Maximizing use of Poetry and Art in Public Spaces for Promoting Language Development

Abstract

Over time, graffiti has inspired art and poetry exhibits by marginalized youth, once excluded by elite museums, now is surging in popularity, and being curated in public spaces at airports, subways, parks, street corners, and even construction sites. This paper highlights Hope at Hand, Inc., an established North Florida nonprofit provider that uses therapeutic art and poetry exhibitions in public spaces to help incarcerated youth recognize and overcome circumstances that limit their successful participation in society. Also, the paper reviews similar international art exhibitions that re-envision the ways museums can decolonize and support more community engagement and inclusive language learning. The lessons learned will demonstrate the ways in which exhibiting poetry and visual art can engage youth and create spaces for promoting cultural awareness. This holistic intervention framework integrates poetry, museum best practices and the arts for bridging and empowering lives. It fills a critical void in knowledge and practice between the arts, museum studies, public health, and citizenship, by considering place-based research in creating a more kind and inclusive society with the arts.