RTS, in collaboration with the Public Art Collaborative Art-Force Program, is a finalist for a grant from ArtPlace to integrate artists, communities and local manufacturers in three North Carolina counties. Our team’s proposal is the only finalist from North Carolina. A full list of the finalists is available here. Below is a short description of the ArtPlace program.

One hundred and twenty-seven organizations in 68 cities have been named finalists for support from ArtPlace, an unprecedented private-public collaboration of nine of the nation’s top foundations, eight federal agencies including the National Endowment for the Arts, and six of the nation’s largest banks. ArtPlace supports creative placemaking with grants and loans, research and advocacy.

The selected projects represent the best of the more than 2,000 applications from across the country. Finalists were chosen for their potential to have a transformative impact on community vibrancy. Proposed projects run the gamut from temporary art spaces to permanent performance venues, from music festivals to art walks and from streetscaping to artist residencies.

With the recent release of our work on Arkansas’s creative economy, we thought it appropriate to share some of the lessons learned about the impact creativity can have in rural parts of the country.  Dan Broun, RTS’ Director of Special Projects, wrote a piece entitled “The Creativity of Rural America,” for the online publication, The Daily Yonder.  The Daily Yonder focuses on issues impacting rural communities across the nation.  The piece can be read here.