community-based arts, that is, art made as a voice and a force within a specific community of place, spirit or tradition. The CAN project was active from July 1999 through April of 2010. The CAN website is now archived on Archive-It courtesy of Indiana University. You can view it here. A linked CAN site map is available on this page, below. CAN maintains an active Facebook page here.
APInews was our monthly newsletter covering the field of community-based art. Back issues are available on the archived CAN website.
Community Arts Network Site Map
Information Organized by Type
- Essays
- News
- Links
- Commentary (CANblog)
- Conferences, Workshops and Events
- Public Access Discussion Forums
Information Organized by Discipline
- Dance and Movement
- Literature: Narrative, Poetry, Oral History, Storytelling
- Media Arts and Technology
- Music and Sound
- Public Art, Art in Public Places, Parks
- Theater and Performance
- Visual Art and Museums
Information Organized by Population Grouping
- Arts and Elders
- International: Community Arts Around the World
- Arts in Rural Communities
- Arts in Urban Communities
- Arts and Young People
Information Organized by Social Context
- Arts and Activism
- Arts and Community Development
- Arts and Corrections
- Arts and Cultural Democracy
- Arts and Education
- Arts and the Environment
- Arts and Healthcare
- Arts and Spirituality
Information Organized by Field Application
- Community Arts Criticism and Theory
- Community Arts History
- Organizations, Resources, Funding
- Public and Cultural Policy
- Working Methods: Skills and Best Practices
Custom Essay Collections
- Bridge Conversations: People Who Live and Work in Multiple Worlds – conversations commissioned by the Center for Civic Participation’s Arts & Democracy Project and the Community Arts Network
- Community Arts 101 – Writings intended to give you a introduction to and overview of various areas of community-based arts practice
- CANuniversity – Writings and resources of particular interest to people involved in community arts training
- The ROOTS Reader – selection of writing from and about the membership of Alternate ROOTS (Regional Organization of Theaters/Artists South)
Custom Link Collections
- Studies and Statistics – statistical studies pertinent to the field of community arts
- Cross-Sector Resources – links to organizations that are based outside the arts, but have developed resources and strategies that can be useful or instructive in community-based arts practice
Special Projects
- Community Arts Perspectives – A periodic online publication of the Community Arts Convening and Research Project.
- Bridge Conversations – 18 Conversations with People Who Live and Work in Multiple Worlds
- Making Exact Change – How U.S. arts-based programs have made a significant and sustained impact on their communities – A Report from the Community Arts Network
- The CAN Report – The State of the Field of Community Cultural Development: Something New Emerges – A Report from the Community Arts Network Gathering, May 2004
- The Citizen Artist – 20 Years of Art in the Public Arena: An Anthology from High Performance Magazine 1978-1998
- Performing Communities – The Grassroots Ensemble Theater Research Project: An inquiry into ensemble theater deeply rooted in eight U.S. communities
- Everybody Say Hallelujah: Commentary on the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange community performance initiative, 1998-2002
- Connecting Californians – Finding the Art of Community Change: An inquiry into the role of story in strengthening community
- Spirit of the Northwest: Claiming Community Identity 1998-2000
Directories
- Places to Study – a growing guide to available training in the field of community arts
- Syllabi in Community-based Arts – syllabi for some of the courses taught recently in the U.S. and beyond
- CAN Blognet – Blogs from around the network.
Online Forums
General Information