Beginning in 1997, when we conducted our first Institute amongst 15 fighting congregations in a dysfunctional and earthquake ravaged community in Costa Rica, we have consistently seen what can happen when artists with the training and passion for service engage their art as a vehicle for transformation. Though often difficult to document in quantitative terms, there is evidence of our impact at home here in Philadelphia and around the world in some very challenging places. First a few of my favorite quotes. Continue reading →

My recommendation is to find an effective organization, one that is doing good work, one you are passionate about and join it. Help make it better and stronger by contributing hard work with a listening and learning attitude.

Maybe I can set this in context.  2009 was a pivotal year for BuildaBridge.  Due to the economic crisis, and a rethinking of our strategy,  we laid off 3 employees and downsized our office.  We were forced, more immediately, to evaluate (even though we do a lot of assessment) the effectiveness of our programming, the needs for our services, and the primary goal of our work.  In 1997, when we began BuildaBridge there were very few organizations that provided the kind of training and services we were providing.  This led us to do our research project in 2002 which covered 61 artists of faith in 16 US cities.  Today, arts for education, healing, social services and development is much more common, along with training at the workshop, certificate and graduate levels. Continue reading →