Our cultural infrastructure in cities across America – the spaces where creative people and professionals live, work, make, rehearse, present, and perform – is under threat. Even before the pandemic, museums, artist and recording studios, rehearsal spaces, and independent music venues and theaters have been feeling the squeeze of growing development pressure and restrictive planning policy, rising rents, and changing business and revenue models across the creative industries. And while the pandemic has had a profound impact across the economy, it has been uniquely brutal for cities’ creative economy and cultural sectors. Due to these sectors’ dependence on in-person events, many cultural venues saw revenue losses of up to 90 percent, and some of our cities’ most beloved cultural spaces have closed permanently. The thought of a post-pandemic without the arts and cultural ecosystems that gives our cities their sense of place and community is a bleak one. So where do we go from here and what are the solutions — both public and private — that US cities are starting to explore to make sure these spaces can continue to thrive in our cities? How can we do this while recognizing the cultural sector’s unique role as both victims of, and often co-opted agents of, gentrification? And how can we give more consideration to equity-driven solutions to both preserve existing BIPOC run and led cultural spaces and to create new ones? In this session, participants will get to hear from those leading the fight to preserve these cultural spaces in our cities and learn about the latest policies and approaches being implemented including community and artist land trusts, new public development corporations, and progressive private sector partnerships. Moderator [[person 4]] Speakers [[person 1]] [[person 2]] [[person 3]]
Our cultural infrastructure in cities across America – the spaces where creative people and professionals live, work, make, rehearse, present, and perform – is under threat. Even before the pandemic, museums, artist and recording studios, rehearsal spaces, and independent music venues and theaters have been feeling the squeeze of growing development pressure and restrictive planning policy, rising rents, and changing business and revenue models across the creative industries. And while the pandemic has had a profound impact across the economy, it has been uniquely brutal for cities’ creative economy and cultural sectors. Due to these sectors’ dependence on in-person events, many cultural venues saw revenue losses of up to 90 percent, and some of our cities’ most beloved cultural spaces have closed permanently. The thought of a post-pandemic without the arts and cultural ecosystems that gives our cities their sense of place and community is a bleak one. So where do we go from here and what are the solutions — both public and private — that US cities are starting to explore to make sure these spaces can continue to thrive in our cities? How can we do this while recognizing the cultural sector’s unique role as both victims of, and often co-opted agents of, gentrification? And how can we give more consideration to equity-driven solutions to both preserve existing BIPOC run and led cultural spaces and to create new ones? In this session, participants will get to hear from those leading the fight to preserve these cultural spaces in our cities and learn about the latest policies and approaches being implemented including community and artist land trusts, new public development corporations, and progressive private sector partnerships. Moderator [[person 4]] Speakers [[person 1]] [[person 2]] [[person 3]]