22.02.17
A new position at ArtPlace America, Justin joins us as our new Grants Manager and will be responsible for the ArtPlace FLUXX presence. As our new operations hub, Justin will insure that ArtPlace databases, internal workings, and operations go off without a hitch.
A series of metal whirligigs across a setting sky
16.02.17
Once home to a thriving tobacco industry, Wilson is a small city of just under 50,000 people in rural North Carolina. The most recent census shows a diverse population of about 42 percent Caucasian, 47 percent African-American, and 10 percent Hispanic or Latino residents. Following the federal tobacco buy-out program, many of Wilson’s international tobacco buyers who were central to the region’s economy stopped coming to the city, leaving an economic vacuum. Today, 19.5 percent of Wilson residents live below poverty level, and the median household income is $38,384.
Little Tokyo area in Los Angeles
08.02.17
In the wake of rapid gentrification, an organization in Los Angeles leverages the arts to celebrate a community’s rich heritage and keep social equity as a priority. Grace Chikui, 53, relies on walls, the edges of grassy areas, and the feel of the asphalt under her feet when she needs to go somewhere. In the short documentary film, Walking with Grace, Chikui explains how she lost her sight to glaucoma when she was a child. But the neighborhood in Los Angeles known as Little Tokyo is familiar to her and she feels comfortable walking around.
Gray haired man sitting on a chair while a dancer hovers above him.
01.02.17
Who has been behind the large increase in financial support for and attention to what has been termed “creative placemaking” over the past couple years, and why? “Not every community is lucky enough to be anchored by a hospital or a waterfront. But every community has artists,” says Jamie Bennett, executive director of ArtPlace America. “It’s the one asset already present in every community.”Jason Schupbach, director of design programs for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), agrees. “When you want to repress or take away freedoms in a society, the first thing you do is take away its culture,” he says.
A yellow sign that says Willowbrook is...
27.01.17
For decades outsiders defined the unincorporated South Los Angeles area of Willowbrook by what it lacked. Most perceived the neighborhood and its adjacent communities of Watts and Compton as ground zero for poverty, gang violence, and low educational attainment; critical issues included socio-economic challenges, cultural division, and limited access to healthcare. However, the area has seen significant investment by the county in recent years, including the reopening of the Martin Luther King Medical Campus in 2014 after its controversial shutdown in 2007. Willowbrook has had a number of projects on the table related to enhancing infrastructure, health services, and community development.
Image over green text that reads Open Call for Applications
17.01.17
We are thrilled to announce that $9.5 million is available to fund projects that work with artists and arts organizations to build stronger, healthier communities anywhere in the United States. Submit your application by February 22, 2017 3:59PM EST . To be able to apply you must register in Fluxx before February 14, 2017, 3:59pm EST . If you already registered in Fluxx last year, you can use the same username and password. If you haven’t yet signed up for Fluxx, follow the instructions in the FAQ under the Technology heading. If you lost or forgot your password, please go to artplaceamerica.fluxx.io and click 'Reset or create password'
09.01.17
A new position at ArtPlace America, Sarah joins us as our new Managing Editor and will be responsible for publishing a variety of rich content across multiple platforms to share the inspiring stories of people working at the intersection of arts, culture, and equitable community planning. Sarah has been working and volunteering in the nonprofit sector for most of her professional career. Her last role was as the creative manager at the MS Society , a UK-based membership organization for people affected by multiple sclerosis.
Map of the United States with 29 pins on the image
06.12.16
29 projects across 19 states and 2 US territories will further position arts and culture as a core sector of comprehensive community planning and development. Today, ArtPlace America (ArtPlace) is proud to announce the 29 creative placemaking projects to receive funding in communities of all sizes across 19 states and 2 US territories. In these projects, residents use arts and culture strategies to strengthen the social, physical, and economic fabric of their communities.
A group of children playing in the streets.
01.12.16
This year, the National Endowment for the Arts celebrated its 50th anniversary. To mark this special occasion, the agency will release a new book, How to Do Creative Placemaking – a full-service guide to cultivating, nurturing and sustaining all the elements that make for successful creative placemaking efforts. To commemorate the book’s release, the NEA, the Kresge Foundation, ArtPlace America, and Partners for Livable Communities will gather for a convening at the Wilson Center in Washington, DC on Tuesday, December 6 titled “Creative Placemaking: The Role of Arts in Community Development.”
22.11.16
This photo-essay is a follow-up to one of our August blogs, "The Healing Power of Arts and Culture: Creative Placemaking in San Francisco's Tenderloin." Below are links to some of the organizations/ topics mentioned in this blog: The Wildflowers Institute, Hospitality House, Faithful Fools , The GLIDE Women's Center, Bisola's academic paper on Negro Spirituals in therapy, The Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
National Creative Placemaking Fund