Mosaic Engage
Building relationships, building trust
We believe that culture can and should be a bridge, not a wedge. We pioneer new approaches to understanding the cultural composition of a place, and then building structures through which people can connect while honoring one another’s differences. Our earliest work brought people together around live arts traditions, uniting performers and audiences through music and dance traditions. The Mosaic Festival, a recurring day-long event that showcases San Jose’s extraordinary diversity, continues to exemplify this approach.
Our work broadened to foster connections through many cultural practices, including celebrations, rites of passage, games, hobbies, crafts, and other traditions. We expanded from facilitating one-off events to designing and leading ongoing programs, spaces where people could join repeatedly to learn about and share in one another’s cultures.
Today, Mosaic Engage’s work is rooted in increasingly sophisticated and participatory approaches to analyzing communities to illuminate a place and its people, and to identify its unique cultural assets.
Our approach to research is highly collaborative and grows out of our relationships with anchor institutions and community leaders, who are usually the entities that invite us to bring our processes to a specific community or place.
Our engagement work centers artists and culture bearers in its design and execution. Artists share our understanding that practicing one’s culture supports their wellbeing, and bringing it to the public supports their sense of belonging. We also work closely with students and faculty at San Jose State University to design and implement research methods.
Mosaic Engage is focused on building community in Santa Clara County, but we also provide education and consulting support to organizations seeking to learn from our work. Learn more HERE.
We create new pathways for people to familiarize themselves with diverse cultures by designing intentional, inclusive events that welcome participation. Learn more HERE.
Learn more about our award-winning Mosaic Festival Silicon Valley HERE.
