“The Founding Fathers of the United States of American understood that co-existence is an ongoing challenge, and that life is a work of art — perhaps the most important work of art we will ever engage in.” — Ann Moradian
Project Overview
On July 4th 1776, the Founding Fathers of the U.S. unanimously declared independence — not from everyone and everything, but specifically from the tyranny of a despotic King. At the very same time, they pledged to one another in community, their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor — in spite of differences and powerful disagreements. The Declaration frames “independence” as a collective act bound by mutual obligation, not a call for rugged isolation.
Our forefathers did their best to create a governing Constitution that would withstand human foibles over time. But they also understood that this newly formed democratic republic was an ongoing process of participation, conversation and compromise.
Artists’ work plays a vital role in such public conversations by shedding light in dark and forgotten places, sharing new perspectives and inspiring new possibilities.
We invite U.S. artists of all ages, working across all disciplines to find inspiration in Our Declaration, to ponder the challenges of co-existence today, and to explore our democratic republic as a living and evolving practice. Hosting artwork through our Gallery, sharing links to creators’ work, websites or events, we aim to build a network of voices and visions for a world we want to live in together. Please join us!
Share your perspectives through your art — music, song, theatre, dance, poetry, stories, visual art, film, immersive experiences, site specific, environmental or participatory works, as well as new forms that don’t fit into pre-existing categories. All ages and media are welcome.
These can be single works, a series, live events, collaborations or community gatherings. Let your imagination guide you. We will link to these works within this online space to amplify our voices and visions, and to increase visibility, reach and impact.
Gallery
Our Declaration 2026: Democracy in Motion…
Online Event
An interdisciplinary gathering exploring how participatory art reshapes civic imagination and civic spaces, inviting audiences to reflect, debate, and contribute to our shared world as a collaborative practice.
Your Artwork / Event / Weblink Here…
Location
With your description and image here.
Participate
PLEASE JOIN US!
In 1776, our forefathers claimed freedom from tyranny and declared the right to self-governance – not by standing alone, but by standing together. Two hundred and fifty years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, we inhabit a world shaped by extraordinary interconnection and shared consequence. Our economies, ecologies, technologies, and communities are entwined in ways the founders could scarcely have imagined.
Our Declaration 2026 invites U.S. artists and creative thinkers to explore the dynamic tension between independence and interdependence, and the ongoing processes of participation that make democracy possible.
In an era shaped by rapid growth, technological acceleration, and shifting moral frameworks, let your imagination guide you:
- How do we engage profound differences without dehumanizing one another?
- How do we coexist without resorting to violence? And how might we address the roots of violence itself?
- What new ways of being and living together could foster cooperation and coordination rather than competition and coercion?
- How do we balance differing needs, beliefs, and values within the context of a shared and finite world?
- What conversations are necessary so future generations can live together with dignity and mutual respect?
- What is the role of compromise, and how might we move beyond entrenched impasse?
- How do freedom, mutual commitment, and responsibility function in a time of deep interdependence and within ecological limits?
- How do we combine intelligence and wisdom to live well together?
- How can art and creative expression illuminate pathways toward coexistence on a shared Earth?
We welcome work that wrestles with these questions—work that reimagines independence not as isolation, but as a relational practice grounded in shared responsibility and care for a future.
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Our Declaration 2026: Democracy in Motion is a project of Perspectives In Motion.
Democracy in Motion... 