The ARC Culture and Community Design program seeks to advance arts and culture as an essential part of inclusive and equitable planning in communities across metro Atlanta. One way we do this is through an immersive seven-month program where community organizations serving underrepresented populations collaborate with local officials and planners to design projects and planning initiatives focused on arts and culture.
The program’s goals are:
ARC Culture and Community Design brings artists, culture bearers, planning and design professionals, and people working in local government together with community organizations to develop arts and culture-focused community design projects. The program intentionally seeks to include individuals and organizations representing communities that have been historically marginalized or excluded in local and regional planning processes.
ARC Culture and Community Design is designed for early- and mid-career professionals who identify with one or more of the communities described above and have demonstrated experience in community advocacy, organizing, planning, or design.
Participants will have the opportunity to develop and enhance skills that will allow them to design and lead arts and culture-based community design and planning; advance equity and justice in their communities; and build relationships with other practitioners and future collaborators.
As metro Atlanta’s comprehensive planning organization, ARC is committed to serving our increasingly diverse region by working closely and intentionally with communities that have been previously excluded or harmed by local or regional planning.
Partnering with artists, creatives, culture bearers, and community-based organizations, particularly with those serving underrepresented communities, ensures that the region’s diverse populations, community traditions, and cultural practices are actively included in decisions that affect their lives.
Over the past two years, the ARC’s Community Engagement and the Arts team has been refining the ARC’s Arts Leaders of Metro Atlanta (ALMA) leadership program to focus on improving ARC’s engagement with historically marginalized and excluded communities. Beginning with ALMA 2021 and continuing with ALMA 2022, our team has led this evolution by working with artists, creatives, and culture bearers to reimagine traditional community planning and engagement processes.
ARC’s Strategic Partners are committed to fostering collaborative regional approaches that improve quality of life in metro Atlanta. Their support elevates ARC leadership programs, research and events throughout the year. Learn more.
