November Creative Exchange Hangout Recap & Video

On November 20th, just before Thanksgiving, we hosted a conversation with the creators of two of the community-oriented toolkits hosted on Creative Exchange. Jun-Li Wang, Artist Community Organizer at Springboard for the Arts, spoke about Irrigate, artist-led creative placemaking, and Andrew Tran of the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs at the University of Minnesota joined us to talk about The Road to the Community Plan. The conversation was moderated by Creative Exchange’s Carl Atiya Swanson.
 
Both of these toolkits are designed with creative strategies for community engagement. The Road to the Community Plan includes tactics and tips for the ways community organizations can engage members – using visual strategies, accessible meeting places, informal idea-gathering and formal surveys, to really bring out the needs and desires of a community. The tools can be easily adapted and repurposed for all sorts of planning or any system that is looking for feedback!
 
The Irrigate toolkit is came out of major light rail construction through the heart of Saint Paul, MN. To change the narrative of waiting, economic loss and despair that can come with that kind of disruption, Springboard for the Arts partnered with the City of Saint Paul  and Twin Cities LISC to create an artist-led creative placemaking project. With key funding from Artplace, the project identified and supported artists with a relationship to the affected neighborhoods to partner with businesses and organizations to create art projects that resulted in surprise, joy, a changed narrative about the area, and increased traffic to business. The toolkit breaks down the process, learning and templates, and can be implemented at a range of scales.
 
Check out the full conversation for more insights and tips on how artists create, lift up and share value with their projects. Then go ahead, get a toolkit, and make something happen. If you have more questions, or a toolkit you want to share, or a theme you want to see discussed at the next conversation (stay tuned!) be in touch – creativeexchange@springboardforthearts.org. Thanks for watching, and being a part of the exchange.