IMAN Arts & Culture Philosophy
Dynamic presentation and expression of the arts have been integral to IMAN’s work of organizing for social change and fostering health, wellness and healing in the inner city since our inception. Through multicultural Arts Presenting, collaborative Community Arts programming and a dynamic Artist Roster, IMAN Arts & Culture provides vibrant, unique forums that facilitate radically reimagining the world as it could be, connect disconnected communities, and nurture individual and communal transformative healing. Our work is guided by a philosophy grounded in three core values to be Spiritually Rooted, Spatially Relevant and Socially Conscious in the presentation of artistic expression and engagement with communities.
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IMAN’s arts and organizing model is both rooted in spiritual tradition and broadly informed by past and present social movements and struggles for equality. IMAN Artist Roster features artists from across faith traditions who are intentional about working from principles of compassion, service and justice.
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IMAN’s arts programming honors spaces activated with historical legacies and cultural significance as sites where artistic expression can build bridges between disconnected communities. We are committed to supporting, investing, and partnering with the communities we engage by offering accessible, relevant artistic events. Artists on our Roster value the specificity of place and community engagement as essential to their creative practice.
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IMAN is deeply invested in the arts as a social practice to enhance cultural and civic awareness, to cultivate leadership and to challenge the social issues and structural/systemic injustices impeding a dignified quality of life for all people. IMAN Artist Roster supports artists who are committed to making work in, with, by, for and about their communities to build power, and with those whose cultural work strives for social justice.
Roster Guidelines | IMAN’s Network & Radar | Frequently Asked Questions