BLACKSPACE MANIFESTO
BlackSpace challenges architects, planners, urban designers, artists, and all curators of built spaces to unlearn traditional values and rethink Manifesto-based practice. They create spaces for Black urbanists to use talent, culture and rituals to design Black futures, demanding a present and future where Black people, spaces, and culture matter and thrive. 
 

HOW THE ART OF SOCIAL PRACTICE IS CHANGING THE WORLD, ONE ROW HOUSE AT A TIME
Carolina A. Miranda takes a look at how the art of the encounter - frequently referred to as “social practice" - has grown over the years, as well as several examples of this growing movement. 

WHAT DOES PLACEMAKING SOUND LIKE: SOUND PLACES IN LOUISIANA
When you picture a creative public space, what comes to mind? Walls made vivid with hand-painted murals? A sculpture in a park? The visual arts often dominate the Creative Placemaking conversation, and while there is no doubt that they can provide a lasting reminder of a community’s history, they only show part of the picture. What if Creative Placemaking looked beyond the visual arts, and asked a new question: What could a great place sound like?

2019 ANNUAL ARTPLACE SUMMIT VIDEO ARCHIVE
Our 2019 Annual ArtPlace Summit in Jackson, MS, gathered our community of colleagues from the field of creative placemaking – projects and organizations we have been able to support, our foundation and government partners, and the researchers, advisors, and colleagues who help shape our work. With Jackson as our cultural backdrop we heard from national and local leaders on some of the most pressing issues facing our field and our communities. You can view a record of the 2019 plenaries here. 

CREATIVITY LIVES HERE
A year-long digital storytelling campaign showcasing the people and places behind creative community development. Have a story about how arts and culture is helping address a challenge or opportunity in your community? Click the image to add YOUR VOICE to the growing collection of grassroots stories from across the United States.

SOUND PLACES TOOLKIT
"Sound Places," CMA's pilot program, was initiated to provide a framework for ensembles to do this type of work. They are in the process of retooling their Residency Program to become a Creative Placemaking Program. Thus far, they have created the free toolkit for musicians who are curious about their communities, passionate about civic engagement, and interested in improving public spaces using their music as a catalyst for change but have not otherwise engaged in actual training or technical assistance.

ARTUP
Consulting work in the area that includes community-engaged design, workshop facilitation, and project identification and management. ArtUp consultants include artists AND community members trained in arts-based community revitalization, entrepreneurship, and community engagement. They work with urban and rural locations across the country. Based in the Mid-South, they offer customizable training nationwide, in person and remotely.

NARRATIVE PROCESSES IN URBAN PLANNING
A case study on a town suffering from the effects of jobs losses and outmigration that occurred when labor intensive farming transitioned to the machine. A theater project has led to purported claims of community revitalization, new relationships, personal empowerment; the coproduction of an emerging and diverse community identity; and institutional and economic development.

RURAL ARTS, DESIGN, AND INNOVATION IN AMERICA
This report stemmed from a research collaboration with the Economic Research Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It analyzes data from the Rural Establishment Innovation Survey to quantify relationships among arts organizations, design-integrated firms, and business innovators in rural settings.

DICK & RICK: A VISUAL PRIMER FOR SOCIAL IMPACT DESIGN
More and more people are practicing some form of community-engaged design, or social impact design, or human-centered design. But are there right and wrong ways to do it? The Equity Collective, a group of practitioners in the field, worked with CUP and illustrator Ping Zhu to create a tongue-in-cheek storybook that shines a light on how good community-engaged design practices can not only create good projects, but also advance social justice.