Creative Community Initiative

The Bascom is committed to providing high-quality arts programming that is both accessible and affordable to our community. The Creative Community Initiative embraces accessibility as a key strategy for contributing to the wellbeing of individuals and our collective community. Current research supports the idea that artistic experiences have impacts on the health of individuals (physical, emotional, social, and cognitive). In addition, its presence in the lives of young people enhances their ability to learn and focus, as well as develop creative capacities needed in the 21st century workforce. Whether someone visits our campus for personal, academic, or professional reasons, our goal is to serve people of all ages, races, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds with opportunities to engage in the arts in ways that enhance their lives holistically.

The Creative Community Initiative offers a range of programming, including rotating free admission exhibitions, community partnership programs, artist/curator talks, clubs, and a scholarship program that widens access for all to our annual workshop series. The Initiative serves 3,000 participants annually, including about 1,500 school-aged youth who participate in age-appropriate, arts-integrated academic activities. Through all of these programs, we seek to provide a creative approach to learning that removes access barriers, enhances community and social connections, and improves engagement with both in-school learning and opportunities for life-long learning.