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Creative Catalysts:

Artists at the Heart of Civic Engagement

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Agenda:

Introductions and Intro to Forecast / FORWARD
National Context
Understanding How Artists Contribute to Civic Engagement
Artist + City Partnerships
Understanding Best Practices in Working with Artists
Your Turn! Project REMIX
Share Back
Close Out

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Jen Krava

Director of Learning, Grants + Research

she/her

Theresa Sweetland

Executive Director

she/her

Ebony Dumas

Director of Planning + Engagement

she/her

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FORECAST IS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT ACTIVATES, INSPIRES AND ADVOCATES FOR PUBLIC ART THAT ADVANCES JUSTICE, HEALTH AND HUMAN DIGNITY.

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We emphasize access for artists of color, Indigenous and/or Native artists, and groups that are traditionally excluded.

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Our team works in communities across the country and globe. These are locations where have been on the ground meeting with stakeholders and partnering with communities to meet their public art and engagement needs.

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Jen Krava

Director of Learning, Grants + Research

Mallory Rukhsana Nezam

Consulting Partner

Theresa Sweetland

Executive Director

Ebony Dumas

Director of Planning + Engagement

Aki Shibata

Consulting Partner

Hawona Sullivan Janzen

Consultant

Tricia Heuring

Consulting Partner

Candida Gonzalez

Consulting Partner

Jen Dolen

Content + Communications Manager

Andi Cheney

Finance + Operations Manager

Taylan De Johnette

Consulting Partner

Lauren Kennedy

Consulting Partner

Boo McCaleb

Consulting Partner

Singer Horse Capture

Consulting Partner

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Artists at the Heart of Civic Engagement

The Challenges We Face Today

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“The United States faces an unprecedented crisis of democracy, one that goes to the heart of who is allowed to belong, who makes critical decisions, and what values guide our nation’s future. “

– Ford Foundation

Three compounding threats:

Government increasingly dominated by elite interests
Rising nationalism rooted in racism, misogyny, and authoritarian tendencies
Rampant polarization

�Issues:

Declining trust in government, especially among young people
Systemic injustices excluding many voices
For many people, including immigrants, being in public and engaging in civic life can carry real fears and safety risks for themselves and their families
60% of Americans believe democracy isn’t working (National Civic League)
70% would fail a basic civics test (Institute for Citizens and Scholars)

We’re in a moment of profound challenge—one that asks us to reimagine democracy itself.�

As the Ford Foundation says, it’s about who belongs, who decides, and what values guide us.�

Elite interests, nationalism rooted in racism and misogyny, and polarization have eroded trust.�

The failure of old civic engagement models is part of the problem—they don’t invite real voices or collective solutions.�

The question: How do we create trust and build the conditions for voices to be heard, especially those historically excluded?�

This is where artists and culture bearers come in. Their work isn’t about partisan outcomes—it’s about building the “civic health” that helps communities imagine and co-create a future rooted in justice and belonging.�

Let’s explore how they’re doing this, and how we can support them as vital civic infrastructure.

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Across the country, countless organizations are tackling urgent civic challenges by:

Strengthening democratic participation�
Expanding civic knowledge and access�
Bridging divides across ideology, race, and geography�
Reimagining how institutions respond to communities

Yet we still find that too often, artists are left out of this work and seen as a “nice to have,” but not key strategic partners.

What does it look like when artists are seen as critical civic collaborators, helping communities imagine, build, and sustain a healthier democracy?

We’re in a moment of profound challenge—one that asks us to reimagine democracy itself.�

As the Ford Foundation says, it’s about who belongs, who decides, and what values guide us.�

Elite interests, nationalism rooted in racism and misogyny, and polarization have eroded trust.�

The failure of old civic engagement models is part of the problem—they don’t invite real voices or collective solutions.�

The question: How do we create trust and build the conditions for voices to be heard, especially those historically excluded?�

This is where artists and culture bearers come in. Their work isn’t about partisan outcomes—it’s about building the “civic health” that helps communities imagine and co-create a future rooted in justice and belonging.�

Let’s explore how they’re doing this, and how we can support them as vital civic infrastructure.

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How artists are already building resilience and renewal in the civic realm

FORWARD highlights how artists are partnering with cities, institutions, and communities to courageously tackle the vital issues of our time.

�

As the Ford Foundation says, it’s about who belongs, who decides, and what values guide us.�

Elite interests, nationalism rooted in racism and misogyny, and polarization have eroded trust.�

The failure of old civic engagement models is part of the problem—they don’t invite real voices or collective solutions.�

The question: How do we create trust and build the conditions for voices to be heard, especially those historically excluded?�

This is where artists and culture bearers come in. Their work isn’t about partisan outcomes—it’s about building the “civic health” that helps communities imagine and co-create a future rooted in justice and belonging.�

Let’s explore how they’re doing this, and how we can support them as vital civic infrastructure.

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Why This Isn’t About Voting or Elections

Artists have long played powerful and recognized roles in organizing, advocacy and elections so for this issue of FORWARD, we focused on something different:

Civic health infrastructure: the long-term, community-rooted work that makes democracy more participatory, inclusive, and resilient.

We’re in a moment of profound challenge—one that asks us to reimagine democracy itself.�

As the Ford Foundation says, it’s about who belongs, who decides, and what values guide us.�

Elite interests, nationalism rooted in racism and misogyny, and polarization have eroded trust.�

The failure of old civic engagement models is part of the problem—they don’t invite real voices or collective solutions.�

The question: How do we create trust and build the conditions for voices to be heard, especially those historically excluded?�

This is where artists and culture bearers come in. Their work isn’t about partisan outcomes—it’s about building the “civic health” that helps communities imagine and co-create a future rooted in justice and belonging.�

Let’s explore how they’re doing this, and how we can support them as vital civic infrastructure.

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We’re in a moment of profound challenge—one that asks us to reimagine democracy itself.�

As the Ford Foundation says, it’s about who belongs, who decides, and what values guide us.�

Elite interests, nationalism rooted in racism and misogyny, and polarization have eroded trust.�

The failure of old civic engagement models is part of the problem—they don’t invite real voices or collective solutions.�

The question: How do we create trust and build the conditions for voices to be heard, especially those historically excluded?�

This is where artists and culture bearers come in. Their work isn’t about partisan outcomes—it’s about building the “civic health” that helps communities imagine and co-create a future rooted in justice and belonging.�

Let’s explore how they’re doing this, and how we can support them as vital civic infrastructure.

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We’re in a moment of profound challenge—one that asks us to reimagine democracy itself.�

As the Ford Foundation says, it’s about who belongs, who decides, and what values guide us.�

Elite interests, nationalism rooted in racism and misogyny, and polarization have eroded trust.�

The failure of old civic engagement models is part of the problem—they don’t invite real voices or collective solutions.�

The question: How do we create trust and build the conditions for voices to be heard, especially those historically excluded?�

This is where artists and culture bearers come in. Their work isn’t about partisan outcomes—it’s about building the “civic health” that helps communities imagine and co-create a future rooted in justice and belonging.�

Let’s explore how they’re doing this, and how we can support them as vital civic infrastructure.

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We’re in a moment of profound challenge—one that asks us to reimagine democracy itself.�

As the Ford Foundation says, it’s about who belongs, who decides, and what values guide us.�

Elite interests, nationalism rooted in racism and misogyny, and polarization have eroded trust.�

The failure of old civic engagement models is part of the problem—they don’t invite real voices or collective solutions.�

The question: How do we create trust and build the conditions for voices to be heard, especially those historically excluded?�

This is where artists and culture bearers come in. Their work isn’t about partisan outcomes—it’s about building the “civic health” that helps communities imagine and co-create a future rooted in justice and belonging.�

Let’s explore how they’re doing this, and how we can support them as vital civic infrastructure.

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We’re in a moment of profound challenge—one that asks us to reimagine democracy itself.�

As the Ford Foundation says, it’s about who belongs, who decides, and what values guide us.�

Elite interests, nationalism rooted in racism and misogyny, and polarization have eroded trust.�

The failure of old civic engagement models is part of the problem—they don’t invite real voices or collective solutions.�

The question: How do we create trust and build the conditions for voices to be heard, especially those historically excluded?�

This is where artists and culture bearers come in. Their work isn’t about partisan outcomes—it’s about building the “civic health” that helps communities imagine and co-create a future rooted in justice and belonging.�

Let’s explore how they’re doing this, and how we can support them as vital civic infrastructure.

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What is Civic Engagement?

OR

Text “46788 [your answer]” to 22333

How Artists Contribute to Civic Engagement

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Case Study: St. Louis Park Vision 4.0

Location: St. Louis Park, MN�Dates: Ongoing since Fall 2024�Client: City of St. Louis Park�Overview: Every 10 years, the City of St. Louis Park reviews and updates the strategic priorities that staff and elected officials use to guide planning and decision-making over the next decade. In 2024, Forecast responded to their RFP for the fourth iteration of the community vision process. With an artist and educator as the proposed engagement lead for the full project, and other artists leading smaller portions of the engagement, our submission stood out as the most creative proposal to engage harder to reach communities.

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Case Study: St. Louis Park Vision 4.0

Key points:

Artists embedded as the facilitator and curator of all arts-based engagement
Every engagement method featured local independent artists

Pop-ups, graphic recording, posters,

Art is now displayed in City Hall and residents see themselves in the artwork�

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Case Study: Tambourine Cypress, by Ashley Teamer

Location: New Orleans, LA�Dates: 2024�Lead Partners: Prospect New Orleans, Arts New Orleans�Overview: On the Lafitte Greenway in New Orleans, LA, you’ll find this music-making tree sculpture that also serves as a community gathering space and a permanent imprint of Black culture in the country’s oldest Black neighborhood, Treme. Arts New Orleans, who commissioned the artwork with Prospect New Orleans, explains how tambourines are important instruments in community gatherings, “[t]he tambourine’s shimmering sounds connect us to Black Masking Indian traditions, gospel rhythms, jazz accents, and a full spectrum of music brought to life through this interactive sculpture.”.

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Case Study: Tambourine Cypress, by Ashley Teamer

Key points:

Prospect New Orleans, a recurring civic exhibition, brings “new art to an old city”
As demographics change rapidly, Tambourine Cypress is now a permanent part of the Treme
The artist is a New Orleans native, many generations over�

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Artist + City Partnerships

= Generate Civic Transformation

Case Study: The Sunnies

The People’s Money – NYC’s Civic Engagement

In February 2023, the People’s Money Artist Collective, with the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, launched an open call for five artists to help build the creative identity for The People’s Money: Citywide Participatory Budgeting Get Out the Vote campaign.

Residents get the chance to vote for projects that directly address community needs and projects with the most votes are funded by the city.

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City budgeting can be technical, bureaucratic, and disconnected.

Artist collective created the playful, hopeful “Sunnies” campaign.

Artists and public agencies collaborated to make city budgeting joyful and accessible.

�

One powerful example of artists driving civic transformation is The People’s Money—New York City’s participatory budgeting effort.

The challenge was clear:� Traditionally, city budgeting is a complicated, bureaucratic process. It’s full of jargon and technical steps that often leave residents feeling excluded. While the budget shapes almost everything about daily life—parks, schools, housing—most people didn’t see themselves as part of it.

So, what did they do?� In 2024, the NYC Civic Engagement Commission and the Department of Cultural Affairs invited six local artists—including Yazmany Arboleda, the city’s first People’s Artist—to reimagine participatory budgeting as something people could actually connect to.

The artists’ approach:� They created the “Sunnies”—playful, bright yellow figures that showed up everywhere from libraries to parades. These figures were more than eye-catching art; they were a joyful symbol of optimism and inclusion.� They also used giant inflatables, neighborhood events, and social media campaigns to invite people in, making city budgeting feel less intimidating and more like something we all belong to.

And the impact?� This artist-led effort sparked the highest-ever participation in the process: nearly 140,000 New Yorkers voted on how to spend $5 million in their communities. That’s not just a number—it’s a sign of civic health in action. It shows how creativity can strengthen social bonds, build trust in government, and help people see themselves as agents of change.

This project reminds us that democracy isn’t just about dry policy—it’s about people, imagination, and the shared hope for a better future.

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This resulted in the highest-ever participation= 140,000+ residents voted

The project shows how to build civic health through civic knowledge, connection, and accountability.

�

One powerful example of artists driving civic transformation is The People’s Money—New York City’s participatory budgeting effort.

The challenge was clear:� Traditionally, city budgeting is a complicated, bureaucratic process. It’s full of jargon and technical steps that often leave residents feeling excluded. While the budget shapes almost everything about daily life—parks, schools, housing—most people didn’t see themselves as part of it.

So, what did they do?� In 2024, the NYC Civic Engagement Commission and the Department of Cultural Affairs invited six local artists—including Yazmany Arboleda, the city’s first People’s Artist—to reimagine participatory budgeting as something people could actually connect to.

The artists’ approach:� They created the “Sunnies”—playful, bright yellow figures that showed up everywhere from libraries to parades. These figures were more than eye-catching art; they were a joyful symbol of optimism and inclusion.� They also used giant inflatables, neighborhood events, and social media campaigns to invite people in, making city budgeting feel less intimidating and more like something we all belong to.

And the impact?� This artist-led effort sparked the highest-ever participation in the process: nearly 140,000 New Yorkers voted on how to spend $5 million in their communities. That’s not just a number—it’s a sign of civic health in action. It shows how creativity can strengthen social bonds, build trust in government, and help people see themselves as agents of change.

This project reminds us that democracy isn’t just about dry policy—it’s about people, imagination, and the shared hope for a better future.

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Arts and cultural efforts focused on one part of the city for 10 years and the city wanted to hear from residents, city-wide.

Artists and public agencies collaborated to tie into existing spaces and events at parks, libraries, small businesses and schools.

Local artists created 20 engaging pop up events in areas of the city where people were already gathering.

�

Bloomington, MN.

One powerful example of artists driving civic transformation is The People’s Money—New York City’s participatory budgeting effort.

The challenge was clear:� Traditionally, city budgeting is a complicated, bureaucratic process. It’s full of jargon and technical steps that often leave residents feeling excluded. While the budget shapes almost everything about daily life—parks, schools, housing—most people didn’t see themselves as part of it.

So, what did they do?� In 2024, the NYC Civic Engagement Commission and the Department of Cultural Affairs invited six local artists—including Yazmany Arboleda, the city’s first People’s Artist—to reimagine participatory budgeting as something people could actually connect to.

The artists’ approach:� They created the “Sunnies”—playful, bright yellow figures that showed up everywhere from libraries to parades. These figures were more than eye-catching art; they were a joyful symbol of optimism and inclusion.� They also used giant inflatables, neighborhood events, and social media campaigns to invite people in, making city budgeting feel less intimidating and more like something we all belong to.

And the impact?� This artist-led effort sparked the highest-ever participation in the process: nearly 140,000 New Yorkers voted on how to spend $5 million in their communities. That’s not just a number—it’s a sign of civic health in action. It shows how creativity can strengthen social bonds, build trust in government, and help people see themselves as agents of change.

This project reminds us that democracy isn’t just about dry policy—it’s about people, imagination, and the shared hope for a better future.

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One powerful example of artists driving civic transformation is The People’s Money—New York City’s participatory budgeting effort.

The challenge was clear:� Traditionally, city budgeting is a complicated, bureaucratic process. It’s full of jargon and technical steps that often leave residents feeling excluded. While the budget shapes almost everything about daily life—parks, schools, housing—most people didn’t see themselves as part of it.

So, what did they do?� In 2024, the NYC Civic Engagement Commission and the Department of Cultural Affairs invited six local artists—including Yazmany Arboleda, the city’s first People’s Artist—to reimagine participatory budgeting as something people could actually connect to.

The artists’ approach:� They created the “Sunnies”—playful, bright yellow figures that showed up everywhere from libraries to parades. These figures were more than eye-catching art; they were a joyful symbol of optimism and inclusion.� They also used giant inflatables, neighborhood events, and social media campaigns to invite people in, making city budgeting feel less intimidating and more like something we all belong to.

And the impact?� This artist-led effort sparked the highest-ever participation in the process: nearly 140,000 New Yorkers voted on how to spend $5 million in their communities. That’s not just a number—it’s a sign of civic health in action. It shows how creativity can strengthen social bonds, build trust in government, and help people see themselves as agents of change.

This project reminds us that democracy isn’t just about dry policy—it’s about people, imagination, and the shared hope for a better future.

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�Take Aways:

These partnerships were built on trust with artists co-creating a strategy to meet city goals.

They also show how a city can hire artists as key partners to bring more than the creation of art but also to bring skills, ideas and creative ways to connect with people’s hearts, minds and dreams.

For those of you thinking about partnerships in your own communities:

Involve artists early on in the process and make them part of shaping the project’s vision.
Take some risks and trust artists to try new things and engage the community in ways that you haven’t tried before.
Create a plan that builds in processes for conflict resolution and problem solving along the way so that when you take risks, try new things and not get slowed down by setbacks.
See these partnerships as civic infrastructure and not just a one time art project, but a deeper investment in how democracy works that can continue long-term.

These and many other projects like these show us that when we trust artists to do what they do best, communities become more vibrant, more inclusive, and more democratic.

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Understanding Best Practices in Working with Artists

Row 1, from left to right, artists at sites in Greater MN Regional Parks and Trails: Granite Falls Memorial Park + Lake Brophy County Park (Granite Falls + Alexandria): Tamara Isfeld + John Sterner; Oxbow Park & Zollman Zoo, Chester Woods Park, Cascade Lake Park / Quarry Hill Nature Center (Olmsted County): Cassandra Buck; Two Inlets at Bdé Heháka – Omashkooz Zaaga’igaans Regional Park, Robert Ney Park (Sherburne County and Wright County): Lindsay Buck.

Row 2, Metropolitan Regional Parks: Dakota County Parks: Ifrah Mansour; North Mississippi Regional Park (Minneapolis): Stephanie Lindquist; Battle Creek Park (Saint Paul and Maplewood): Tara Perron + Marlena Myles.

Row 3, Minnesota DNR Parks and Trails: Lake Bemidji State Park (Bemidji): Nicole Rojas-Oltmanns + Monica Rojas; Tettegouche State Park (Silver Bay): Sam Zimmerman; Wild River State Park (Center City): JG Everest.

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Best Practices in Working with Artists

Build trust early and center safety.
Pay and support artists fairly.
Embed artists in civic systems.
Prioritize equity and cultural fluency.
Co-create with communities, not for them.
Reflect and adapt along the way.
Commit to long-term relationships.

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Case Study: MNPAiR - MN Artists in Residence in Parks

Location: Minnesota (9 parks across the state)�Date: 2024 - 2035�Partners: MN Department of Natural Resources, Greater MN Parks and Trails Commission, Met Council Parks�Overview: In partnership with 9 park host sites across the state, 12 artists are embedded research and engage with a park, trail or park system and its communities and then use that research to develop new work(s). Unlike traditional residency opportunities, this program focuses on how artists can serve as partners to and ambassadors for the parks and contribute not just art, but ideas. The goal of the MNPAiR program is to enhance a sense of welcoming and belonging to park users. We hope that this pilot helps foster deeper community engagement and relationship-building in state and regional parks, improves access to Minnesota parks and trails, and increases collective appreciation for park uses, outdoor recreation, and natural resources, especially in underserved communities.

Key points:

Artists were selected through a matchmaking process
Artists are embedded in park structures across three parks and trail systems in the state of MN
This is a pilot project and we are evaluating each step

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Build Trust Early and Center Safety

Start with deep listening and relationship-building
Actively address concerns about safety for artists and participants

Artist Sam Zimmerman shares his Ojibwe culture with students at Tettegouche State Park.

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Pay and Support Artists Fairly

Provide equitable compensation for artists’ time, materials, and leadership, not just final outputs

Artist Dawi Westerman teaches how to construct traditional Dakota snowshoes at Battle Creek Park.

Jen:

A major pitfall in civic work? Underfunding the artist’s full role.� In both case studies, the artist wasn’t a “gig worker”—they were embedded in a civic structure (a museum, a statewide network) and paid for their time, materials, and leadership.� If we want sustained collaboration, we need to build it into our structures—not rely on passion or unpaid labor.

artists for MNPAiR are paid $40,000 over a period if 12 months. They are expected to spend an average of 20 hours/week on the project - with an understanding that depending on their projects, they may work 40 hours one week and none the next.

Artists also were given $14,000 for materials, which could be used to produce artwork, pay other people for their time and labor, etc.

Being embedded within the parks meant that we needed to give them time to build that relationship and understand the context in which they are working. Artists were tasked with spending the first 3 months in a “discovery” phase, where they were learning about the people and place, how things operate, goals that the parks had, etc. They were not expected to come up with ideas or a plan during this time, just to absorb information

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Embed Artists in Civic Systems

Make artists part of your planning and decision-making structures, not just outside contributors

Artist James Everest creates a Sound Garden at Wild River State Park.

Jen:

In RUX, rural Kentuckians helped shape who was invited and how people connected.�In MNPAiR, we developed the application in a way that helped us understand why the artists were excited about this project, and how it fits within their body of work and their career trajectory. We asked them:

How have you historically involved communities in your practice? (200 word limit)

What is your relationship to: land, Minnesota, and parks? (200 word limit)

What appeals to you about this program? (200 word limit)

How do you like to collaborate? (200 word limit)

Write 1-3 sentences about why each of your top 3 sites are of interest to you.

they also got to select their three top host sites. We then were able to share a list of candidates with each host site, and they had the opportunity to determine their top artists as well, so we were able to do a little bit of matchmaking

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Prioritize Equity and Cultural Fluency

Engage artists with lived experiences that reflect the communities involved, especially BIPOC and immigrant artists

Artists Heather Friedli and Tanáğidaŋ Tó Wíŋ pose for a snow sculpture at Battle Creek Park.

Jen:

RUX was Interdisciplinary approach across arts, agriculture, and local policy

where artists facilitated gatherings that brought rural and urban contexts together. Arts and culture was what brought these different disciplines together.

MNPAiR - the teams are varied - artists are working with their park sites, and their contact there may be a naturalist, but they are meeting with the facilities operations team, the park manager, programming and communications staff. We have a team of folks at forecast working on this project, and there are administrators in each park system that are part of our core project team.

We also have dedicated evaluation happening as part of this project, where we are capturing feedback at different parts of the project from all of the different collaborators - the artists, the host sites, the larger park and trail systems. and this includes both what is going well, and what could be improved.

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Co-create with Artists and Communities, not For Them

Treat artists and community members as collaborators and co-designers, not passive audiences

A young community member shares their ideas with artist Cassandra Buck at Oxbow Park.

Jen:

RUX is nearly a decade old—and it keeps going because it built artist leadership into its long-term strategy.� Civic projects that promote equity start by sharing power—and continue through sustained partnerships.

the main goal of MNPAiR is to create welcoming and belonging in our parks for folks who maybe don’t typically use the parks. this in itself starts to address the power structures within our civic life, and helping parks to understand what might attract different people to their sites. this is a pilot project for this year, and the full team has had several conversations about what this could look like in future iterations. as this continues to happen again and again, it will become part of the way the parks work, it will become expected by community members, and it will facilitate long term relationships between parks and their communities.

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Reflect and Adapt Along the Way

Build in ongoing reflection and flexibility to meet community needs and honor what’s working

Artist Marlena Myles tests her alternate reality project at Battle Creek Park.

Jen:

RUX is nearly a decade old—and it keeps going because it built artist leadership into its long-term strategy.� Civic projects that promote equity start by sharing power—and continue through sustained partnerships.

the main goal of MNPAiR is to create welcoming and belonging in our parks for folks who maybe don’t typically use the parks. this in itself starts to address the power structures within our civic life, and helping parks to understand what might attract different people to their sites. this is a pilot project for this year, and the full team has had several conversations about what this could look like in future iterations. as this continues to happen again and again, it will become part of the way the parks work, it will become expected by community members, and it will facilitate long term relationships between parks and their communities.

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Commit to Long-Term Relationships

Support sustained engagement and networks that extend beyond one project

Artist Sam Zimmerman talks about the flora and fauna at Tettegouche State Park.

Jen:

RUX is nearly a decade old—and it keeps going because it built artist leadership into its long-term strategy.� Civic projects that promote equity start by sharing power—and continue through sustained partnerships.

the main goal of MNPAiR is to create welcoming and belonging in our parks for folks who maybe don’t typically use the parks. this in itself starts to address the power structures within our civic life, and helping parks to understand what might attract different people to their sites. this is a pilot project for this year, and the full team has had several conversations about what this could look like in future iterations. as this continues to happen again and again, it will become part of the way the parks work, it will become expected by community members, and it will facilitate long term relationships between parks and their communities.

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Best Practices in Working with Artists

Build trust early and center safety.
Pay and support artists fairly.
Embed artists in civic systems.
Prioritize equity and cultural fluency.
Co-create with communities, not for them.
Reflect and adapt along the way.
Commit to long-term relationships.

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CASE STUDY REMIX

Read through the case study or develop one with your group
Determine the CORE STRATEGY
REMIX the project to a different place or context

Determine as a group what variable to change to make it relevant to one of your communities (change from urban to rural, from youth involvement to elder involvement, etc.)

Take NOTES to share back!

Jen

Sometimes it’s easy to understand what to do, but it’s not super easy to figure out HOW to do it. This can be different in each community. We are going to do an activity together that helps us get to the how.

We are going to break into small groups and using the case studies we just presented, your group is going to remix it to be relevant to another or your community. We have 6 case studies, and if anyone has a project they would like to workshop, we have room for 2 more.

Hand out 3–4 sentence case studies of real artist-led civic projects (or use the ones you already presented).�
Each group chooses one, identifies the core strategy, and then imagines how to remix it in a totally different place or context (e.g., rural instead of urban, with youth instead of elders).�
Groups share their most surprising remix.�
Together, your small group is going to read through the case study and determine the CORE STRATEGY - for example, the core strategy of the MNPAiR project might be to create more welcoming and belonging in parks across the state
You have 20 min for conversation and then we’ll do a shareback from each group at the end.

Case studies:

MNPAIR�RUX�Hey we need to talk�New York Civic Engagement Commission (NYCEC) / The People’s Money – New York City, 2023–2024�SLP (CG as artist facilitator and Studio Thalo graphic recording) or MRLC�public art now from Forward - New Orleans as part of the Prospect festival - Tamborine Tree

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THANK YOU!

Theresa Sweetland

theresa@forecastpublicart.org

Ebony Dumas

ebony@forecastpublicart.org

Jen Krava

jenk@forecastpublicart.org

www.forecastpublicart.org