Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • Plaza Heralds New Era of Afrocentric Development in Seattle Neighborhood

    Central District, a historically black neighborhood in Seattle, is getting a makeover to better align it with its roots. Africatown is a nonprofit community land trust that is using its influence to bring Afrocentric design standards to the neighborhood as well as spurring economic development and construction of affordable housing. One real estate project includes a community mural, more gathering space for residents, and local government support.

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  • The Upside of Underpasses

    After the success of New York City’s High Line, several cities have tried to emulate that success with a twist--by transforming underpasses below highways into activated space for the community. Toronto’s Bentway offers an ice skating rink, art, and music, and Seattle’s I-5 Colonnade has a mountain bike course. Miami is on an ambitious plan to launch the Underline, a 10-mile stretch of bike and walking trails. Cities like Sacramento are hoping to emulate these success stories.

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  • How a Little-Known Nonprofit Is Bringing Social Practice Art to New York's Most Elite Museums—and Beyond

    The Kenan Trust is philanthropic foundation that supports “social practice art,” in which the arts facilitate change like restoring homes in urban areas and revitalizing immigration services. Their funds have reached the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim Museum of Art, and the Laundromat Project. A recent $6million program supports 21 New York City-based arts organizations that engage with hard to reach communities. Kenan argues that its approach is not “charity” but “justice.”

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  • How philanthropy breathed new life into a forgotten Salford suburb

    A multi-millionaire has poured money into his home suburb of Irlam, buying up empty stores, funding public art projects, and supporting the town center, sports center, health clinic, and train station. Employment is up, but this model of urban renewal raises ethical questions and may not be easily replicable.

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  • A Very Queer Street Art Movement Is Spreading Across the US

    A loosely connected movement of LGBTQ street artists are creating work with explicitly queer themes across the country. This work puts images of pride in public spaces as well as challenging perceptions about who creates street art.

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  • Can this rural town go from a youth exodus to an art epicenter?

    A nonprofit called Epicenter uses small-scale architecture and design projects to bring new life to Green River. The town of 950 people has experienced a loss of mining and other jobs. Ambitious young people typically move elsewhere to build their futures, but that may be changing. Epicenter repairs local buildings and is behind a variety of other projects such as a welcome sign, art installations, and a mountain bike trail.

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  • The rebel bank, printing its own notes and buying back people's debts

    How is Street Central Bank buying back the debt of ordinary people? Part art installation and part charitable endeavor, the “bank” prints its own money, sells it for real tender and then uses the funds to help neighbors. The project draws inspiration from similar debt buyback efforts in the United States.

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  • What if what really matters in fighting crime is how well you know your neighbor?

    It turns out the old adage of knowing your neighbor really can help make your neighborhood safer. A study of more than 250 cities found that a key factor behind a drop in crime in the last 20 years was the mobilizing of citizens by nonprofit organizations like block clubs. In Milwaukee these “urban guardians” have helped bring communities together and foster safer spaces that also address urban blight.

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  • 'We exist': Public art project gives India's transgender community a voice

    The Aravani Art Project is a project that works to raise the visibility and voice of the trans community in India. It does so by employing them to paint murals across the country (and even one in Sri Lanka) featuring slices of life as a trans person. It took time to build trust with the community at first, but eventually the people behind the project developed a system of idea conception to realization with their participants. Over time they have developed long-term relationships with each other, and the trans community is slowly becoming comfortable with having a public voice.

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  • How Curators Are Taking Over Vacant Spaces and Changing Cities

    All around the world there is a trend for pop-ups to take over empty spaces and give the spaces meaning for a short period of time. For instance, in a time when capitalism dominates society, the Museum of Capitalism filled an Oakland warehouse for two months to spark conversation on the topic. These pop-ups act as an educational resource, a creative asset to neighborhoods, and a more accessible way for artists to engage with social issues and a large audience.

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