At the Crossroads: A Community Arts and Development Convening

The St. Louis Regional Arts Commission and its Community Arts Training (CAT) Institute will host “At the Crossroads: A Community Arts and Development Convening,” a forum for learning and sharing ideas for cross-sector practitioners of arts-based community development programs. The convening runs from the evening of March 25 through March 27 at RAC, 6128 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63112

Community arts development describes a wide range of initiatives by artists and arts organizations in partnership with human service agencies, community organizers and community developers. Designed to help individuals as well as raise awareness of social and civic issues, these programs take place in prisons, homeless shelters, at-risk schools, hospices, community centers, daycare facilities, social service agencies, etc.

“At the Crossroads,” which is funded by the Nathan Cummings Foundation, the Whitaker Foundation and RAC, will attract some of the foremost leaders and innovative thinkers dedicated to community arts development with the goal to explore current practices, inspire new ideas and create collaboration in communities across the country.

Among the participants for “At the Crossroads” are Bill Cleveland, of the Center for the Study of Art and Community in Seattle, WA; Arlene Goldbard, from the San Francisco area and author of New Creative Community; and Barbara Schaffer Bacon and Pam Korza, co-directors of Animating Democracy in Washington, D.C., a program sponsored by Americans for the Arts (AFTA).

The convening will feature interactive workshops, performances and presentation of new scholarship, and aims to connect and engage people working in diverse practices. Commissioned papers, presentations and documentation of discussions will be assembled after the convening and made available to the public in order to build on the field's knowledge base.

To find out more about the Convening Registration and Conference Information

visit the Community Arts Convening page at www.art-stl.com/convene.

The convening will take place at the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis at 6128 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63112, which is on The Delmar Loop, named one of the “Top 10 Great Streets in America” by the American Planning Association.