OUR TOWNS: A JOURNEY INTO THE HEART OF AMERICA

WHY PUBLIC ART MATTERS 2018
Art in public spaces plays a distinguishing role in our country’s history and culture. It reflects and reveals our society, enhances meaning in our civic spaces, and adds uniqueness to our communities.This document explores how public art impacts five community values: Economic Growth and Sustainability, Attachment and Cultural Identity, Artists as Contributors, Social Cohesion and Cultural Understanding, and Public Health and Belonging. This document is designed as a tool for those making the case for public art in their community.

REPRESENTATION MATTERS: CHANGE IS HAPPENING
Every day, Next City tells the stories of designers, planners, entrepreneurs and other urban professionals who bring a diverse group of voices into the conversation about cities through equitable business models, new collaborations and inclusive engagement. In this issue they’ve assembled nine stories in this ebook that illuminate this work, in sectors ranging from tech to transportation to parks to healthy food access and more. 

ARTISTS LEAD IOBY
To support artists’ leadership development and knowledge building, ArtPlace partnered with ioby to offer Artists Lead! – a flexible funding opportunity for creative placemaking projects led by artists. This partnership allows artists to learn by doing by putting smaller infusions of cash directly into their hands, providing one-on-one fundraising coaching, and project development support.

WELLBEING MICROGRANTS
Wellbeing Microgrants are a new approach to engage and support Santa Monica residents looking to make a positive change in their community. Designed to empower residents, the City provides up to $500 for ideas that are focused on small scale action to improve community wellbeing. This initiative is a key component of the first phase of the Pico Wellbeing Project.

CULTURE MAPPING 90404

PLANNING FOR EQUITY POLICY GUIDE
APA's first-ever Planning for Equity Policy Guide identifies policy recommendations for planners to advocate for policies that support equity in all aspects of planning at local, state, and federal levels.

THE THEORY BEHIND OUR TOWN
In 2011, the National Endowment for the Arts launched Our Town, a grant program that invests in projects that bring together diverse community partners to integrate the arts and culture into community revitalization work. Since then, more than 500 projects have been funded via Our Town in rural, tribal, suburban, and urban communities. The moment felt ripe for the agency to delve into past Our Town projects to better document, assess outcomes from the overall program and establish a theory of change.

CREATIVE PLACEMAKING IN CENTRAL APPALACHIA REPORT

THE INTERSECTOR PROJECT CROSS-SECTOR RESOURCES
The Intersector Project is a non-profit organization that empowers practitioners in the business, government, and non-profit sectors to collaborate to solve problems that cannot be solved by one sector alone. Their resource library is filled with projects, toolkits, and more to guide practitioners on their journey.