Placemaking and Belonging
February 13, 2013
Listen to the call here
Placemaking and Belonging Resource Newsletter

Cosponsored by Arts & Democracy Project, National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture, and Network of Ensemble Theaters

We hear a lot about creative placemaking these days. Some like the term and others don't. On this conference call, presenters discussed what sorts of creative placemaking practices strengthen self-determination and belonging within a community. The call illustrated the power of place-based arts and culture as an integral part of equitable, democratic, and culturally vital communities and explored placemaking in the digital sphere. It reflected the multiple functions the presenters play as intermediaries, as coalitions engaging politics and policies, and as spaces that help shape the narrative of neighborhoods and bridge the old and new. Discussion topics included spatial justice and social cohesion, stretching beyond our conventional bubbles, taking advantage of windows of opportunity, working in partnership with government, and measuring outcomes.

Call Organizers:
Aggie Ebrahimi Bazaz, NAMAC
Javiera Benavente, Arts & Democracy Project

Call Co-Facilitators:
Karen Mack, LA Commons
Kathie deNobriga, Arts & Democracy Project

Call Presenters:
Gretjen Clausing, PhillyCAM
Roberto Bedoya,Tucson Pima Arts Council
Robert Gipe, Higher Ground, Appalachian Program at Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College  
Anusha Venkataraman, El Puente Greenlight District
Caron Atlas, Naturally Occurring Cultural District Working Group (NOCD-NY) and the Arts & Democracy Project

Respondent:
Maria Jackson, Claremont Graduate University