Front and Schiller Park
In Reading, Pennsylvania, a community leader pairs fun community activities with cleanup efforts to reactive an underutilized pocket park and engage residents in reclaiming their neighborhood.
Read MoreLeap Year Lights Festival
Riverfront Park is located on the Nashua River in downtown Fitchburg. Throughout the 1900s, paper manufacturers dumped dyes and other industrial byproducts into the river, and the river was named one of the 10 most polluted in the nation in 1960.[1] Residents fought for new and improved water treatment plants and today the river is…
Read MoreSouth of Penn Community Lot
A vacant lot in Reading, Pennsylvania, that was once full of abandoned cars and trash now serves as a focal point for neighbor-led programs, art, and activities for youth in the community.
Read MoreAlleyway Concerts
Every summer in Reading, Pennsylvania, Barrio Alegria engages community musicians and vocal artists to perform in their Alleyway Concerts series. Barrio Alegria (Barrio) is “a community engagement organization that uses the arts to create transformations in individuals to help them transform their communities.”
Read MoreUnion Station Revival
A nonprofit organization focused on urban exploration, art, and preservation led the effort to beautify an abandoned rail station in Gary, Indiana, with the plan of converting the 4,000 square foot space into a cultural hub and economic driver for the city.
Read MoreThe Exchange House and Backyard
In Akron, Ohio, a vacant building that was once a school supply store has been transformed into the Exchange House, a gathering space and hostel for travelers seeking a culturally immersive experience.
Read MoreSteps at Main
In Reading, Pennsylvania, the Reading Public Library joined forces with community organizations to offers its steps as venue for community events. Library administrators recognize that performing arts are a way to build relationships with community members and transform community members’ perception of its space.
Read MoreSalsa on the Riverfront
The program was made possible through leadership development training led by NewVue Communities, a regional nonprofit dedicated to resident leadership. NewVue Communities hosts a Leadership Cohort through their community organizing department. Cohort participants receive technical assistance and develop skills needed to write and receive grants along with seed funding to support their own programs. Through…
Read MoreProphets, Poets, and Parks
City resident Lourdes Monzon organizes these gatherings, called Prophets, Poets, and Parks. She intentionally rotates the events around the city, picking abandoned and underutilized areas of parks. Her purpose is to create safe spaces that highlight the importance of words, narratives, and poetry. The first event in the series focused on reading poems by Audrey…
Read MoreHomeWorks: Bronzeville
The project focuses on a housing cluster where each property will include both living and work space for artists to support entrepreneurship culture and youth development in Bronzeville. HomeWorks: Bronzeville works primarily with local artists who have family and other strong ties to the community and who identify as creative small business owners. Since their…
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