Community development begins to consider artists and art spaces

A new report from the Urban Institute, “Building Community: Making Space for Art,” urges planners and community leaders to include artists and art spaces in their community development strategies.

The 20-page report, written by Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson, tells about five arts organizations that have contributed to urban revitalization. The five are:

• AS220, a catalyst to revitalization in downtown Providence, Rhode Island.

• Ashé Cultural Arts Center, a hub for artists and residents trying to revive historic Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard in New Orleans.

• Artist Theaster Gates’ Dorchester Project, which focuses on Dorchester Avenue on the South Side of Chicago.

• Los Cenzontles Mexican Arts Center, which converted a liquor store in a San Pablo, California, strip mall into a Mexican music center.

• PA’I Foundation, which works to preserve native Hawaiian culture through dance instruction, practice, and performance.

The report, commissioned by Leveraging Investments in Creativity (LINC), is available on the LINC website. You can also directly download the pdf file here.