Can artists improve civic behavior?
Here's an interesting article from the Harvard University Gazette about the mayor of Bogota, Colombia. He's a former academic and has been using mimes to encourage people not to jaywalk or behave irresponsibly in public.
Initially, 20 professional mimes shadowed pedestrians who didn't follow crossing rules: A pedestrian running across the road would be tracked by a mime who mocked his every move. Mimes also poked fun at reckless drivers. The program was so popular that another 400 people were trained as mimes. Read more [1].
One of the biggest challenges we face in Cleveland is improving civic behavior. Mimes, anyone?
Links:
[1] http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2004/03.11/01-mockus.html