Cultural Institutions and the Arts
- Lorraine GutiérrezLorraine GutiérrezProfessor Lorraine Gutierrez has a joint appointment with the School of Social Work and Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan and is a faculty associate in American Culture. She is also a member of the SSW Community Organization Learning Community. Her teaching and scholarship focus on multicultural and community organization practice and methods for multicultural education in higher education. She brings to her work community-based practice and research in multiethnic communities in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Detroit, and Seattle. Current projects include identifying methods for multicultural community-based research and practice, multicultural education for social work practice, and identifying effective methods for learning about social justice. She has published over 50 articles, chapters, or books on topics such as empowerment, multicultural practice, and women of color. Her contributions to undergraduate education have been recognized by the Arthur F. Thurnau Professorship. She is currently an editor of the Journal of Community Practice.
- and Mark CreekmoreMark CreekmoreUniversity of Michigan
Summary
The arts and cultural institutions can be powerful resources for promoting the development of individuals and communities. Social work agencies and cultural institutions share similar goals at the individual and community levels, such as personal improvement, the creation of social bonds, expression of communal meaning, and economic growth. Studies on the use of arts in social work practice suggest that they can be powerful tools for intervention. These collaborations were essential to practice in the social settlements and in economic policies of the New Deal. Social work practice into the future can build upon this historical engagement.
