Exploring the Contributions of Arts and Culture to Peace

Peacebuilding and the Arts is a program of the Samuels Center for Community Partnerships and Civic Transformation (COMPACT) at Brandeis University.

The program focuses on the distinctive contributions of culture and the arts to the transformation of conflict. We collaborate with several departments and programs at Brandeis, including MusicUnitesUS, Peace, Conflict and Coexistence Studies (PAX), the Division of Creative Arts, and Brandeis Arts Engagement.

We collaborate with artists and organizations that work in divided communities, supporting them to reflect on, document, and strengthen their practice. The lessons from these collaborations are accessible through publications, trainings, courses, and our virtual resource center. Read more about why we need creative approaches to peacebuilding. Check out the Invite | Affirm | Evoke | Unleash: How artistic and cultural processes transform complex challenges report.

Current Projects

Housed at the Program in Peacebuilding and the Arts between 2017-2022, IMPACT launched as an independent global non-profit committed to the mission of advocating for the field of arts, culture and conflict transformation.

The Work of Jane Wilburn Sapp

Documentation of the work of Jane Wilburn Sapp — a powerful and highly regarded performer, songwriter, recording artist and educator who engages with disenfranchised urban and rural communities in the United States and around the world.