In a divided time, art helps us see what words can’t. Art of Repair invites anyone to nominate art and creative works — visual, musical, or poetic — that depict a polarized society, a depolarized society, or the lived space in between. Accepted works will anchor online small-group salons where participants reflect together on division, repair, and what it takes to carry us across the divide.
What's Worth Protecting is a participatory series that uses art, dialogue, and shared reflection as a starting point for public reflection. We aim to understand how we got so polarized and how we can reate a depolarized society with more mutuality and connectedness.
People nominate artwork that speaks to them, then join others in small-group discussions and online sharing to explore what connection means — and what we might rediscover together.
That posture tends to lead to defensiveness or aggression — people focus on who the enemy is, rather than what they value. By contrast, when we ask “What is worth protecting?” — and especially when we frame it emotionally, like a couples therapist might — we shift people into a mindset of attachment and often, loss or grief.
Those are expressions of loss, or fear of loss — not just fear of attack. Instead of blaming, the person is revealing what they care about. That kind of disclosure builds trust — and makes meaningful dialogue more possible.
So the prompt “What is worth protecting?” can allow for both: Hope (we can still preserve this), and Grief (we may already be losing it).
Each art submission or small group conversation becomes a mirror — not of someone’s opinion, but of what they care about. And once you see that someone’s anger or defensiveness comes from love or grief, it’s harder to dismiss them outright. This is where Depolarization Institute can really shine: by pairing art and conversation to reveal that we’re often grieving the same things — even if we blame different causes.
Participate
Anyone can nominate a visual or narrative work of art via a short form on the With Community site. Submissions must be viewable online. Each nominated piece is featured in a public Art Collection on the Depolarization Institute website. Artists are encouraged to self-nominate.
Once nominations begin, we’ll host small-group Zoom salons where participants can explore:
Rather than traditional voting, we’ll invite participants to engage, reflect, and lift up the pieces that resonate most—through conversation, sharing, and social signals. We’ll review insights from the salon conversations, social sharing, and written reflections to select featured pieces.
This kind of response allows us to track not just popularity, but meaningful engagement. Selections will be based on:
Cash and in-kind prizes will be awarded.