New York, Dec. 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
ArtPlace America (ArtPlace) is proud to announce 23 creative placemaking projects that will receive funding in communities of all sizes across 18 states and one US territory. In these projects, arts and culture strategies play an integral role in strengthening the social, physical, and economic fabric of communities.
ArtPlace’s National Creative Placemaking Fund is a highly competitive national program – funding 2% of initial applications this year – that invests money in communities across the country in which artists, arts organizations, and arts and culture activity help drive community development change. Each project identified its intentions to address a challenge or opportunity in one of 10 sectors of community planning and development.
ArtPlace received 987 applications for this year’s funding cycle, from which 70 finalists were selected. Of the 23 projects announced today, 12 are first-time applicants and one has received funding from ArtPlace before. ArtPlace also has a deep commitment to funding in rural America, with almost 52% of this year’s funded projects working in rural communities.
Meet the 2017 funded projects here.
“Creative Placemaking seeks the full and robust integration of art and culture into the decisions that define the ebb and flow of community life. These projects embody what this looks like at its most effective,” said Rip Rapson, president and CEO of The Kresge Foundation and Chair of the ArtPlace President’s Council. “We were overwhelmed by the extraordinary commitment demonstrated in these projects - contributing to the growing understanding of creative placemaking efforts throughout the nation.”
With today’s announcement, ArtPlace’s National Creative Placemaking Fund has supported 279 creative placemaking projects in 223 communities of all sizes, totaling $86.4 million worth of investments across 46 states, American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.
“This year’s investments highlight critical dimensions of creative placemaking strategy that can provide great inspiration to communities across the country.” said F. Javier Torres, Director of National Grantmaking at ArtPlace. “We are deeply excited to announce these 23 new investments as our seventh cohort of funded projects through the National Creative Placemaking Fund.”
To learn about funding and partnership opportunities, subscribe to the newsletter at the top right corner of the ArtPlace homepage.
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About ArtPlace America
ArtPlace America (ArtPlace) is a ten-year collaboration among 16 partner foundations, along with 8 federal agencies and 6 financial institutions, that works to position arts and culture as a core sector of comprehensive community planning and development in order to help strengthen the social, physical, and economic fabric of communities.
ArtPlace focuses its work on creative placemaking, projects in which art plays an intentional and integrated role in place-based community planning and development. This brings artists, arts organizations, and artistic activity into the suite of placemaking strategies pioneered by Jane Jacobs and her colleagues, who believed that community development must be locally informed, human-centric, and holistic.
Attachments:
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ad73e4e9-f198-4aa1-9658-2cdb39ffe149
Attachments:
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1e20d432-e80a-4acf-b14e-fe912a8ec4ce