This blog was originally posted at The League of Creative Interventionists, which is supported by Knight Foundation. 

The branches bent up to the sky, aching to dream, or escape the arid desert. I was nine years old on a road trip with my family, teetering on the edge of the Grand Canyon, staring at a short windswept tree, barren of leaves, and existing begrudgingly near the edge of a cliff. I grabbed the camera from the car, lined up the tree in the center of the frame, and clicked. At just nine, I loved to capture what was around me with photography. I had no idea where art would take me.

Three years ago, my path brought me to the stark realization that art can do more than capture. Art can enrapture. Art can be more than something to look at. Art can breathe. Art can move people to create change. I began to practice art that addressed the challenges of people and cities. I began using art to reimagine the social and physical landscapes of our urban areas. I worked with communities to co-create participatory installations, to share and listen to stories, and to play. Quickly recognizing the energy and passion for this movement, I formed the League of Creative Interventionists. The League was a name and an idea to rally around. Energy to capture and then multiply in communities all around the world.

Macon, Georgia League chapter painting murals on storefronts after a fire. Photo by Georgia Public Broadcasting.

What began as an idea now has chapters in six cities in the US and abroad. People just like you who are seeking revolution, inviting a more vibrant and equitable world. As people stepped up and began chapters in their cities, others swiftly came along to join in. After a fire damaged multiple downtown storefronts in Macon, Georgia, League members pulled together to paint beautiful murals on the boarded up storefront windows, promoting the businesses and displaying the power of art to provide resilience. The Akron, Ohio chapter created a large site-specific and interactive art installation that activated a vacant lot. And in Cologne, Germany, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Detroit, League chapters continually activated public spaces with unique ways for strangers to interact with each other. In every city, chapters found ways to partner with other organizations, using art as a tool for change and supporting a culture of creativity. 

As the League evolved, I realized art allows us to connect in deep and meaningful ways with ourselves and others. The creativity that we seek to explore and activate is within each of us. It is when we dare to express ourselves fully. It is when we are brave enough to share our hopes, fears and dreams with each other. It is when we create powerful experiences  with our friends and with strangers we have never met. When we open our hearts to this, we set a precedent for ourselves and those around us to shape their lives and their communities. To be filled with compassion. To choose love over fear. To choose connection over isolation. One voice becomes five becomes five hundred. One action becomes many. We create a movement. 

We are dedicated to creating this movement, to boldly reimagining our world with you. In fact, we refuse to do it without you.  You are a unique expression of art that the world is craving. You are never alone in the gallery of life. You are the creative intervention that we seek.  We present this manifesto as a pledge to ignite love, compassion and positive change together, wherever you live. We invite you to read it, yell it as loud as you can, sing it to the trees. Share it with your friends. Click “Join The Movement” and let’s create the world we want to live in. We are so excited to have you along on this journey. We are just getting started. Join us.