The term social justice is commonly referenced as the objective of creating a fair and equal society, with equitable distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges, where individual rights are recognized and protected, and decisions are made in ways that are fair and honest. To realize the principles of social justice in and through arts and cultural education, consider focusing your work in one of the following areas: access and participation, board development, teacher recruitment, and curriculum development.

A key component of any social change effort is in the engagement and participation of stakeholders. Regardless of the size, stakes, and subject matter of advocacy campaigns, outcomes depend in great part on the engagement of those individuals and groups who care deeply about the issue. Stakeholder engagement describes a process of accountability. How are stakeholders informed and empowered? Stakeholder participation is a metric that is used to look at advocacy effectiveness. Who is engaged and what are the outcomes? In this seventh article in the series, the author examines what it means to take action in advocacy for arts and cultural education.

In this sixth article in the series Case-making and Systems Change in Arts and Cultural Education, we explore elements that are foundational to changemaking coalitions. The article describes some shared characteristics of collective impact projects and coalition building as well as how they differ. It describes the strategic and structural elements that enable effective coalitions. Coalition building requires advocates to work continuously to align a vision of the ideal with the reality of the everyday. The iterative work of coalitions means continuous improvising, evolving, and a commitment to authentic collaboration.

The fifth article in the series Case-making and Systems Change in Arts and Cultural Education, expands on the theme of Advocacy for the Sector, describing how history has shaped the system of arts education, with a review of the components of our current system. The model acknowledges that we see the larger system and work within a local context, balance organizational structure and flexibility, link communications strategies to goals, build adaptive processes that encourage engagement, understand the dynamics of systems change, and acknowledge progress at all levels. The author proposes new vocabulary to establish Creative Learning at the core of the model, with three sectors (policy, leadership, and philanthropy) that compose the Centers of Influence. The Centers of Influence work to support Creative Learning through various Areas of Impact and Drivers of Change.

'Strategic communications' is a term describing an intentional and targeted messaging plan that is linked to overarching goals. The article places strategic communications in the context of arts and cultural education. It describes a framework for creating communications plans, guiding questions for engaging in different types of communications, a glossary of terms, and provides examples of effective strategic communications tactics used in campaigns to advance arts and cultural education. The fourth article in the series, the ideas inform advocacy of self, field, sector, and justice and are most enhanced when applied both to the individual and the collectives assembled to advance arts and cultural education.

This article explores the meaning of perspective in making the case for the arts and arts education. It underscores the importance of advocacy that sees the larger system while working within a local context. Three perspectives are described which are most often represented in arts, culture, and arts education advocacy: “practitioner advocate,” “field-builder advocate,” and “policy advocate.” Each group has its constituents, ranging from teachers to corporate citizens to national advocacy coalitions. Effective advocacy is accomplished by understanding first where you are, then embracing perspectives beyond your own. Using the metaphor of being in the balcony or on the dance floor to describe the vantage points of different perspectives, the article makes the point that it is time for casemakers and systems-changers to combine their perspectives to drive the changes they wish to see in the creative education of our youth. The article concludes with four recommended strategies and guiding questions for connecting multiple points of view, enabling everyone’s ability to see the bigger picture while acting locally: Enhance your perspective; own your expertise; embrace learning; and commit to action.

A central component to case-making and systems change is personal advocacy, driven by the individual. How we translate our personal beliefs and biases into tactics for advocacy is an essential skill for all practitioners. This article shares four tactics to guide practitioners through this process, including storytelling, social media use, word choice, and relationship forming. Within each, guiding questions are formed through three lenses focused on communications strategies, the dynamics of systems change, and acknowledging progress. It concludes with a call to action about the professional responsibility of arts and cultural education practitioners to become effective advocates to make the case and affect systems change.

Introduction to Case-making and Systems Change in Arts & Cultural Education is an overview of a collaborative project between Creative Generation and ElevateArtsEd undertaken to better understand how practitioners - such as artists, educators, community leaders, and more - can make the case for and also advocate through arts and culture to drive systemic change and address complex challenges. The project seeks to expand the knowledge base of case-making and systems change in the field of arts and cultural education and provide resources to support effective actions for practitioners and young creatives. Investigating both the theory and the practice of case-making, the introductory article draws on research from three distinct sectors: cultural, education, and social justice. The approach represents both the science of advocacy - building blocks for understanding what effective advocacy looks like - and the art of advocacy with calls for improvisation, adaptability, and generative thinking, all characteristics of art making. The article describes six key learning themes and an expanded model for advocacy focused on self, field, and sector through an overarching lens of social justice.