When community development organizations team up with art partners, great things can happen for individuals and community members.
I have teamed up with Jake Norton of the New Kensington Community Development corporation as an art partner for creative placemaking projects in Philadelphia. We are working together within a creative community learning cohort which includes similar partnerships across the country.
Artworks Kensington ignites collaboration between the arts, the youth, and locally minded small businesses in North Philadelphia.
What is ArtWorks Kensington?
Artworks Kensington is the working title for the partnership between the NKCDC and PAC, under which multiple community art projects are taking place over the course of 12 months.
Through a grant from NeighborWorks America, Jake Norton of the economic development sector of the NKCDC initiated a partnership with the Portside Arts Center to develop community art projects that focus on discussions on housing displacement and gentrification. Portside Art Center nominated me to be the art partner for this wonderful collaboration, and I couldn't be more excited for the opportunity!
This has been my first experience working directly with a non-art organization to develop projects and events. I have learned and grown a lot during my time developing the projects thus far. As a creative person, full of ambitions and ideas, I believe (and can) achieve anything I put my mind too. Working within a group full of different personality types other than my own has helped to ground my thought processes with the outcome of being able to communicate linear strategies in a more effective way in a group. Additionally, I took on many managerial like duties which I feel in love with. Creating budgets, mapping out detailed timelines and project proposals, setting up clear paths of communication and goals for Jake and myself.
Overall, working with the creative learning development cohort has been a very rewarding and inspirational experience. I am excited to share the details of our community art projects! Look for them in later blog posts.
To learn about the NKCDC and Portside Arts Center, click the links below!
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