Why Street Works, and how does it advance MJN’s mission?

Street Work

Oct 23

All ventures supported by MJN are here because they are looking to embody MJN’s values of justice, loving care, and solidarity. Street Works are dedicated to serving these values by working in and serving public spaces. (Click here for our principles.)

MJN was formed because we believe new organizations need be born to fight for a world in which justice is normal — embodied in systems. We started by developing a point of view on what justice meant and what just systems “look like”: anti-bias, pro-Earth, decoupling wealth & power, democratic practice, and circular leadership. These planted our path to design philosophies: how we would work together, distribute funds, and more. (Check out MJN’s Theory of Change.)

Artists in our community founded the Arisen to make justice normal in the cultural asset ecosystem. Street Work is 1 of their experiments. As artist-led public-space galleries, Street Works are sister to the street action and block party. They center co-creation and deep participation in public space, which we believe is one way civic action can become part of our lived wisdom and joy, rather than a concept at arm’s length from our souls.

Street Works design principles

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Co-create

We co-create with audiences and commit to authentically sharing power with audiences as an embodiment of democracy.

Treat relationship as art

We are place-based, see relationship as art, center our “audiences,” — not only self-expression — and center joy as fundamental.

Make for place & public space

We design for and serve public space — like streets, sidewalks, and parks.

Spark inclusive action

We aim to spark hopeful, concrete co-actions that our communities can take to transform frustration, fear, sorrow, confusion, unknowns, or uncertainty into solutions.

Embody

Authenticity, lived experience, whole personhood, and bodiliness.

Blueprint

Artists and organizers — many of us among them — have been working on the street long before this program existed. We’re listening to develop a “blueprint” to open-source structures behind Street Works.

Respect diverse practice

Practitioners of climate solutions are all around us. We need each other, and we need joy, inspiration, and the freedom of imagination to keep going.

Weave ideas

What we eat, how we breathe, how we rest, how we love are all connected to mother Earth. And our conversations around justice, environmentalism, health, climate, wealth, and more can be re-woven with our local, personal priorities and joys.

Beyond an event

With practice, we hope to develop a blueprint to fundraise for, improve, and more efficiently support many Street Works with national and local partners.

At scale, we see dozens of them running in neighborhoods across the country every Earth Day, Climate Week, voting week… and beyond… dedicated to civic solution space meant to meet community priorities.

At scale, we hope to see our public spaces electrified with the energy of people, coming together to replenish one another’s hope and imagine climate and social solutions that match their community challenges. This is one pathway among the many needed to support just systems.

Anjali Deshmukh

Why Street Works, and how does it advance MJN’s mission?

Street Works design principles

Beyond an event

Why and how are we practicing “justice”?

What is the impact of centering artists in collaboration?