named programs · 6 · from sources
What they call their work
Community Mural Projects
Collaborative painting initiatives led by local teaching artists that enable youth and communities to co-create public art reflecting healing, identity, and belonging.
Foundstrument Soundstrument Program
Creates musical sculptures from repurposed materials, allowing participants to engage in sound-based art and performance as part of community healing.
Public Health and Rights Advocacy Through Art
Participants create public art addressing issues such as gender-based violence, nutrition, and human rights to educate and mobilize their communities.
Skill Building and Entrepreneurship
Workshops in ceramics, candle-making, artisanal chocolate, digital design, and marketing that equip participants with income-generating creative skills.
Tech-Based Creative Projects
Digital arts initiatives teaching animation, digital design, and cross-border collaboration through creative technology platforms.
Theater and Dance Workshops
Performance-based programs where participants develop original stories and use movement and theater to express hopes, dreams, and lived experiences.
activities · 9 groups
What they do
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Community-Engaged Public Art Projects 2 activities
- Community-based public art projectsCreates large-scale murals, performances, and digital stories through collaborative visioning and co-creation with youth and communities affected by conflict, trauma, and displacement. Projects integrate personal artworks into unified designs and have been implemented in locations including New York City, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Colombia, Bangladesh, and Jordan.
- Interactive musical sculpture creationProduces musical sculptures from repurposed materials as part of select community mural projects, integrating sound and art through the Foundstrument Soundstrument program.
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Community Art Education Workshops 1 activity
- Arts entrepreneurship and livelihood trainingOffers skill-building and entrepreneurship programs in crafts, ceramics, candle-making, and digital design, supporting participants from marginalized communities in marketing their work and launching small businesses.
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Arts Education Access Programs 1 activity
- Colombia-based youth art initiativesRuns multi-year, locally-led art programming across multiple cities in Colombia, including dance, theater, sculpture, photography, and virtual exchange programs connecting youth with peers in Jordan, Uganda, and the US, engaging over 600 youth and completing more than 40 public artworks.
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Creative Arts Therapy Programs 1 activity
- Global community art programming in conflict-affected regionsImplements year-round arts programs for displaced and conflict-affected populations, including Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and Venezuelan and Colombian youth in Cali, Colombia, reaching over 10,000 participants across more than 35 countries.
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Program Evaluation and Impact Research 1 activity
- Monitoring and evaluation of psychosocial impactConducts pre- and post-project surveys to evaluate program impact, including a 2022 study with 543 refugee and host community adolescents in Jordan that measured improvements in psychosocial well-being such as increased frustration management and intercultural acceptance.
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Community Capacity Building & Leadership Networks 1 activity
- Support for grassroots arts organizationsProvides training, mentorship, and funding to community-led arts organizations founded by former participants or local leaders, such as AfroCure in Kibera, to expand public art initiatives in underserved neighborhoods.
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Youth & Emerging Filmmaker Training 1 activity
- Tech-based creative skill-building and global collaborationProvides tech-based workshops in animation and digital art, teaching foundational skills and enabling international peer collaboration through digital platforms.
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Dance Performance and Community Engagement 1 activity
- Theater and dance performance programsOffers theater and dance workshops where participants develop performance skills, create original stories, and perform publicly for families and communities, supporting expression and healing in conflict-affected populations.
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Arts Education Professional Development 1 activity
- Training and certification of community artistsTrains and certifies local teaching artists globally, building local capacity to lead sustainable art initiatives and expanding community-led programming.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$1.25M
Contributions & grants$1.27M101%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$-16K-1%
Other revenue$-1K
expenses
Total expenses$746K
Program expenses77%
Admin / overhead23%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$211K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineProfessional Fees
balance sheet
Total assets$756K
Cash$720K
Investments$8K
Liabilities$88K
Net assets$669K
Liquid reserves11.7 mo
3 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +78.5%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 2
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| JOEL BERGNER | CO-FOUNDER, CEO | 42 | $98K |
| MAX FRIEDER | CO-FOUNDER, CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER | 42 | $98K |
board members · 6
- CLARENCE HAHN — DIRECTOR AS OF 09/2024
- JENNIFER WU-SCHWAB — TREASURER
- KERSTIN HOLST — DIRECTOR AS OF 09/2024
- LAURA E BERK PHD — SECRETARY UNTIL 09/2024
- MICHELE DASTIN-VAN RIJN — BOARD CHAIR
- WAJMA RASUL — DIRECTOR
relationships · 31
Who they work with
- ACLU Partner — Partnered with Artolution to engage immigrant teens in Queens, NY in creating public art.
- AfroCure Partner — Provides training, mentorship, and funding to support AfroCure's community arts center in Kibera.
- Artolución Network — Artolución is an independent, Colombian-led organization that remains a strong member of the global Artolution network.
- BloomBars Partner — Local partner supporting a public art project with vulnerable youth in Washington, DC.
- Boshir Ullah Partner — Rohingya artist participating in Artolution programs and representing the organization's work.
- Castle Arts Academy Partner — Partnership where 10% of proceeds from Lifetime Access Memberships support Artolution’s collaborative art programs globally.
- Center for Court Innovation Partner — Partnered on a community mural project in Harlem
- Comfandi Partner — Partnered with Comfandi, the largest family compensation fund in Colombia, to implement art programming.
- Dean Brooks Partner — Advisory Council member and global expert in education in emergencies, formerly with INEE.
- Dr. Laura Berk Partner — Advisory Council member and former Board member who chaired the Monitoring and Evaluation Sub-Committee.
- Dr. Lena Verdeli Partner — Advisory Council member and director of the Global Mental Health Lab at Columbia University, contributing to mental health integration in crisis-affected communities.
- Dustin Yellin Partner — Global Ambassador, artist, and founder of Pioneer Works, a multidisciplinary cultural center in Brooklyn.
- Education Alliance Partner — Supported the creation of an augmented reality mural by Central American youth in the East Village of New York City.
- Flora Ayakaka Partner — Ugandan teaching artist collaborating with Artolution to deliver art programs.
- Global Citizen Partner — Partnered with Artolution on a film documenting art programs with Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
- Harlem Children's Zone Partner — Collaborated on a community mural project in Harlem involving local youth
- Harlem Children’s Zone Partner — Community partner in a ground mural project led by Joel Bergner in Harlem during summer 2022.
- Jennivee Fiorese Partner — Advisory Council member and founder of Music Dreamers Foundation, supporting creative arts education.
- Joseph Fowler Partner — Advisory Council member and Head of Arts and Culture at the World Economic Forum.
- KIND (Kids in Need of Defense) Partner — Supported the creation of an augmented reality mural by Central American youth in the East Village of New York City.
- Madaluxe Partner — Supported a mural project with children affected by gang violence and incarceration in Watts, Los Angeles.
- Mayor's Action Plan Partner — Partnered on a community mural project in Harlem
- Neighborhood STAT Partner — Partnered on a community mural project in Harlem
- Neighborhood Safety Initiative Partner — Partnered on a community mural project in Harlem
- Paul Hastings Partner — Law firm providing support for a public art project in Washington, DC.
- Steven Corliss Partner — Advisory Council member and senior humanitarian leader with extensive experience at UNHCR.
- The Avenues Concept Partner — Partnered to create a large-scale mural with youth in Providence, Rhode Island.
- UNHCR Partner — Collaborated on a 2023 project in Kampala, Uganda with youth affected by displacement.
- United Nations Partner — Collaborated on World Water Day 2022 to raise awareness about groundwater access in refugee settlements.
- Vik Muniz Partner — Global Ambassador and artist whose work is held in major international museum collections.
+ 1 more
strategies · 3
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Evidence-Based Participatory Public Artmethodology: evidence-based modelBy using participatory public art informed by developmental psychology and evidence-based design, we address trauma and build mental well-being because structured creative engagement supports emotional processing and collective recovery in conflict-affected communities.
- Intergroup Contact Through Collaborative Artmethodology: intergroup-contact-theoryBy engaging youth from divided communities in structured, collaborative art-making activities, we foster inter-group cooperation and reduce social tensions because shared creative experiences create conditions for positive contact and mutual understanding.
- Youth and Community-Led Creative Empowermentmethodology: community-led_artBy placing creative leadership in the hands of local artists and youth—especially those from vulnerable or conflict-affected populations—we increase relevance, trust, and psychological resilience because locally led processes ensure cultural grounding and ownership of healing and expression.