Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College Presents “You Are Democracy: A Series on Collective Power” in Three Events
The Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities at Bard College, together with the People’s Creative Institute and the NYC Civic Engagement Commission, will present “You Are Democracy: A Series on Collective Power,” a three-part event series hosted by Powerhouse Arts that focuses on democracy beyond elections. This series will include a film screening on October 22, a model civic assembly on November 19, and conclude with a celebratory reimagining of a public meeting.
The first event, “Democracy Onscreen: Stories of Participation,” is a screening of the acclaimed documentary Convention Citoyenne – Démocratie en Construction, about the French Climate Assembly convened in 2019 by the French president Emmanuel Macron. The film follows participants through the assembly process documenting the effects it had on them and on climate policy in France. The screening will be followed by a meaningful discussion that connects the international lessons showcased in the film to our local civic landscape. The event will take place on Wednesday, October 22 from 8 pm – 10 pm at Powerhouse Arts, 322 3rd Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11215. Doors open at 7:30 pm. The screening is free and open to the public, with reservations required. To reserve tickets, please visit the registration for Democracy Onscreen.
The mission of the Hannah Arendt Center is to create and nurture an institutional space for bold, risky and provocative thinking about our political world in the spirit of Hannah Arendt. The Center’s vision is to empower a plural people to at once (re)discover their unique opinions and political agency and also find common ground to build together a shared world through thinking, listening, and talking with one another.
The NYC Civic Engagement Commission (CEC) was established in 2018 to enhance civic participation, promote civic trust, and strengthen democracy in New York City through multiple programs. Those programs include The People's Money, the citywide participatory budgeting process, voter language interpretation services, as well as skill-building workshops for Community Boards and local non-profit organizations.
The People’s Creative Institute, an NYC-based organization, nurtures a program of fellowships to enable the creation of public-facing artwork to facilitate beautiful urban spaces through shared cultural knowledge and expertise. The institute is dedicated to fostering new knowledge and forging strategic alliances across the arts and other sectors.
Post Date: 10-16-2025
The first event, “Democracy Onscreen: Stories of Participation,” is a screening of the acclaimed documentary Convention Citoyenne – Démocratie en Construction, about the French Climate Assembly convened in 2019 by the French president Emmanuel Macron. The film follows participants through the assembly process documenting the effects it had on them and on climate policy in France. The screening will be followed by a meaningful discussion that connects the international lessons showcased in the film to our local civic landscape. The event will take place on Wednesday, October 22 from 8 pm – 10 pm at Powerhouse Arts, 322 3rd Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11215. Doors open at 7:30 pm. The screening is free and open to the public, with reservations required. To reserve tickets, please visit the registration for Democracy Onscreen.
The mission of the Hannah Arendt Center is to create and nurture an institutional space for bold, risky and provocative thinking about our political world in the spirit of Hannah Arendt. The Center’s vision is to empower a plural people to at once (re)discover their unique opinions and political agency and also find common ground to build together a shared world through thinking, listening, and talking with one another.
The NYC Civic Engagement Commission (CEC) was established in 2018 to enhance civic participation, promote civic trust, and strengthen democracy in New York City through multiple programs. Those programs include The People's Money, the citywide participatory budgeting process, voter language interpretation services, as well as skill-building workshops for Community Boards and local non-profit organizations.
The People’s Creative Institute, an NYC-based organization, nurtures a program of fellowships to enable the creation of public-facing artwork to facilitate beautiful urban spaces through shared cultural knowledge and expertise. The institute is dedicated to fostering new knowledge and forging strategic alliances across the arts and other sectors.
Post Date: 10-16-2025