How can the arts shape the social, physical, and economic character of communities? As the first major public-private partnership to encourage creative placemaking, ArtPlace aims to find out. By pooling the resources of 13 major national and regional foundations, six of the nation's largest banks, and a diverse group of federal agencies, ArtPlace has funded art-based projects ranging from site-specific interventions to community planning and business development strategies. ArtPlace America funds two projects that benefit Cleveland neighborhoods: Upcycle St. Clair and Collinwood Rising. Upcycle St. Clair is a comprehensive, arts-based strategy that shows how creative reuse can lift an entire Rust Belt neighborhood through education, community empowerment and market-driven responses, proving that creativity is the key to Cleveland's renewal. Collinwood Rising creatively combats urban vacancy and foreclosure in Cleveland's North Shore Collinwood neighborhood by working with artists to establish replicable development models for artist space that leverages ongoing HUD and municipal investments.
Jamie Bennett is the executive director of ArtPlace America. Until December 2013, Bennett was Chief of Staff at the National Endowment for the Arts. Previously, he was Chief of Staff at the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs during Mayor Bloomberg's administration; provided strategic counsel at the Agnes Gund Foundation; served as chief of staff to the President of Columbia University; and worked in fundraising at The Museum of Modern Art, the New York Philharmonic, and Columbia College.