Stories
You searched for: visual arts
Aug 16, 2018
Ashley Hanson is a theater artist, social practitioner, storyteller, and lover of rural places. This featured essay is adapted and expanded from a Firestarter Talk given by Ashley Hanson at the National Rural Assembly in Durham, NC in May, 2018. "The drive to my mother’s house is one of my favorites. As I turn off the two-lane... Read More
Aug 07, 2018
My interest in bringing art and music into vacant spaces began just after graduating college in Louisville, Kentucky. I was making visual art and playing in a band, and was looking for a venue that might go beyond the confines of the bar scene. There was a vacant warehouse space located right down the street from my... Read More
Jul 29, 2018
The words “artist” and “bureaucrat” can seem as opposite as the north and south poles. But poets, actors, musicians, dancers, and art-makers of all other stripes have been infiltrating our government’s ranks for years—and many are making great strides. In this story series, we’re visiting with accomplished artists who hold leadership roles in their cities about their... Read More
Jul 18, 2018
What began as a sort of arts-driven guerilla marketing campaign for the fictional return of a historic streetcar in the border communities of El Paso, TX and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, ended in an artist getting elected to government office and demonstrating of the power of art to capture the imagination of a community. Sometimes you just have to help people... Read More
Jul 13, 2018
Kara Elliott-Ortega is the Director of Planning & Policy at the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture for the City of Boston. We caught up with her to find about the groundbreaking intersection of arts and culture with the built environment and community development in Boston. "The Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture used to be part of... Read More
May 17, 2018
This past February, UNC School of Journalism students asked if I would be willing to be part of an Environmental Journalism class project. I said yes. In fact, I had just scheduled an interview with UNC's General Alumni Association Magazine and perhaps they can work together. I love the result. It really focuses on both the art... Read More
Apr 12, 2018
In the world of creative placemaking, we often find ourselves talking about housing in terms of “units.” Discussions frequently center around how many housing units a particular organization has built, or we may use the number of “units” available as a measure of success. But it’s important that our language doesn’t become distanced from the core of... Read More
Mar 08, 2018
International Women's Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. To celebrate we asked some of the amazing women of ArtPlace America to talk to us about the women integral to their project and history, and those leading the charge for change in the world. Gayle Isa (Asian Arts Initiative): Our... Read More
Feb 24, 2018
February 1st marked the beginning of Black History Month where each year we set aside a few weeks to focus our historical hindsight on the contributions that people of African descent have made, and continue to make to this country. At ArtPlace, we're privileged to work with Black leaders who are driving change in communities across the... Read More
Jan 17, 2018
The Buena Vida neighborhood of Brownsville, Texas is one of the oldest and most culturally vibrant of the southernmost edge of the US/ Mexico border. There is an incredible strength of cultural resources in the community and many people are ready to start turning their creativity into small businesses. Taller de Permiso (Permission Workshop) is an activist and community... Read More