Creative Placemaking in the Racialized South

Tuesday, October 18, 10:00am – 11:30am

Organized by F. Javier Torres, Director of National Grantmaking, ArtPlace America.

Presented by LaTosha Brown, Project Director, Grantmakers for Southern Progress, Neighborhood Funders Group; Chase Fisher, President, Five Points Cultural Commission; and Kevin King, Board of Directors, Five Points Cultural Commission.

African Americans in the South have been subject to years of sidelining, redlining, and the systemic taking and devaluing of black-owned land, leaving black neighborhoods cut off from resources and access. An ArtPlace grantee in Montgomery, Alabama, is developing real estate in neglected parts of town. Their efforts are rooted in the power of existing and future black leaders working to ensure development is led by and with people of color. These leaders are pursuing personalized strategies and ensuring that establishments being built are affordable and reflect neighborhood identities in ownership, management, employment, and design. Participants will learn how this project navigates a complex racial environment and how arts grantmakers can be catalysts for change in radicalized contexts.