Jessie Unterhalter and Katey Truhn. “Folding the Prism,” Philadephia, PA
The Artist is the City: Public Art as Community Activation
>> RECAP & VIDEO HERE <<
What is the role of the artist and the creative economy in helping to frame the narrative of the city? How can artists shape the experience of built urban space? How can artists reactivate dormant spaces? How can they honor our history and sense of place? How can they make us rethink and deepen the discussion about equity, inclusion, hope, resilience? How can we invite the community to be part of the creation process?
In this webinar we’ll hear from some of our leading public arts programs and projects, including Mural Arts Philadelphia, the nation’s largest public art program, featuring a range of initiatives including Art Education, Restorative Justice, and Porch Light; the Greenwood Art Project, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, formed on the centennial of the Tulsa Massacre as a community-driven artist collective that explores the history of the 1921 Massacre and the rich legacy of the city’s “Black Wall Street”; the Passageways Project in Chattanooga, TN, an ambitious, multiphase reactivation of the city’s alleyways through a series of large-scale art commissions; and the Capital Region’s own Breathing Lights project, which transformed the landscape of vacant properties into a illuminated life form that catalyzed the region’s awareness around disinvestment, poverty, and structural racism.
Further Reading/Media:
‘Through Art, I Hope That We Can Make One Tulsa’ New York Times. July 13, 2020.
“Painting the Town: Philly’s Artful Murals.” CBS Sunday Morning. July 24, 2016.
“Chattanooga’s forgotten alleyways come back to life with architectural installations.” Curbed. Feb, 7, 2017.
“Behind the Lights” WHMT
L. Joi McCondichie “A Century Walk: 100 Years, 1921-2021” Greenwood Art Project.
Sports Collaborative, “City Thread” Passageways 2.0, Chattanooga, TN
Speakers:
NETANEL PORTIER | Director, Mural Arts Institute
BARB NELSON | Executive Director, TAP & Lead Architect, Breathing Lights
Moderator:
REIF LARSEN | Founder, Future of Small Cities Institute
>> RECAP & VIDEO HERE <<
Breathing Lights Installation Footage
