Created, Together.

A National Assembly for Artists Working With Communities 

Fri., Oct. 20, 2023, 9 am – 6 pm – Site Visits & Film Screening
Sat., Oct. 21, 2023, 9 am – 4 pm – Breakout Conversations & Panel Discussion

Created, Together. is a national assembly for artists and creatives working with communities brought to Philadelphia by Mural Arts Institute. This two-day event includes site visits to public art projects throughout the city of Philadelphia, a film screening, and a full day of networking with fellow creatives from across the country. The gathering is open to all who identify as contributors to the creative intersection of art in public spaces. Artists, administrators, community members, policymakers, students, and more are welcome. 

The goal of this symposium is to amplify the voices of people doing this work daily, and by design, there is not a long list of celebrity names highlighted. Instead, through a National Call for Creatives, emerging artists and changemakers were awarded travel grants to participate in the event, representing Arizona, California, Kentucky, Illinois, Oregon, Ohio, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, and Washington DC. The event is also culminating our three-year Public Art & Civic Engagement Capacity Building Initiative (PACE) that has supported six public art projects in collaboration with APANO Communities United Fund in Portland, Oregon, Louisville Visual Arts in Louisville, Kentucky, and Southside Community Arts Center in Chicago Illinois. Along with the local Philadelphia community, this convening will include unique voices from cities across the nation to build a dynamic conversation about the future of socially engaged public art. 

Friday, October 20, 2023 at Moore College of Art & Design   

The morning will start with activities by local artists including the creators behind Afromation Avenue and a collaborative mural painting session led by Mural Arts Resident Artist. Kelly Lee from Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy will welcome attendees before visits to six public art projects throughout the city, including:

Following the visits, a film screening and national artist talk will occur, moderated by Whyy’s arts & culture reporter Peter Crimmins. These films document the journey of artists from across the United States, leading six public art projects through the PACE Capacity Building Initiative.

Saturday, October 21, 2023 at Friends Center  

Multi-disciplinary artist Michelle Angela Ortiz will welcome attendees before a series of dynamic breakout conversations and workshops will reckon with critical questions of the field. The symposium will conclude with an experimental audience-led panel discussion you will not want to miss. Breakout conversations include:

  • Who owns public art? A kaleidoscope conversation led by garima thakur,
  • Where do we center the process over a product? A community mapping exercise led by Phoebe Bachman,
  • How do we measure change? Who defines success? A qualitative research workshop led Deidra Montgomery,
  • How do our values show up in our work? A poetry and spoken word session led by Israel F Haros Lopez,
  • Who identifies the challenge? Who defines the solution? A conversation on power-sharing led by Roshani Thakore,
  • Where do we prioritize care for our communities? A guided mindfulness practice with Shivon Pearl Love.

To register for the Convening on eventbrite, visit here. 

Credits 

The PACE Initiative, Call for Creatives, and the entire Created, Together. symposium are projects of the Mural Arts Institute, made possible with funding provided by the Mellon Foundation.