Mapping Culture-Making Change

Monday, October 22, 10:00am – 11:30am

Flight Deck: Theater (1540 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612)

Organized by Amy Kitchener, executive director and co-founder, Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA).

Moderated by Maria Rosario Jackson, senior advisor, Arts & Culture, The Kresge Foundation. Presented by Amy Kitchener, executive director and co-founder, Alliance for California Traditional Arts; Danielle Brazell, general manager, Department of Cultural Affairs; and Scott Oshima, lead community organizer, Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Los Angeles.

Some of the most important aspects of human culture are contained in the intangible aspects of cultural practices and knowledge systems. Cultural mapping is one way to transform the often intangible and invisible into a medium that can foster intercultural dialogue and can be applied to arts and culture planning, policy, and community development. Cultural mapping can effectively make visible the art and culture of historically neglected communities and can be crucial to changes in policy and practices addressing racial and cultural equity.

This session shares approaches, learnings, and outcomes from three cultural asset mapping projects:

Promise Zone Arts, initiative of the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department identifying cultural assets in the federally designated Promise Zone to work on comprehensive improvements in jobs, youth development, education, and public safety.
Takachizu is a community “show & tell” gathering space designed to identify and reflect on that which is most valuable, celebrated, and in need of protection in Los Angeles Little Tokyo. The Japanese words Takara (Treasure) and Chizu (Map) join to form Takachizu (treasure map). Takachizu, is a project of Sustainable Little Tokyo initiated by +LAB, Little Tokyo Service Center’s creative community development strategy utilizing collaboration and experimentation to advance Little Tokyo’s power over its future.
Engaging Cultural Assets, an initiative of the Alliance for California Traditional Arts in which residents identified cultural assets and probed the meaning and value of those assets as a foundation for building sustainable solutions contributing to community health.