Our mission

Artist for Literacy's mission is to influence community, public and private sector support for literacy, and to enrich the lives of reading challenged youth and adults by responding to the need for dynamic and innovative learning tools that foster literary and artistic appreciation, critical thinking, increased confidence, curiosity, and life-long learning.

Artists for Literacy engages artists in the issue of literacy and channels their contributions into effective tools for teachers and students.

Our core beliefs

  • art inspired by literature has the power to transcend boundaries of class, race, culture, and age, and to inspire life-long learning
  • literacy is an urgent social justice concern
  • an individual's literacy competency is directly linked to his/her economic achievement and participation in the political process and civic life
  • all individuals have the right and capacity to access and enjoy literature
  • all individuals can benefit from learning tools and materials that promote meaningful exchange and dialogue, and that accommodate varied learning styles
  • our work should be informed by and compliment our partnerships with learners, educators, families, and practitioners.

Our broad strategies

  • engaging artists and musicians in supporting literacy through contributions of content to our multimedia learning tools
  • incorporating research-based educational methodology from project-based learning, popular education, and a thinking curriculum — all proven to be effective in promoting life-long learning, inquiry, problem solving, and other higher-order thinking
  • involving learners in the design, production, and evaluation of learning tools
  • building partnerships and alliances with practitioners in the literacy, education, and research fields
  • maintaining an active presence in the media to raise awareness and support for literacy efforts nationwide
  • producing high quality CDs/DVDs that feature songs inspired by literature to raise funds and support for our education and outreach component
  • creating accessible, innovative arts-and music-based learning tools which enable learners to participate more fully and to experience themselves as intellectually and socially engaged