Caron Atlas

Caron Atlas is director of Arts & Democracy, which cross-fertilizes arts and culture, civic participation, and community change. She also directs (Naturally Occurring Cultural Districts NY (NOCD-NY), a citywide alliance revitalizing NYC from the neighborhood up and teaches at New York University. 

Previously Caron worked at Appalshop, the Appalachian cultural center and directed the American Festival Project, a national coalition of activist artists.  Caron has consulted with Animating Democracy, Pratt Center for Community Development, Network of Ensemble Theaters, Urban Institute, and several foundations.

Caron is co-editor of Bridge Conversations and Critical Perspectives, and contributor to Toward a 21st City for All. She was a Rockefeller Foundation Warren Weaver Fellow and is a Coro Leadership NY alumnus. She received her BA and MA from the University of Chicago.

Caron Atlas will teach Imagination and Change: Arts, Culture, and Public Policy in spring 2026.