Shaping Community: A Creative Placemaking Conference

Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County Announces Shaping Community: A Creative Placemaking Conference January 23-24, 2018
Bank of America sponsors conference in support of building thriving communities

Norwalk, CT, January 19, 2018-- The Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County (CAFC) is organizing a two-day creative placemaking conference, Shaping Community, January 23-24, 2018 at Stepping Stones Museum for Children, designed to demonstrate and discuss the role of artists, creative businesses and cultural nonprofits in the economic and community development and well-being of coastal Fairfield County towns.

Shaping Community was built on the impetus and results of Creative Spaces for the Creative Economy, a one-day community conference organized by the Cultural Alliance in 2016, in response to calls for action to bring underused real estate into more productive use for the cultural community.

“We are pleased to bring creative placemaking to the next level by not only offering a forum for sharing ideas but also the opportunity to put forth funding proposals aimed at bringing arts and culture to the forefront in our local communities,” said Angela Whitford, CAFC Executive Director. “This wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of our sponsors, including Bank of America which is focused on building thriving communities here in Fairfield County.”

Support for Shaping Community comes from Bank of America, Stepping Stones Museum for Children, Bridgeport Downtown Special Services District, Spinnaker Real Estate Partners, LLC and The Barnum Museum.

Shaping Community will provide an opportunity to discuss how the arts and culture bring magic, vibrancy and economic vitality to our streets, neighborhoods, towns and cities; what specific improvement and development projects can artists, cultural nonprofits, other nonprofits, citizens, developers and town planners work on collaboratively and more.

Day One (open to the public), will feature demonstrations, discussions, performances in celebration and exploration of the role of the cultural community in shaping our neighborhoods and towns. Keynote speakers include: Patrick McMahon, President and CEO of Connecticut Main Street Center, and Keith Stokes, Vice-President, 1696 Heritage Group.

Panels include:
• Artist Spaces and their Impact on Community Life and Economic Development
• Artists, Public Art and Community Development: examples of public art and its impact
• Artist-in-Residence programs: how can they impact the community?
• Storytelling and our Towns: How to change the narratives of our towns and neighborhoods?
• The Role of Theatre in Creating Thriving Places

Attendees will also enjoy performances from singer-songwriter Kristen Graves; one-act play readings by JIB productions Play with Your Food; and poetry readings by Shanna Melton.

Day Two (invitation only) will be a working day of creating and crafting placemaking projects. Workshop teams will be comprised of 6-8 delegate members representing local town government, cultural and social service nonprofits, local businesses and other organizations, working together to create possible solutions to neighborhood rejuvenation. Many of these ideas came from brainstorming sessions from nine town meetings Greenwich to Bridgeport recently held by CAFC.

During Day Two of the conference, they will work with Jamie Bennett, Executive Director, ArtPlace America; Jenn Hughes, Acting Director of Design and Creative Placemaking Programs, National Endowment for the Arts and Rebecca Cordes Chan, Program Officer, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) to produce some citizen-inspired placemaking proposals for their communities.

Registration is now open at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/shaping-community-a-creative-placemaking-conference-and-working-session-tickets-40791113318

Day One: Discussion & Performance Day (Jan 23): $20 includes breakfast and light lunch
Day Two: Invitation Only Working Groups (Jan. 24): $20 - includes breakfast and light lunch
Day Working Group Special (Jan. 23 & 24): $30 - for working group members who also attend the first day.

About the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County
The Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County, with support from the Connecticut Office of the Arts, assists cultural organizations, artists and creative businesses in Fairfield County through marketing, professional development and advocacy. For more information, visit FCBuzz.org

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Submitted by New Canaan, CT

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