The Convening and Research Project is funded by the Nathan Cummings Foundation and sponsored by MICA. It is guided by the vision that community-grounded arts and culture enhance the well-being, development, empowerment, and voice of disenfranchised communities. The Project provides a platform for college and university faculty and students; community-based practitioners; and community scholars, leaders, and youth to meet and generate new ideas; share resources and models for best practices in the field; reflect new curricula and pedagogy; define and solve problems; develop action plans; identify and conduct new research; develop leadership in the field, and cultivate new partnerships.