Philosophy

HeARTWork Collective is a consulting entity, officially formed in spring of 2016. Tina LaPadula and Daemond Arrindell began facilitating racial equity and social justice workshops as a team in 2014, as representatives of Arts Corps, working with schools, community partners and arts & cultural organizations around Seattle. As demand for the trainings and our distinctive presentation style has grown, the creation of HeArtWork Collective has been a natural progression.

We come to the work of social justice from a unique perspective and approach, bringing our creativity, teaching artistry and community development work into play. We feel that the complex framework of our country's systematic inequities require nuanced tactics to interrupt them effectively.  Our namesake illustrates the concepts we stand by: HEART because radical love is the only way – it is a conscious choice and investment in each person we work with for the betterment of our communities; ART because reimagining takes creativity – this work requires critical thinking and envisioning possibilities different than those laid out for us; WORK because the journey takes commitment and perseverance – none of this can be done overnight or in one workshop but we are in this for the long haul; COLLECTIVE because we’re stronger together - we believe in learning from one another and using our collective wisdom as a tool for the empowerment of us all.

As culturally responsive teaching artists, we constantly re-address the needs within our classroom communities to create and maintain safer spaces for our students to show up in all their identities. These experiences have made us exceptional collaborators, and we bring these same skills and principles to our social justice work. Through active listening, we excel at holding the container of our partners’ organizational structure, allowing us to see objectively and support their goals. We understand that every program and organization has its own culture and history that informs the work they do. This requires us to show up with both adaptability and flexibility to effectively address their needs and guide them to success. We use organizational assessment and development tools we continue to tweak as we continue to grow ourselves.

As facilitators we strive to build shared language and frameworks, to ensure understanding on all levels of the organization, that can be utilized and built upon in workplaces. We like to incite radical imaginations, reflection, risk taking, problem solving and higher levels of engagement and investment from staff and boards. We bring our creative selves to these conversations to inspire the creative capacities of all we work with, and to instill a growth mentality, recognizing that struggle is a vital part of learning and a sure sign that we are growing. We challenge partners and participants to step outside their comfort zones, and remind our collaborators that inaction is just as much a choice as action.

We, the HeArtWork Collective, consider ourselves to be lifelong learners, and do not ask anything of our partners and allies that we do not practice ourselves. We are committed to the long haul. We would love to move forward together, seeking greater justice and truth, striving to live in accountability to ourselves and our community.