GREENSBORO—Elsewhere announced today that it is among 55 grantees selected out of 1,270 applicants for ArtPlace America (ArtPlace) in 2014. Elsewhere received a $200,000 grant to activate four alleyways and green-spaces in the vibrant, naturally occurring cultural district of its South Elm neighborhood in downtown Greensboro, NC. This ‘artscaping’ project will connect downtown’s core with surrounding neighborhoods, advancing creative partnerships, social access, and walkability in public passages. Projects will be commissioned from more than 20 national and local artists, designers, and collectives.
"In 2003, when we first entered my grandmother's store in what was then a very sleepy downtown, we knew that Elsewhere's success was intimately tied to the growth of South Elm as a neighborhood," said George Scheer, Elsewhere’s Co-Founder, Director, and grandson of former store proprietress Sylvia Gray. "From day one we worked to be a catalyst and anchor for a creative evolution. Artplace marks the next stage in that transformation. In advance of mega development, we have an opportunity to grow and secure the collaborative character and inclusive spirit of our neighborhood."
Linda A Carlisle, Former Secretary, NC Department of Cultural Resources, remarked, “Elsewhere demonstrates the power of visionary arts and grassroots culture in revitalizing our city. Elsewhere is putting Greensboro on the map for creativity and innovation.”
"Greensboro is endeavoring to utilize art to spur economic development in the city. The value of this project is that it utilizes art to affirm and increase the life of the city" said Robert L. Powell Jr., Assistant Professor at North Carolina Agricultural & Technical University and advisor on South Elm Projects.
“Investing in and supporting the arts have a profound impact on the social, physical, and economic futures of communities,” said ArtPlace Executive Director Jamie L. Bennett. “Projects like these demonstrate how imaginative and committed people are when it comes to enhancing their communities with creative interventions and thoughtful practices.”
South Elm Projects will engage a dynamic process of community visioning and cultural imagination and extend Elsewhere’s 12-year legacy of re-purposeful design and collaborative partnerships into the streets, starting with the alley behind our building, and extending throughout our neighborhood. Scheer expressed excitement for the project, “We are so privileged to be on this amazing adventure with the opportunity to commission new artworks that will further connect our neighborhood.”
To learn more about South Elm Projects, meet our partners, and become involved, visit http://goelsewhere.org/southelmprojects.
About Elsewhere:
Elsewhere is an artist-run, non-profit art organization and residency program, set in a former thrift store in downtown Greensboro, NC. Utilizing the massive 58-year inventory, Elsewhere’s environment of art and everyday objects invokes new modes for creative response, living, doing, and exchanging in our downtown neighborhood and across the world.
About ArtPlace America:
ArtPlace America (ArtPlace) advances the field of creative placemaking, in which art and culture plays an explicit and central role in shaping communities’ social, physical, and economic futures. To date, ArtPlace has awarded $56.8 million through 189 grants to projects serving 122 communities across 42 states and the District of Columbia.
ArtPlace is a collaboration among the Barr Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Ford Foundation, The James Irvine Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, The McKnight Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The William Penn Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, Rasmuson Foundation, The Surdna Foundation, and two anonymous donors.
ArtPlace seeks advice and counsel from its close working relationships with the following federal agencies: the National Endowment for the Arts, the US Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Agriculture, Education, and Transportation, along with leadership from the White House Office of Management and Budget and the Domestic Policy Council.
ArtPlace has additional partnership from six major financial institutions: Bank of America, Citi, Deutsche Bank, Chase, MetLife and Morgan Stanley.
The deadline for submission for a 2015 grant application will be announced later this year. For more information or to join ArtPlace’s mailing list, visit www.artplaceamerica.org.
For additional information about ArtPlace contact: Bow Bridge Communications, LLC, New York City, Libby Mark, Managing Principal, 917- 968-5567, info@bow-bridge.com.
A press release.
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