Purpose and Goals
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:
- Supporting the capacity of these underrepresented communities to participate in and lead local and regional planning processes, with ARC as a collaborator and as a conduit to funding and execution;
- Educating and training artists, culture bearers, planners, designers, and local government officials to collaborate on planning and community engagement projects; and
- Establishing lessons learned on inclusive, equitable, and creative planning that we can share as best practices for future implementation.
Program Description
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. The program will run from February to September 2023, meeting at least once a month and requiring additional time to work on projects.
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.
Information about Culture and Community Design 2024 will be available in the spring. To stay up to date, please sign up for our newsletter.