Arts and Community Development

Thousands participate each year in Minneapolis' Art-a-Whirl, the largest artist open studio tour in the country, according to a recent article in Next City. But a recent survey-based study on the gentrification of Northeast Minneapolis found, among other things, that “the act of creative placemaking has driven Northeast Minneapolis’ unique form of gentrification in the Twin Cities,” with Art-a-Whirl as the sign of that change, as Next City reported.

Seven leaders from across the United States were recently named Knight Public Spaces Fellows, an initiative of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to advance the creation of public spaces that strengthen community engagement and connection, according to the press release.

Adults age sixty-five and above are currently the fastest-growing segment of the US population. In 2016, there were 47.8 million individuals age sixty-five and over in the United States (US Census Bureau 2017), and this number is expected to more than double by 2060. By 2040, nearly half of older adults are expected to come from diverse racial/ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds (Vincent and Velkoff 2010; Johnson, Rodriquez-Salazar, et al. 2018). San Francisco’s population of older adults is higher than the national norm.

A "free people's university," the University of Orange in New Jersey, emphasizes civic participation and its free courses range from music theory to urban planning to empower the residents of the city of Orange, as Next City reports.

In Building Stronger Communities Through Media: Innovations in local journalism, public media, and storytelling, Wyncote Foundation's new report, innovative local and regional media projects are highlighted for making a difference in local communities with local support, as one of the report's authors, Sarah Lutman, writes in Medium.

The Pocantico Center of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF), in Westchester County, recently announced plans for the creation of the David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center, a public venue that seeks to nurture the arts with performances and exhibits, residencies for artists working across disciplines, and space for school and community programs.

In a recent article that tackles gentrification and creative placemaking, Next City features three programs that, as James A. Anderson writes, activate community networks and help artists and residents lay down economic roots.

South Arts launched a program that seeks to provide significant support to projects that harness the power of “Arts & …”.

In an audio recording from the Haas Institute for Fair and Inclusive Society’s Blueprint for Belonging project, an interview called “The Battle of the Narratives: Organizing for Transformative Change,” shed light on issues facing 21st century social justice movements.

With the goal of helping underserved communities, R&B singer Khalid launched The Great Khalid Foundation, a music and fine arts organization in his hometown of El Paso, Texas, Rolling Stone reported.