Response to “How to Do Creative Placemaking” (2017)
September 27, 2018
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In December 2016, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) released its publication How to Do Creative Placemaking at the national convening “Creative Placemaking: The Role of Arts in Community Development” hosted by the Wilson Center in Washington, DC. The publication is a guide to understanding and supporting the diverse elements that make for creative placemaking efforts. Designed as an introduction to the field, it includes twenty-eight essays by leaders active in arts-based community development, including mayors, artists, planners, and funders. In this brief essay, I will analyze several contributions to the NEA publication and relate said findings to Boston’s cultural landscape. As we learn from previous research and cultural initiatives we will be better prepared to write policy, leverage institutions and local governments, engage communities, and inspire the arts to participate in a more resilient city.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
Special thank you to Bree Edwards for sharing this article. Bree is Director, Northeastern Center for the Arts, College of Arts, Media and Design at Northeastern University.
© Bree Edwards, Northeastern University. All rights reserved.