Resources
Arts-Based Community Development Toolbox
Across our region and the country communities and neighborhoods are using arts and culture in different ways to help with community and economic development efforts. We use an easy mnemonic to refer to thier diverse efforts; ABCD or Arts-Based Community Development.
Our definition of Arts-Based Community Development? Any organized community effort that uses arts events, cultural facilities, artists, creative businesses, and the like to spur community development including economic and social revitalization.
ABCD might involve…
- The development of a major cultural center to anchor a downtown rebirth
- Establishment an annual festival that reminds a community of the wealth of arts and artists in their neighborhood
- A campaign to attract artists and creative entrepreneurs to a downtown district
- Legislation to designate arts/entertainment districts
Our Arts Based Community Development Toolbox (ABCD Toolbox) contains information for artists, arts groups, residents, civic leaders, government officials…for anyone who wants to use arts and culture for community development.
The Cultural Alliance's cultural policy work is supported by the The William Penn Foundation. Additional support is provided by the John S. and James L. Kinght Foundation Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation, Lincoln Financial Foundation, and Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation.
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Creating A Mosaic In Media Borough
By Claire Brill, Community Artist
The greatest satisfaction of creating Handle With Care came when community members thrilled to the project. A worker from a nearby bank enthusiastically admired our progress when he came out for a smoke. After protesting for two weeks that he had no artistic talent and would only mess things up, he finally agreed to put on a couple tiles and walked off with a little swagger in his step. The director of an office overlooking the site became so inspired he invited his staff to piece tiles whenever they wanted to. The group wrote the business' name on the concrete beneath "their" part of the mosaic, forever a little secret. Following my lead, people working on the wall welcomed any interested passersby to put on a tile or two or more. About halfway through the installation a group of three women added some pieces during their lunch hour. At the same time the next day they returned for more, saying how much they enjoyed the meditative process of piecing tiles. For the duration of the project these women came back often for what they termed "mosaic therapy".
Share your story about the impact of arts and culture in your community!