Author: Pia Moriarty, Ph.D.

Publication Year:

Media Type: Report

Summary:

Immigrant Participatory Arts examines immigrant communities in Silicon Valley and outlines how they make use of participatory arts as a tool of community cohesion and societal bridging.

Abstract:

"This report is the result of a six-month reconnaissance of the ways in which Silicon Valley immigrants are building community through participatory arts prac- tices. It finds that immigrant participatory arts offer a new community arts para- digm for our mobile world, a vibrant source of social energy, and a ready means of proceeding in the larger task of community-building amidst diversity.

This study identifies key dynamics of immi- grants building community through participatory arts in California’s Silicon Valley, specifically Santa Clara County and parts of Alameda County. Silicon Valley is a loosely-defined rather than governmental term for the southern part of Northern California’s San Francisco Bay Area. Joint Venture’s 2004 Index of Silicon Valley defines Silicon Valley as the 1,500 square mile area—with a population totaling 2.39 million— that encompasses Santa Clara County and parts of San Mateo, Alameda and Santa Cruz Counties. 1 It was named "Silicon" for the high concentration of semiconductor and computer related industry in the area, and "Valley" for the Santa Clara Valley." [p. 8]

Arts & Intersections: Immigration

Categories: Participation, Immigration