Author: Cleveland, William

Publication Year: 2016

Media Type: Report

Summary:

In this case study, Bill Cleveland offers an engaging in-depth excavation of the genesis, planning, and implementation of Creative CityMaking, a collaboration between the City of Minneapolis and Intermedia Arts aimed at integrating creative thinking, strategies, and processes into the operations of city departments. Detailed stories of the five collaborative projects at the heart of Creative CityMaking along with outcomes and learning from the first phase provide an illuminating and instructive look at how collaboration between artists and municipal government can achieve more diverse participation and greater equity in public process.

Abstract:

In 2013 the City of Minneapolis and Intermedia Arts collaborated on Creative CityMaking (CCM), a program aimed at integrating creative thinking, strategies, and processes into the ongoing operations of city departments. Functioning within the Department of Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED), five core projects enabled artists and planners to explore new ways to involve citizens who typically haven’t participated in planning processes. Over the course of a year, the artist-planner teams created 22 different arts-based tools and strategies to stimulate learning and dialogue about possible community futures and assets. The resulting citizen input, shared in the form of chalkboard questions, street side theater, zine questionnaires, community journals, drawings, community discussion groups, impromptu interviews, happy hour conversations, video diaries, and more, appreciably expanded the range and variety of community voices available to city planners. Creative CityMaking was supported by ArtPlace America.

Arts & Intersections:

Categories: Volunteerism, Public Art, Partnerships, Local Arts Agencies, Cultural Planning, Cultural Diversity, Creative Youth Development, Community Development, Civic Dialogue and Social Change, Artists-Resources for, Access and Equity