Compas, Inc.

COMPAS – stands for Community Programs in the Arts – gets professional artists into communities to lead people in being creative and teach them how to make lots of different kinds of art. It’s an organization about helping people and communities to use their creativity in a new way – or to rediscover that they can be creative – and all the benefits that come from that.

For example, our artists work with school children, hospital patients, seniors in nursing homes, kids at libraries, people at festivals, that sort of thing, and get them involved in writing or creating a performance of some sort or learning about and making music or all sorts of visual arts. They are really fantastic programs.

Why are COMPAS programs important?
COMPAS programs involve a professional artist going into a community and involving people in art making. This is opposed to people going to a venue and observing art made by others. By participating in art-making, students learn skills they need to be good employees and citizens in the 21st century: creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem solving, communication and collaboration. Older adults find new meaning, new skills and enriched relationships. Communities find a way to come together to share experiences, process difficult situations and/or meet each other. (These are just a few benefits of art making.)

COMPAS also runs a workplace giving campaign where it collects donations that are then distributed to smaller organizations working with the arts around Minnesota. Visit the United Arts Fund project page here to learn more.

To learn more about COMPAS, please visit our website at www.compas.org