Art of Radical Collaboration (ARC) is Hope Community’s art and creative strategy department. ARC is about growing creative networks, skills, and our collective creative capacity to impact positive change. Foundational elements to our work is art and creative strategy, organizing and community building, place-keeping and listening. ARC is home to Power of Vision Mural Project (POV) and Transformational Creative Strategies Training (TRCSTR).

The Power of Vision Community Mural Project (POV) is a project-based community mural program of Hope Community established in 2004. We use mural creation as an avenue for building artistic skill, leadership, and relationships in community. POV serves as a training ground for emerging artists, centering indigenous artists and/or artists of color, to gain experience and be mentored in working with other community members to produce high quality public art. We believe process matters as much as the final mural. This process includes community engagement and listening, identifying foremost themes and ideas, collective design, community feedback, and community participation in mural creation.

Follow us on Instagram: @power_of_vision_mural_project
Email us at: pov@hope-community.org
Read our blog on the 2019 Mural on the Ave Project.

What: TRCSTR is a cohort training program for community and public artists established in 2020. Artists are supported through individual and collective mentorship from facilitators and advisors. Cohort sessions offer hands-on learning and facilitated activities and conversations that build skills, explore questions, and creative strategies. Artists are encouraged to develop and be guided by their own learning goals and participate in a collective process to create public projects shared at the program completion.

Why: Artists and cultural organizers are continually finding ways to remind, activate, and connect us; ways to decolonize, build collective power, interrupt the toxic stories that oppress and silence. It can be challenging to navigate public art in ways that uplift and support communities and ourselves. TRCSTR brings together organizing principles, healing approaches, and art. The training is intended to strengthen our collective capacity for embodying our principles through artistic work, creatively and collectively moving toward the world we believe is possible.

Approach: We take a breath, share a meal, lean into connection. We explore cultural and creative strategies that prioritize relationship, healing, curiosity, identity, and process. TRCSTR is led by organizers and artists who share their own challenges, lessons, and tools, and hold space for co-creation and skills and idea-sharing among participants. In addition to biweekly cohort sessions, our monthly TRCSTR Circles bring together cohort with the experienced TRCSTR advisory to connect across generations, as well as facilitate 1:1 mentorship. Acknowledging that artists are often under resourced and competing for funds and opportunities, TRCSTR is designed to support our ability to dream and create together.

Who: Artists of any medium(s) who want to deepen skills and impact in community and public art, build and strengthen relationships with other artists, and desire personal growth through a facilitated process. Artists 18 years and older. Artists of all abilities. LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC especially encouraged to apply.

How to apply:
Applications generally are open in March and April for training dates from June through September.

Apply for TRCSTR using the button below:

2023
Leadership Team: Olivia Levins Holden, Samie Johnson, Keila Anali Saucedo, Witt Siasoco
Advisors: Juanita Espinosa, Candida Gonzalez, Amoke Kubat, Jessica Lopez Lyman, Marcela Michelle, Chaka Mkali, Rupa Shenoy-Thadhani, Diver Van Avery
Cohort: Racquel Banaszak, Lu Chen, Maya Gillard, Hannah Hayes, Gawolo Kpissay, Shaista Langari, Boo McCaleb, Atim Opoka

2022
Leadership Team: Olivia Levins Holden, Samie Johnson, Keila Anali Saucedo, Witt Siasoco
Advisors: Lelis Brito, Juanita Espinosa, Candida Gonzalez, Chaka Mkali, Kat Purcell, Jayanthi Rajasa, Thomasina TopBear, Diver Van Avery
Cohort: Drew Arrieta, Nancy Hicks, Denise Huynh, Trista McGovern, Marcela Michelle, Gayatri Narayanan, Nouf Saleh, Alexis Wall

2021
Leadership Team: Olivia Levins Holden, Samie Johnson, Crystal Price, Keila Anali Saucedo, Witt Siasoco
Advisors: Lisa Marie Brimmer, Amoke Kubat, Ricardo Levins Morales, Marlena Miles, Chaka Mkali, Kat Purcell, Jayanthi Rajasa, Sun Yung Shin, Rory Wakemup, Missy Whiteman
Cohort: Alexandra Beaumont, Asher Edes, Candida Gonzalez, Anika Hsiung Scheider, Anju Madhok, Ellis Perez, Connor Rice, Chitra Vairavan, Caspian Wirth-Petrik, Wisdom Young

2020
Leadership Team: Olivia Levins Holden, Samie Johnson, Lisa Marie Brimmer, Camila Leiva, Crystal Price
Advisors: Janice Bad Moccassin, Gordon Coons, Mike Hoyt, Magdalena Kaluza, Katrina Knutson, Amoke Kubat, Ricardo Levins Morales, Juliette Myers, Nell Pierce, Simone Rendon, Claudia Valentino, Mattie Weiss, Chamindika Wanduragala
Cohort: Luisa Armendariz, Leslie Barlow, Stayci Bell, Destiny Bilges, Sophea EK, Rowan Emmanuel, Serena Hodges, Kat Purcell, Ryan Stopera, Emily Strasser, Frank Yellow, (Panje, Fernanda, Nasha)

Photo Credits:
Photos 1-3 by Bruce Silcox
Photo 4 by Satya Varghese Mac