Taproot Cultural Program

Cultural Organizing for Climate Justice

The TapRoot Cultural Program is  NCCJC's Cultural Organizing program. We use the power of art—including music, drumming, giant puppets, and street theater–to fuel social transformation, engage and educate communities, and embed the 4 Rs into our protest actions and educational roadshows. Through this work, we engage audiences in conversations about distributed solar, community resilience, and fighting utility monopolies, demonstrating cultural organizing's power for a just energy future.

A group of women standing on a stage with a colorful mural background, some speaking into a microphone, others listening.
Women serving food at a buffet line during a gathering.
People sitting at a round table during a meeting or conference, raising their hands to participate, with some wearing masks.
People standing in a conference room with round tables, applauding.
People holding large painted signs with themes of kindness and power outdoors, with trees in the background.
Group of six diverse young people and an older woman standing outdoors, smiling with their arms around each other, during daytime.
Group of young women performing a dance on stage with yellow curtains in the background, wearing pink shirts and black pants, some jumping with arms raised.
Three women sitting outdoors at a park event, smiling at the camera. The woman on the left has short curly hair and is wearing a pink top with a white shawl. The woman in the middle has glasses, earrings, and is wearing a yellow t-shirt with a logo t
A young girl joyfully plays with bubbles at an outdoor gathering, with adults around and others playing in the background.
A woman smiling outdoors holding a sign that says 'Food for All' with colorful drawings of gloves, a fruit, and a vegetable.
Group of people on stage during a performance or event, with large colorful artistic figures and a backdrop featuring a butterfly and other vibrant designs.
A group of seven young women gathered around a table outdoors, looking at various items and documents, with a white canopy tent and parked cars in the background.
A woman with short hair and glasses holding a colorful spinning wheel labeled 'Whirl of Fun' at an outdoor event with tents and trees in the background. She sits at a table with pamphlets and a bowl, and a man with a cap is sitting behind her.
Group of people participating in a climate change protest, holding signs with messages like 'We Resist' and 'Protect Climate'.
Three people sitting in a row, smiling and laughing, in a room with colorful wall hangings and wooden walls.
Group of ten people smiling and posing together indoors, some giving thumbs up, with wooden and glass background.
Group of diverse people posing indoors with colorful mural in the background.
A woman with short, curly, reddish-brown hair speaking into a microphone in an indoor setting. She is wearing large blue floral earrings and a colorful, patterned jacket. Another woman with short, natural black hair wearing a green shirt stands in th
Three people standing and smiling at an indoor event, with chairs in the foreground and stage lighting in the background.

What does our Cultural Organizing look like?

  • ✺ Roadshows

    It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.

  • ✺ Protests & Actions

    It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.

  • ✺ Taproot Artist Residency

    It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.

  • ✺ Workshops

    It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.

  • ✺ 4 Rs Indie Film Fest

    It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.

  • ✺ Integrating Art into the struggle

    It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.

Artivism across North Carolina

The Art of Us: Cultivating and Celebrating Inner Resilience

This past year, our Roadshow was a vibrant arts gathering celebrating the strength of frontline communities with workshops (Creative Writing, Civic Engagement) and spoken word, live music, and a DJ set.

Taproot Artist Residency

The Taproot Arts Residency brings together groundbreaking artists working across media to spark and sustain movement building. Check out this recap from 2025 Taproot Artist in Residence Donavon Brutus.

4Rs Indie Film Fest

This video by Briana Lafrazier, our 2025 4Rs Indie Film Fest winner of the Change in Motion category, shows "a look at the crushing pressures of capitalism, gentrification and colonialism and not hiding the truth from our youth. How facing the truth together in our homes and collective communities will move us towards a better world for everyone."