We are excited to announce a new program for young cultural entrepreneurs – the Creative Community Fellows program. We’re looking for 50 exceptional individuals whose work sits squarely at the intersection of culture and community. Leaders who understand the power of arts and culture and who wield that power to address community needs and contribute to healthy neighborhoods.
With the support of The Kresge Foundation, this program grew out of our exploration of the role of art in civil society and the importance of community in the sustainability of the cultural sector. Many call it creative placemaking. For us it’s not the all-things-to-all-people proper noun but rather the work of artists, entrepreneurs and organizations who are restoring and animating communities by putting arts and culture at the center of community development.
Working with the University of Pennsylvania, we developed a 9-month intensive incubator that will train, mentor and support these Fellows as they design and drive forward community projects. Fellows will even get the chance to pitch their ideas to some of the top national funders of creative placemaking projects and develop crowd-funding campaigns.
We want this program to transform the work of these 50 individuals and create ripples throughout the field. So, we are trying a radically different approach. We are opening up the process to create opportunities for cultural entrepreneurs around the world to take part. Fellows will share their progress and learning online. We will share the curriculum and tools. Anyone will be able to access and add to the collective learning from this program. This will create a global dialogue about the ways in which culture can restore and animate communities.
We encourage you to go to our website, learn more about the program and get involved. Apply to become a Fellow or share this information with those in your network. Let’s truly make this a field-wide program!