The Empowered Creatives Project
Creative voice as a universal right
Empowered Creatives is a community-rooted project founded on the belief that everyone is innately creative. With the aim of unleashing the creativity within our communities, we are reimagining what collective artistic expression can look like by developing accessible and personalized programming that explores a variety of creative pathways.
Creativity Unleashed
Empowered Creatives offers a variety of workshops for all ages, with content including graphic score creation, music fundamentals, found instrument performance, rhythm in movement, and more! Each workshop is designed based on the idea that every person has innate creative, musical, and artistic potential- and as such, no instruments, prior experience, or traditional music education is necessary.
We tailor our workshops to the specific age range to ensure maximum engagement for all participants. However, we also offer workshops that engage participants of all ages. These are ideal for parents and children to attend together, or for organizations with wide age demographics such as religious communities and community centers.
There is a critical lack of access to meaningful arts education. By introducing participants to the fundamentals of music and the arts, we believe we can increase their confidence in their own innate creativity and reduce the perception that there must be a steep learning curve before one can explore artistic expression. It is our hope for every participant to feel empowered to develop their creative voice and share it with the world.
What Participants Are Saying
“This was life-changing”
— Participant in UCAN Chicago Readi Program
“I loved this. I have always wanted to create music… We can all create beautiful music.”
— Participant in “Sarah’s Circle”
“I loved listening to the instruments and I learned that music is even found in artwork. It was a great experience for adults and children alike.”
— Participant in Indianapolis Boardwalk at Westlake Program
“Watching the magic that your spirit and musical gifts unlocked with our participants and staff was a needed uplift -- and I am so grateful! You reminded me of the importance of our work and the role I get to play in it.”
— UCAN Director of External Affairs