BRUSHWOOD CENTER AT RYERSON WOODS

As an arts and cultural center in a 565-acre nature oasis, Brushwood Center is the only organization in the greater Chicago region whose mission leverages the power of the arts and nature for human and ecological wellbeing. Brushwood Center offers world-class programming with more than 250 artists each year to deepen the public’s connection with the environment and support the health of both people and the planet. Brushwood Center collaborates closely with community partners to offer art and nature programs with youth, families, Military Veterans, seniors, artists, and area residents. Our program strategy is rooted in the asset-based community engagement model, which is a bottom-up way of working with communities that focuses on community strengths and assets rather than on deficits and problems. Specifically, Brushwood Center prioritizes:

- Building authentic, long-term relationships with community-based organizations and partners;

- Collaborating with community assets to develop mutually beneficial programs and contributing resources where needed to advance the health of people and the planet; and

- Combatting settler colonial legacies and false narratives, such as white saviorism, through cultural and artistic platforms.