A special thanks to ABC board member Morris Bellamy

In Febraury, Arts Build Communities had to say goodbye to a board member who has given and contributed a great deal to the mission of creative placemaking.  Morris Bellamy left to go back home to Australia after living in the United States for a few years.  We knew his stay was going to be short -- but it was way too short.

Morris Bellamy

Morris brought an amazing skill set to the board, and was instrumental in ABC moving from a start-up to a going and growing operation.  A former director of community and cultural development in Melbourne, Australia, Morris brought to ABC insights into municipal governance, as well as an outsider's fresh perspective.  (He also took amazing meeting notes.)  His insights, good humor, and great organizational skills helped in all aspects of Arts Build Communities.

Morris was instrumental in building the ABC creative placemaking toolkit, which we continue to work on and plan to publish by the end of 2012.

Though he's left the board, Morris continues to be part of the ABC community, and we plan to stay in touch.

Thanks again, Morris.

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Find out more about what you can learn -- and how -- in the Creative Placemaking Certificate program

What can you get out of the Creative Placemaking Master Practitioner Certificate? A lot, according to a new page on the website:  What you can learn in the Creative Placemaking Master Practitioner Certificate and how.

The Creative Placemaking Master Practitioner Certificate from Rutgers University's Arts Build Communities is the first and only program of its kind.  Creative placemaking is a new field that combines community, economic and cultural development to enhance quality of life and standards of living in communities. 

Rutgers University's Arts Build Communities provides expertise on how the arts connect economic and community development.  The Creative Placemaking Master Practitioner Certificate is a key component of a wide-ranging set of services for individuals and communities.  ABC is made possible in part with support from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/ Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.  All proceeds from the certificate program go to support the mission of Arts Build Communities.

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Schedule for Create A Place conference now available

A preliminary schedule for Create A Place: Arts Build Communities, ABC's second annual conference on creative placemaking, is now available.  The schedule will be updated regularly as we add new speakers and have more information to share.

See the schedule 

or learn more about the conference.

Create A Place focuses on the how-to's of building, growing and sustaining creative communities and economies.  It is the only major event in New Jersey that brings together artists, cultural organization leaders, elected and appointed officials, community and economic development professionals and urban planners and designers to share ideas about making places better through and with the arts.

Rutgers University's Arts Build Communities provides expertise on how the arts connect economic and community development.  The annual creative placemaking conference is a key component of a wide-ranging set of services for individuals and communities.  ABC is made possible in part with support from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/ Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.  All proceeds from Create A Place go to support the mission of Arts Build Communities.

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ABC Director co-edits new book on placemaking in Latino communities

Arts Build Communities Director Leonardo Vazquez is a co-editor of Diálogos: Placemaking in Latino Communities, a new book published by Routledge.

The book, inspired by a series of dialogues produced by the American Planning Association's Latinos and Planning division, covers a wide range of topics of interest to anyone in community or economic development. Routledge, a premier publisher of scholarly books on planning, says:

"Latinos are one of the largest and fastest growing social groups in the United States, and their increased presence is profoundly shaping the character of urban, suburban, and rural places. This is a response to these developments and is the first book written for readers seeking to learn about, engage and plan with Latino communities. It considers how placemaking in marginalized communities sheds light on, and can inform, community-building practices of professionals and place dwellers alike.

"Diálogos: Placemaking in Latino Communities will help readers better understand the conflicts and challenges inherent in placemaking, and to make effective and sustainable choices for practice in an increasingly multi-ethnic world. The essays explore three aspects of place: the appropriation and territorialization of the built environment, the claiming of rights through collective action, and a sense of belonging through civic participation. The authors illustrate their ideas through case studies and explain the implications of their work for placemaking practice.

"A consistent theme about planning and design practice in Latino communities emerges throughout the book: placemaking happens with or without professional planners and designers. All of the essays in Diálogos demonstrate the need to not only imagine, build, and make places with local communities, but also to re-imagine how we practice democracy inclusive of cross-cultural exchange, understanding, and respect. This will require educators, students, and working professionals to incorporate the knowledge and skills of cultural competency into their everyday practices."

Read more about, or order, the book.

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ABC announces new schedule for community coaching

There is so much demand for community coaching from Arts Build Communities that we will be training new coaches to serve the needs of more than a dozen communities throughout New Jersey.

Community coaching helps teams from municipalities or regions address creative placemaking issues in their communities, or helps them address community and economic development issues through creative placemaking.  ABC works with each community for six months on a set of strategies to address the issues.  There are four communities in the program as of February 2012 -- Atlantic Highlands; New Brunswick; Perth Amboy; and coastal Monmouth County, a region extending from Keyport to Manasquan, from the beach to the Garden State Parkway.

Representatives from more than a dozen other places -- from municipalities in Burlington County to their counterparts in Bergen County and including one state-wide arts-oriented organization outside of New Jersey -- have expressed interest in community coaching.  We need to get more coaches soon.

The next community coaching period will run from May to December 2012  (the program does not meet during the summer).  The next one after that will run from September 2012 to March 2013 (the program does not meet around the winter holidays).

The fee will also increase, to better reflect the true cost of conducting the community coaching program.  Communities that start in May 2012 will be charged $2,500.  Those who start in September will be charged $3,500.

More details on the coaching program will be provided soon.


Learn more about community coaching.

Arts Build Communities provides expertise on how arts connect economic and community development.  Learn more about Arts Build Communities.

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