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Realizing that the ability to appreciate literature nurtures critical thinking skills while enriching life, and that reading competency is an essential component of both social justice and civil society, the founders of Artists for Literacy take a holistic approach to literacy education, relying on music and art to encourage active engagement with literature.
To make reading more appealing to adults and youths with difficulties and to demonstrate the ways in which literature provides a shared language that informs other arts, the group has created a database of songs inspired by books, and is working to develop lesson plans for high schools, colleges, and adult education courses that explore the connections between music and literature.
The project also uses works of literature to help students cultivate creativity. In a pilot program for the Ekphrasis project, a group of students four several weeks exploring Octavia Butler’s classic science fiction novel Kindred. Participants wrote songs about the issues addressed in the book, and engaged in a style of creative, collaborative learning that demonstrated the effectiveness of art-based education.
. Historian Shae Davidson's research interests include public policy and the relationship between culture and civil society. His publications range from articles on industrial history to absurdist poetry.
