Theater, Performance, and Community Cultural Development for Human Thriving

This chapter explores the intersection of an ambitious community-engaged arts and design program at Arizona State University (ASU) with a socio-ecological public health model positioning arts and design as essential components of a healthy and democratic society. ASU’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts is the largest comprehensive arts and design school in the United States, with approximately six thousand students. The chapter reflects on the process of creating a curricular requirement which provides students with a deep experience in community-engaged arts or design along with a curriculum focusing on cultural competency, democratic processes, reflective practice and community cultural development.