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COMMONS MAGAZINE

Arts and Culture

Arts and Culture highlights creative work in all mediums and disciplines with a special emphasis on artists, writers, performers, and collectives who blur the lines between art-making, personal activism, and community involvement. As they employ new artistic strategies, contemporary creatives continue to expand the role of arts and culture in public life. This section will feature intriguing and often ground-breaking work and explore how it might illuminate the challenges and opportunities we face as we move toward a commons-based world.

December 2, 2012

Nothing Says Native American Better Than White Girls in Headdresses

A young Santee Sioux woman looks at how Native identity is reflected in pop culture
December 1, 2012

What Can Artists Do to Create Social Change?

Filmmaker Rick Prelinger on the limits of short-term action
October 26, 2012

My Common Education: Lessons From Open Field

A Minneapolis Art Museum opens its grounds to community creativity
September 29, 2012

5 Ways to Save the Commons on Your Campus

It starts with thinking of yourself as a commoner
September 25, 2012

We're the NFL. We Don't Have to Care

Here's what's really happening in the football referees lockout
September 17, 2012

The Times They're a Changing. Or Are They?

31 states outlaw gay marriage. But this election offers four opportunities to stop bans.
August 19, 2012

A 150-Year Experiment: Colleges That Serve Everyone

Land-grant schools make a natural ally for the commons movement
August 7, 2012

After 20 Years, Charter Schools Stray From Their Original Mission

Instead of laboratories to improve all schools, many are now for-profit enterprises with poor report cards