By Tom McClimon
July 18, 2011

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Rocco Landesman has announced the inaugural round of “Our Town” funding, totaling $6.5 million in grants to 51 communities that have created public-private partnerships to strengthen the arts while shaping the social, physical, and economic characters of their neighborhoods, cities and regions.

Landesman said, “Communities across our country are investing in the arts and smart design to enhance Americans’ quality of life and to promote the distinctive identities of our communities. Our Town creates partnerships among local governments and arts and design organizations to strengthen the creative sector and help revitalize the overall community.”

NEA’s Director of Design Jason Schupbach noted, “Creative placemaking is a strategy for making places vibrant. Arts and design are essential parts of the complex work of building a livable, sustainable community.”

Announcement of the new Our Town funding program was made by Landesman at The U.S. Conference of Mayors Winter Meeting in January of this year.

Our Town grants range from $25,000 to $250,000. Examples of projects receiving Our Town grants:

• Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs – to support master planning and design for the Watts Train Station Visitors Center and connecting Artist Pathways.

• Reinvestment Fund – to support the development of a Creative Assets Mapping Database for Philadelphia.

• Tuma-Pima Arts Council – to support cultural asset mapping and community engagement for Tucson’s Historic Warehouse Arts District.

• Little Rock – to support the design phase of a comprehensive revitalization of historic buildings and the creation of a cultural corridor on Main Street.

• Dubuque – to support planning and design related to the Dubuque Historic Millwork District.

• Evanston – to support an architectural study and financial plan for a performing arts and community center in the downtown area.

• New Orleans – to support the creation of Claiborne Corridor Cultural Collaborative Plan.

• Greater Columbus (OH) Arts Council – to support a program of public arts projects along the riverfront in Columbus.

• Charleston (SC) – to support the transformation of a neglected open space to create the Gallard Center Arts Precinct.

• Tacoma – to support a collaborative process for the redesign of the Tacoma Arts Museum Plaza and the surrounding Pacific Avenue streetscape.

Our Town builds upon the NEA’s 25-year history of investment in creative placemaking, which has included the Mayors Institute on City Design, a partnership with the Conference of Mayors and the American Architectural Foundation, which connects mayors and design professionals to tackle communities’ most pressing design challenges.

A complete list of the Our Town grants can be found at NEA’s website: arts.gov