Arts for Asylum Seekers
A month of creative sharing - April 2026
Bringing together the arts and social justice to assist people who are seeking asylum in our community. Funds raised in the 2026 Arts for Asylum Seekers fundraiser will go to the CASAN emergency legal fund to ensure the families CASAN assists have the protection of legal representation.
Responding to a growing need
Chittenden Asylum Seekers Assistance Network (CASAN)'s mission is to assist people in
Chittenden County who are in the legal process of seeking asylum. Supported by local
volunteers and by donors near and far, we provide welcome and support as people strive to begin new lives in safety.
Asylum seekers are not eligible for work permits until well into the asylum process, and do not qualify for many kinds of government assistance. CASAN offers assistance as needed, and as we have capacity, with housing, basic living expenses, transportation, legal fees, and other necessary support.
How does it work?
Arts for Asylum Seekers is modeled on a walk-a-thon, but instead of walking, participants,
called Creatives, make art, write, play music, or do some other creative project. Creatives will reach out to friends and family to ask them to sponsor their participation in Arts for Asylum Seekers. Sponsors will make a donation to CASAN in exchange for receiving content from the Creatives throughout April through email or another virtual avenue.
Creatives can be visual artists, sculptors, crafters, poets, writers, musicians, photographers, etc. Creatives of all ages and all skill levels, amateur or professional, are welcome to participate. Each Creative will choose a project to do in April. A Creative's project could be to write a poem a week, or make a sketch a day. Or, they could choose to do a larger project and share their progress, sending out a section of a story, or photos of a quilt as it comes together. With the Creative’s permission, CASAN will help Creatives find sponsors by publicizing their work on the CASAN website and Facebook.
See below for examples of the Creatives' work from past events:
Interested in participating as a Creative? Click here for details and to sign up.
Interested in participating as a Sponsor? Check back in March when sponsor sign-ups open.
The Arts for Asylum Seekers event is inspired by Central Vermont Refugee Action Network's March Arts Marathon. Many thanks to CVRAN for sharing their idea and experience.
For further questions and information, contact artsforasylumseekers@casasnvermont.org.