Artists and organizers invest in neighborhoods by activating public spaces. They work to understand the unique cultural assets in their communities, and through collaborative working practices, develop context-sensitive approaches to placemaking. They create stability in rapidly transitioning neighborhoods by communicating the cultural history of place. Why then, given artists’ ability to meaningfully shape the built environment, are planning and development initiatives resistant to fully integrating their voices into the process? How would our city look, feel, and function differently if artists and organizers were embedded in planning and development projects from the beginning?

The Alternate Currents lunch-time conversation series brings together Manuel Cook, Neighborhood Planner at the City of Omaha, Megan Lutz, Partner at Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture, and Amy Nelson, Associate Professor of Fine Art at Creighton University for a candid discussion about the relationship between art and urban development, artistic practices that address systemic social and economic inequities perpetuated within the built environment, and how artists can work with planners and developers to build greener, more just cities. Bring lunch, come with questions, and join the conversation.

Please RSVP so we can plan ahead: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/panel-discussion-arts-urban-development-tickets-72718217145

Alternate Currents opens space for conversation, ideation, and action around national and international discussions in the arts that have a profound impact at the local level. Alternate Currents exists both on- and off-line in the form of a dedicated online resource and lunch-time conversation series.

You can read up on the panel topic with the online resources found on the Alternate Currents blog page: www.amplifyarts.org/alternate-currents