No one knows your community better than you. So, whether you want to design a sticker, draw a poster, write a poem, sing a song, or choreograph a dance, Lincoln Center teaching artists will be on hand to help you shape your ideas. Come collaborate on fun and accessible art projects to help reach the people in your lives and share the importance of the census.
Lincoln Center, in partnership with Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and the U.S. Census Bureau, wants to ensure that our communities get their fair share, especially people in historically under-counted groups. These include people of color, immigrants, LGBTQIA people, people experiencing homelessness, people with low incomes, renters, single-parent households, people with limited English proficiency, and children under the age of five.
Why the Census Matters
The Census, a once-a-decade population count, affects your representation in government, and determines how much funding your community receives. When a person isn’t counted, they lose out on about $2,000 every year for TEN YEARS in direct services like SNAP, WIC, hospitals, schools, transportation, and road maintenance.
Agenda (subject to change)
2:00pm–2:30pm Welcome and orientation
2:30pm–5:15pm Work on art projects in groups
5:15pm–6:00pm Final share-out and closing remarks
All ages welcome
Light snacks and refreshments will be provided throughout the event.
We welcome speakers of all languages. Please provide your preferred language during registration and we will make every effort to provide translation
A variety of creative supplies will be provided at the event, but we encourage you to bring any of your own materials to use in your art-making (e.g. instruments, visual art media, laptops with software such as Photoshop, InDesign, GarageBand, etc.
Do you know that the Decennial Census--a counting of the United States population that occurs every ten years-- sets our country's trajectory for the next decade, determining congressional apportionment (the number of seats each state gets in the House of Representatives), redistricting, and the allocation of close to $800 billion dollars annually distributed to cities across the nation?
Historically, certain groups are undercounted at disproportionately higher rates during the Census. An undercount of children, underrepresented minorities, millennials, and seniors can result in reduced congressional representation and fewer local dollars essential for community services.
In 2020, for the first time ever, the American public will have the option of responding to the Census online. This presents new opportunities to communicate the importance of the census by creating compelling digital content to increase civic participation.
Get Involved
Host an event, or jump right into making content
Activate your creativity as a group or do it solo-- just remember everything you do counts!
I want to jump right into create cool Census content.
I want to gather folks together for an in-person or virtual creative sprint.