Stories
Jan 17, 2017
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... Read More
Jan 27, 2017
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... Read More
Feb 01, 2017
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... Read More
Feb 08, 2017
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... Read More
Feb 16, 2017
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... Read More
Feb 22, 2017
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.
... Read More
Feb 23, 2017
Takoma Park, Maryland, New Hampshire Avenue is a commercial and residential corridor that has long been hard to traverse due to its broad, busy roadways. This lack of walkability has hindered local human interactions and connections among residents. Though the area is culturally rich and remarkably racially diverse, its character is dominated not by the cultural vibrancy... Read More
Feb 27, 2017
Vickie Benson at the McKnight Foundation has heard it all: that the arts are elitist, a luxurious indulgence available to only a privileged few, or even a nice treat but never important enough to be the main course. These misconceptions sometimes have seemed to her to overshadow the work that artists do and the potential of that... Read More
Mar 08, 2017
For more than a decade, arts and cultural practitioners have profited from a handful of studies that trace distinctive patterns of arts participation among immigrant communities. Now, as a fresh arrival to this colloquy, has landed Considering Cultural Integration in the United States, published as a dissertation for Rand Graduate School. Authored by Jennifer Novak-Leonard, currently associate director... Read More
Mar 10, 2017
Islamophobia is escalating rapidly across the country, fueling fear, discrimination and hate crimes against Muslim, Arab and South Asian communities. In recent months, we have borne witness to a growing number of hostile acts including vandalism, intimidation and verbal and physical attacks on vulnerable people. This growing crisis has propelled multidisciplinary funders to seek out new ideas... Read More