Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Webinars help you learn about creative placemaking and support others who want to

By Leonardo Vazquez

You are welcome to join an upcoming creative placemaking webinar for free.  But a small donation of $20 (or whatever is personally meaningful to you) can help support the Certification in Creative Placemaking program.  This will help reduce costs for those who want to excel in this growing field that connects arts, culture and public affairs.

There are six webinars scheduled for 2016:

  • March 8, 2 to 3 pm eastern. The rise of freelance artists: implications for urban planning and design.  Learn more or register.
  • April 12, 2 to 3 pm eastern. Cultural districts and cultural institutions: suns or black holes?  Learn more or register. 

Now it's easier to reserve a seat for the 2016 Certification in Creative Placemaking program

By Leonardo Vazquez

If you're interested in the 2016 Certification in Creative Placemaking program, but need more time to cover the tuition, there's good news.

You can now reserve one of the 20 seats available with a $100 deposit.  And, you will be able to pay tuition in three installments, from August 2016 to February 2017.  Learn more about registering for the program.

Applications to the program will be taken on a first come-first served basis.  We don't require any tests to get into the program; we do expect enthusiasm and a desire to learn this craft at a deeper level.  Anyone with interest or experience in the intersection of arts, culture and public affairs is encouraged to apply.

amira lecturing
2015 program graduate Amira Badran sharing
ideas at the Knowledge Exchange
This unique and convenient program provides one of the richest and most holistic learning experiences in the growing field of creative placemaking.  Over a 10-month period, students build their knowledge and skills in:

  • Community development
  • Local economic development
  • Cost-effective analysis
  • Team building and community engagement
  • Site planning
  • Destination marketing and development
  • Entrepreneurial leadership 
Students also develop a capstone project that shows their mastery of creative placemaking, and are invited to present their ideas at the annual Creative Placemaking Knowledge Exchange in late June. 

We will provide monthly information sessions beginning in February. If you have questions before then, please contact the program's Academic Director, Leonardo Vazquez by email or at 973-763-6352

The Certification in Creative Placemaking program is jointly produced by a partnership between the City and Regional Planning program of The Ohio State University's Austin Knowlton School of Architecture and The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking.

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Registration now open for the 2016 Certification in Creative Placemaking program

By Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

Registration is now open for the 2016 Certification in Creative Placemaking program from The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking and The Ohio State University.  This unique, online program helps up to 30 continuing education and graduate students learn creative placemaking at a deep level, as well as develop practical leadership and planning skills.  

Coaching success stories: Hackensack murals, Englewood historical exhibit

By Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

If you are in Englewood, NJ, you could see an exhibit about the city's long history and success in sports at the historic Mackay Park gatehouse.  Go 15 minutes west to Hackensack, and you can see an outdoor gallery of murals on Main Street.

Both projects stem from community coaching and team building provided by The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking (NCCP).

In Englewood, the sports exhibit runs through December 13.  NCCP was contracted by the City of Englewood to prepare a vision plan for Mackay Park, the city's largest and most central park.  Since its founding in 1906, Mackay Park has gone from being a woodsy escape for weekend picnics to something more like an outdoor sports complex. Several residents wanted the vacant historic Gatehouse at the park's north end to become a museum.

Members of Englewood's Mackay Park Vision Plan
Leadership Team in a visioning exercise
On behalf of the City, NCCP helped to build and coached a diverse team of neighborhood residents, city staff and park users to develop the team.  NCCP invited members of the Englewood Historical Society to join the team. Through the team-building process,  diverse team members developed several ideas for programs and physical improvements to the park. The historical exhibit is among the first of what is hoped to be several more community-oriented activities in the park.

In Hackensack, NCCP, in partnership with the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation, provided community coaching to Creative Hackensack.  This team, which is completing a creative placemaking plan, involved as many as 40 people from throughout the city.

Hackensack muralists meeting
Hackensack muralists meeting.  Image source: Main Street
Business Alliance Facebook page



The team developed a number of short term projects. The first one now being completed is the set of murals along a construction site on Main Street in the heart of its downtown.  The team took an innovative approach to its first mural project.  With an asset-based orientation and a goal to make art accessible to as many Hackensack residents as possible, team members saw 32 wooden panels at a construction site as a set of canvases.  Working with the property owner, the foundation and City organized a call for artists in June, and contracted with five artists to complete murals.

As the new building behind the murals is constructed, and the boards are no longer needed for public safety, the murals will travel throughout the City to inspire more creative activity.

In December, NCCP will begin working with the Glassboro Partners -- a partnership of the City of Glassboro, New Jersey and Rowan University, on community coaching to develop a creative placemaking vision plan.  The first community event will be from December 1, from 4:30 to 7:30, at the Rowan University Art Gallery, 301 High Street in downtown Glassboro.

Community coaching is available to any individual community within two hours travel (by train or car) of Newark, New Jersey.  Coaching services are available elsewhere in the United States if a minimum of five communities are involved.  Learn more about community coaching.
A finished mural by Lissane Lake. Image source:
  Main Street Business Alliance Facebook page

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

New and upcoming webinars on creative placemaking

By Leonardo Vazquez

The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking and The Ohio State University are offering eight webinars on creative placemaking between December 2015 and May 2016.  The webinars cover a wide variety of subjects, including community development, economic development, psychological well-being and sustainability.

  • December 3, 2 to 3:30 pm eastern: Creative placemaking: integrating community, cultural and economic development,   Learn more or register
  • December 16, 2 to 3 pm eastern: History of creative placemaking in the United States, Learn more or register.
  • January 19, 2 to 3 pm eastern: Creative placemaking and human needs placemaking.  Learn more or register.
  • January 26, 2 to 3 pm eastern: Community coaching: a new way to speak truth to power, Learn more or register.
  • February 23, 2 to 3 pm eastern. Incorporating arts in urban and site design.  Learn more or register.
  • March 8, 2 to 3 pm eastern. The rise of freelance artists: implications for urban planning and design.  Learn more or register.
  • April 12, 2 to 3 pm eastern. Cultural districts and cultural institutions: suns or black holes?  Learn more or register. 
  • May 10, 2 to 3 pm.  How creative placemaking can help build more resilient communities Learn more or register.

To learn more about these webinars, please visit the Certification in Creative Placemaking program

A donation of $20 per webinar is requested.  Funds will help support the Certification in Creative Placemaking program at OSU.  However, anyone can participate free with the discount code:  donation

Friday, October 9, 2015

Next Creative Team Roundtable is January 27 in Hackensack, NJ

By Leonardo Vazquez

If you're on a Creative Team or arts council in New Jersey, or would like to start one in your town,
Creative Team Roundtable conversations, May 2015
please join us for the next Creative Team Roundtable, January 27 at the Hackensack Performing Arts Center.  This is a free peer learning and community building effort to help creative teams in New Jersey become more effective.

Talk about key issues facing your team or arts council with others like you.  Interested in public art? Building support from public officials?  Getting local property owners on board?    Get ideas and answers from your peers.

You'll also learn about the work of Creative Hackensack and efforts to make the city a new cultural hub and arts destination.  Then stay to network with your colleagues at General Poor's Tavern (cash bar).

The Center is located at 101 State Street in Hackensack  Get directions

This Creative Team Roundtable is produced by the National Consortium for Creative Placemaking in partnership with Creative Hackensack and the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation.  Please let us know if you'd like to host a future Roundtable.

Creative Team Roundtables are made possible in part by the generous support of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

For more information, please contact NCCP Executive Director Leonardo Vazquez by email or at 973-763-6352.

Friday, October 2, 2015

Next Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit focuses on how to do well – and do good

By Leonardo Vazquez

The next Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit will be Friday, March 18, from 9 am to 4 pm at Rutgers University – Newark in New Jersey. The daylong conference will explore how creative placemaking can build both social and financial equity in communities.

The Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit brings together arts administrators, artists, public officials, urban planners and others interested in making communities better through arts and culture.  It is a fun and inspiring daylong conference that offers participants many opportunities to learn about – and share their expertise – in the fast-growing field of creative placemaking.  In 2014, more than 250 people attended.  We expect more in 2016.

Jamie Bennett, Executive Director, ArtPlace America will be the keynote speaker.  Other confirmed speakers include Tom Dallessio, Publisher, Next City; Nancy Cantor, Chancellor, Rutgers-University Newark; and Ommeed Sathe, Vice President – Impact Investments, Prudential Financial.

Last year's Summit drew more than 250 people.  Mural guru
Jane Golden speaking at last year's Summit.
The program is being developed, but we anticipate having sessions tailored to arts and arts administrators, developers and other members of the development community, and public officials and professionals involved in community and economic development.

Sustainable Jersey actions connected to arts and culture, incentivizing developers, and creative financing strategies to support arts and culture.

We are also planning at least one mobile workshop to an arts facility in North Jersey.
We will be announcing speakers and sessions soon.  Sponsorships are available and appreciated.
To learn more, contact Leonardo Vazquez, Executive Director, The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking, at leo@artsbuildcommunities.com or 973-763-6352  <<Karen: Do you want to be the contact?>>


Tuesday, August 4, 2015

2016 studio course seeking clients for creative placemaking

By Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

Urban design and landscape architecture -- that is, the shaping of design of outdoor spaces -- can make a big impact on your creative placemaking efforts.

If you are interested in free or low-cost landscape architecture or urban design strategies, please consider becoming a client for an upcoming studio course of the Rutgers University Landscape Architecture program.  The course runs from January through May 2016, and this offer is available to communities within 90 minutes of travel to New Brunswick, NJ.

Free urban design support will be available to several communities that begin community coaching by January 2016.  Community coaching is a unique 6-9 month program that helps communities build sustainable plans and leadership for creative placemaking. Through this program, Creative Teams in New Jersey and Louisiana have developed several projects, changed local laws, attracted new investment, and created new partnerships.

The communities will receive support on a first come-first served basis. The number of clients depends on the number of students in the course.

Communities that want other landscape architecture or urban design services can receive them for a reasonable fee.

Please note that while students in the studio course will be expected to respond to their clients' requests and interests, they will be given the freedom to present their ideas as they see fit. Clients can get additional services after the studio course for a reasonable fee.

To learn more about this opportunity, please contact the studio course instructor, NCCP Executive Director Leonardo Vazquez.

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Creative Placemaking Knowledge Exchange a success

By Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

Nearly 50 creative placemakers from the world of arts, government and community affairs came to the first ever Creative Placemaking Knowledge Exchange to share their insights.  Intended to be a creative take on a scholarly conference, the event let participants explore the latest thinking in a new field that explores how best to make places better through arts and culture.

They gathered June 26 at the Rutgers University School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) in Newark, NJ.

Amira Badran, a recent graduate of the
Certification in Creative Placemaking program,
shares her proposal for reinventing a public
square in Cairo, Egypt.
In the morning, participants listened to a dozen presentations from a variety of scholars and practitioners from the United States and Egypt.  Among the presenters were graduates of the Certification in Creative Placemaking program.

Presenters explored a wide range of topics, from defining and measuring creative placemaking to the impacts of current initiatives.  Learn more about the presentations and see some of the presentation slides.

After lunch, participants toured the future home of Express Newark, a new arts center being developed by Rutgers University in the old Hahne & Co. building in downtown Newark.

Then they shared ideas in an Open Space conversation. Open Space lets participants choose and lead their own discussion topics.

Surveys after the event show that 100% of attendees found the conference informative and 95% found it enjoyable.  100% of respondents who participated in the Open Space conversations found it informative and enjoyable.  81% enjoyed and learned a lot in the walking tour.  85% said there was enough time for networking.

The event was produced by The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking, in partnership with SPAA, The Ohio State University City and Regional Planning program, and the Rutgers University Newark Department of Arts, Culture and Media.  Several organizations sponsored the event, including the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, New Jersey Health Initiatives, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Northern New Jersey Community Foundation, the Rutgers Newark Department of Arts, Culture and Media, and  the Ohio State University City and Regional Planning program. SPAA donated the building and staff time to support the program.
Creative Placemaking Knowledge Exchange participants in an
Open Space conversation









Saturday, June 6, 2015

Hackensack Creative Team seeking artists for its first public art project


Artists in Hackensack will be turning wooden construction boards covering a burned out building along Main Street into public art.  It is the first project of the new Hackensack Creative Team, a partnership of local merchants, artists and residents.  The partnership is sponsored by the Upper Main Street Alliance, which is working with ArtsBergen to produce the murals.

The themes of the murals will be a vision for a more vibrant, cleaner, greener and healthier Hackensack and the rich cultural history in the city.
ArtsBergen, an initiative of the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation, this week put out a call  for five artists to work collaboratively on the project, at 76 MainStreet. 

The project, which is funded by the Upper Main Street Alliance, will be the first one of the Hackensack Creative Team. The Hackensack Creative Team is a group of 40 artists, merchants, organizational leaders and public officials working on a creative placemaking plan for the City of Hackensack. Creative placemaking is the integration of arts and culture into a neighborhood, town, or region to build community and livability and boost local economy. The Creative Team has identified a number of projects that will move forward the Creative Vision Statement it has drafted with the input of various members and sectors of the community. This mural is one such project.
The team is being coached by the National Consortium for Creative Placemaking of Union, NJ.

The project goal is to create a mural that will beautify the neighborhood and property site, engage passers-by, and act as a beacon of the City and the Upper Main Street Alliance’s endorsement of arts and culture as a powerful tool to transform, connect, and serve communities. 

The mural will be painted on 35 connected panels of OSB plywood surrounding the perimeter of the building at 76 Main Street in Hackensack. The mural will be up at the site temporarily (potentially 2 years), but the panels can be used again for other redevelopment sites. The location of the mural is a gateway into the downtown area and is on a busy street, travelled by motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. 

A total of 5 artists will be selected. One will be selected to serve as the lead artist, who will oversee the collaboration and cohesion of the mural. Each artist/artist team will be assigned approximately 6-7 panels (each measuring 8 ft(h) x 4 ft(w)) to design and paint his/her vision. 

The content of the mural will reflect the artistic and cultural history, present,  and future of Hackensack. Content can include the depiction of significant past events/artists, musicians, current arts assets/happenings, and/or an interpretation of the future “Creative Vision Statement”. The incorporation of participatory elements that engage the public is encouraged. The design may be painted directly on the boards onsite, or on panels painted offsite that the artist would be responsible for mounting. The Upper Main Street Alliance has allocated a $1,000 budget for supplies and materials for the entire project in addition to $1000 per artist. Total project allocation is $6000. The estimated completion of the project is August 2015.

To learn more about the Hackensack Creative Team, go to: https://www.facebook.com/CreativeHackensack

To learn more about Upper Main Street Alliance, go to: http://uppermain.org/

To learn more about ArtsBergen, and the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation go to: http://www.nnjcf.org/what-we-do/artsbergen/

To learn more about The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking go to: www.artsbuildcommunities.com


Friday, May 29, 2015

Agenda and presentations for 2015 Creative Placemaking Knowledge Exchange

Here is the preliminary agenda for the 2015 Creative Placemaking Knowledge Exchange, to be held June 26 at the Rutgers University School of Public Affairs and Administration in Newark, NJ.

8:30 to 9 am:  Registration
9 to 9:20 am:  Welcome and introductory remarks
9:20 to 9:30 am: Break
9:30 to 11:50 am: Presentations on creative placemaking
11:50 am to 12 pm: Break
12 to 12:45 pm:  Lunch and honoring of Certification in Creative Placemaking program graduates
12:45 to 1:20 pm:  Walking tour of new art center and adaptive reuse in downtown Newark
1:20 to 1:30 pm :  Break
1:30 to 3:50 pm:  Open space (peer guided and facilitated conversations)
3:50 to 4 pm:  Goodbyes

Here is the most updated list of presentations for the morning sessions:


  • Arts as the driver for innovative, award-winning cultural, economic and community transformation: Shreveport Common, Wendy Benscoter, Shreveport Common and Certification in Creative Placemaking program. Ohio State University
  • Measuring what matters: debating standardized outcome metrics for creative placemaking projects, Larry Bomback, Cultural Data Project
  • Creating the space to talk about place: creative placemaking in the arts management classroom, Brea Heidelberg, Rider University
  • Skateboarding and sewing help spark revitalization in Camden, New Jersey, Kate Dowd, Drexel University
  • The Empty House Studio, Sarah Coffin D'Alessandro, George Mason University
  • Placemaking via community design: planning for green stormwater infrastructure, Jason Hachadorian, Temple University's Center for Sustainable Communities
  • Definitions of creative placemaking: a PechaKucha literature review (A PKLR), Julie Hawkins, Drexel University
  • A capabilities approach to creative placemaking in West Philadelphia, Andrew Zitcer, Drexel University
  • The entrepreneurial creative placemaker in the public sector, Debra Rose, City of Pinellas Park, Florida and Certification in Creative Placemaking program, Ohio State University
  • The growth of freelance artists in New Jersey: implications for community and local economic development, Leonardo Vazquez, The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking and Certification in Creative Placemaking program, Ohio State University


Register or learn more

Submit a proposal for a presentation


Thursday, May 21, 2015

Join us for the 2015 Creative Placemaking Knowledge Exchange



NCCP building a community of creative placemakers in New Jersey

By Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

There are at least 46 teams doing creative placemaking in New Jersey -- as well as many people who are not part of identified teams. The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking is working to bring creative teams and creative placemakers together to build a supportive, learning community of practice.

On May 13, we and Monmouth Arts held the first Creative Team Roundtable at the Oyster Point Hotel in Red Bank, NJ.  Eighteen people from seven communities came together to explore key questions and share ideas for creative placemaking.

The two key issues the participants explored were:

  • What are the best ways to engage landlords and property owners to help move public art projects forward?
  • How to bring community strength to our region via creative placemaking?
The questions were chosen by participants from among 12 that were suggested by the 30 people who registered for the event.


Participants at the Creative Team Roundtable in Red Bank, May 13
Some of the recommendations for working with landlords and property owners are to:

  • Partner with local governments and special improvement districts
  • Encourage local governments to provide incentives to property owners
  • Make a financial case (such as the number of visitors that could be drawn to a work of public art, or that art can help improve blighted areas)
  • Make the process fun, and ensure that property owners are clear on their rights, and clarify what would happen if the property gets sold. (Putting wall art on frames can make it easier to move it off-site)
Recommendations for bringing community strength through creative placemaking include:

  • Get government involved early on.  While artists may want to start the process of creative placemaking, the efforts are strengthened if government officials are involved at the start
  • Create a central space for arts and creative people to come together
  • Be clear about the community you want to serve and what its identity is or should be
  • Build on existing strengths in the community
  • Provide opportunities for entrepreneurship
NCCP will be conducting another Creative Team Roundtable in Fall 2015, and offers other opportunities for creative placemakers to learn from one another.  On June 26, in partnership with Rutgers University School of Public Affairs and Administration, Rutgers University-Newark Department of Arts, Culture and Media and Ohio State University, NCCP is hosting the Creative Placemaking Knowledge Exchange.  NCCP is also developing additional programs and opportunities for those interested in creative placemaking to come together.

To learn more or get updates on upcoming events, please follow NCCP on Facebook or Twitter or subscribe to our newsletter.


Creative teams finding success through community coaching

By Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

Several creative teams coached by The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking are already getting results.  Perth Amboy, Hackensack and Long Beach Island -- three New Jersey communities that have been involved in the community coaching program -- all have creative events scheduled for May and June.

The Perth Amboy Creative Team has succeeded in building a city Arts Council and changing a local law to make it legal to paint murals.  The Arts Council -- whose members are made up mostly of Creative Team members -- is now managing the city's art gallery and producing a waterfront festival on May 23.

Perth Amboy Arts Council members and artist Tom Ward show off Ward's artwork,
 which will be for sale at the waterfront festival. Image courtesy of Perth Amboy Arts Council
The festival furthers two key elements of the team's creative placemaking plan -- encourage more residents and visitors to enjoy the Perth Amboy waterfront and promote the wealth of local talent in the city.  According to the Council, "60 artists and artisans will display, demonstrate and sell their works along the scenic waterfront. Six musical acts will grace the festival stage. A food court will feature local restaurants and outrageous food trucks. There will be a pig roast!"

On May 28, Creative Hackensack will be sharing its vision for making the North Jersey city a better place through arts and culture: "Over the next decade, Hackensack will be more walkable, safer, healthier, greener, cleaner and more fun. Residents and visitors will have lots of choices of activities and find it easier to get around.  Over time, Hackensack will feature new attractions and attributes that will target its diverse population and visitors.

Hackensack will continue to be unique and eclectic; a diverse, inclusive and affordable place where people are friendly and have a strong sense of pride in their community.  Hackensack will do more to honor its diverse histories, from the time of the Lenni Lenape through the colonial period to today.  But it will also be modern and futuristic.

It will be a more vibrant, engaging and human-scaled city that offers good experiences day and night for families, college students, young adults (or mature adults who are young at heart).  Hackensack residents and visitors will have stronger connections to the Hackensack River."

Members of Howdy Stranger, one of several organizations involved in Creative Hackensack.
 Image courtesy of Howdy Stranger and Creative Hackensack.
To hear more about the vision and how it can be realized, please join a public meeting at 6:30 at the Johnson Public Library before an open mic night.  The open mic night was developed by a partnership between the local improv group Howdy Stranger and the Johnson Public Library.  This partnership happened because both organizations are involved with community coaching. 

Like many communities, Long Beach Island has more creative people and artists than many people realize.  The Creative Arts Action Council -- an island-wide creative placemaking group -- was formed in 2014 and will be producing an artists' studio tour on June 27 and June 28.  More than 120 artists are now involved with CAAC, and Long Beach Township received points through Sustainable Jersey for its involvement in developing the council. 

Community coaching is a unique program of NCCP proven to help build sustainable partnerships for creative placemaking. Diverse teams of at least 12 people work together for six to nine months on a creative placemaking plan and projects to help realize the plan.  (The plan is a set of strategies to address social and economic issues in the community through arts and cultural activities.)

NCCP has provided community coaching to 15 communities in New Jersey and Louisiana. Community coaching is available to individual communities within two hours of Newark, NJ.  We can also provide community coaching to a set of five or more communities in the same state anywhere in the United States.

For more on community coaching, please contact NCCP Executive Director Leonardo Vazquez by email or by phone at 973-763-6352






Monday, May 11, 2015

Special discount on Certification in Creative Placemaking program for NCCP subscribers and members of partner organizations

By Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

Thanks to our partnership with The Ohio State University, subscribers to the National Consortium for Creative Placemaking's newsletter, Facebook page and Twitter account can get $300 discount on the upcoming Certification in Creative Placemaking program

This is a unique and challenging program that can help you stand out in the growing field of creative placemaking.  It can help you learn more about how to invigorate local communities and economies through arts and culture, be more cost effective in measuring success, build successful and sustainable teams, identify the best places for cultural activities, and market your community as an arts destination. You will also learn entrepreneurial leadership skills to help you get things done better and faster.

To learn more about the program, please join an upcoming information session.  The next one is May 12 at 2 pm eastern, but the sessions are monthly through August.

The discount code is: CPPartner2015

Members and constituents of partner organizations are also eligible for the $300 discount to the program.  These organizations include:

*American Society of Landscape Architects -- New Jersey chapter
*American Planning Association Small Town and Regional Planning division
*ArtPride New Jersey
*Creative Jersey
*New Jersey Health Initiatives
*Northern New Jersey Community Foundation
*The Ohio State University Knowlton School of Architecture
*PlanSmart New Jersey
*Rutgers University Newark, Department of Arts, Culture and Media
*Rutgers University - School of Public Affairs and Administration
*Sustainable Jersey

For more information on the program, please contact program director Leonardo Vazquez by email or at 973-763-6352

Monday, May 4, 2015

New roundtable series helps creative team members share insights with one another

By Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

If you're on a Creative Team in New Jersey, or would like to start one in your town, please join us for the first Creative Team Roundtable, Wednesday, May 13, 3:30 to 5 pm at the Oyster Point Hotel in Red Bank.  This is a peer learning and community building effort to help Creative Teams in New Jersey become more effective.In this get-together, you'll learn about the work of the MoCo Arts Corridor Partnership.  Then you can help select the key issues that you and your colleagues from other Creative Teams will explore. Then stay from 5 to 6 pm  to network with your colleagues at the Oyster Point Hotel (cash bar).

The Perth Amboy Creative Team mapping their strategies

To register for this free event, please go to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/creative-team-roundtable-tickets-16585372295

The Creative Team Roundtable is produced by the National Consortium for Creative Placemaking in partnership with Monmouth Arts and the MoCo Arts Corridor Partnership. For more information, please contact NCCP Executive Director Leonardo Vazquez at leo@artsbuildcommunities.com or 973-763-6352.

-- 

Friday, April 10, 2015

Join us in Seattle at the APA national conference

By Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

Leonnardo Vazquez
If you will be in the Seattle area on April 19 or 20, and want to learn more about NCCP's programs, please say hello to NCCP Executive Director Leonardo Vazquez.  He will be at the American Planning Association national conference.

Leo will be speaking the afternoon of April 19 on culturally competent planning and engagement, and will be available that Sunday and April 20 to meet at the conference.

Please reach out to Leo by email or at 973-763-6352

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Share your insights at the 2015 Creative Placemaking Knowledge Exchange

By Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

Get insights into the latest thinking and research in how arts and culture help address community and economic development issues at the 2015 Creative Placemaking Knowledge Exchange. The gathering will be held June 26 at the Rutgers University School of Public Affairs and Administration in Newark, NJ.


The Knowledge Exchange is designed for researchers, funders, policy makers and reflective practitioners in creative placemaking. 
  • Early bird: $90. Register by June 10. Afterwards, registration is $100.
  • National Consortium for Creative Placemaking subscribers and presenters: $65.  Please see recent NCCP newsletter for discount code
  • Current Rutgers, NJIT, and Ohio State University students: $20.  (To get the discount code, please send an email to Leonardo Vazquez at leo@artsbuildcommunities.com.  Proof of current student enrollment required.)

It includes breakfast, lunch, afternoon beverage, a walking tour, lots of useful information and maybe some new connections.
Register now

Informal but informative, the Knowledge Exchange will feature peer learning with topics chosen by the participants, along with quick and to-the-point presentations from creative placemakers.
Pecha Kucha, lightning talks, open space technology.  If you know these terms, you’ll understand what makes this convening different. If you don’t, join us and see for yourself.

Would you like to present on new research or initiatives in creative placemaking?  Propose a presentation

The Knowledge Exchange is produced by The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking, Rutgers University School of Public Affairs and Administration, Rutgers University Arts, Culture and Media Department and The Ohio State University’s Certification in Creative Placemaking program.  It is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation.

For more information, contact NCCP Executive Director Leonardo Vazquez at 973-763-6352 or by email




Wednesday, April 8, 2015

New State of the Creative Economy report shows positives and challenges for New Jersey's creative sector

By Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

By various measures, the creative sector is a growing part of New Jersey's economy, but the state lags behind the United States as a whole in growing its economy of creative professionals and businesses.

This is according to the State of the Creative Sector in New Jersey 2015, recently published by The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking. The report looks at trends in New Jersey's creative economy from 2002 to 2012. Among the key findings are:

More people in New Jersey are working in the creative sector. The total number of jobs, including freelancers, grew by 4% from 247,762 jobs to 257,376

There are more for profit, nonprofit, and freelance businesses in New Jersey’s creative sector. The total number of organizations grew by 27%, adding 15,042 establishments to the overall economy. This is an increase from 55,750 in 2002 to 70,792 in 2012.

Freelancers are an important indicator for the creative sector, signifying stronger confidence in the local economy. There was tremendous growth in the number of freelancers in the creative sector, with a 41% increase from 35,299 to 49,946 organizations. This is a change of 14,647 establishments.

Independent artists, writers, and performers generated more total revenue, but less income per artist. Between 2002 and 2012, total receipts grew by $39.6 million. However, per artist revenue decreased from $32,237 per year to $22,862 per year.

Similarly, the annual per employee payroll of people working in the creative sector has declined. It decreased from $34,668 per year in 2002 to $28,536 per year in 2012.

The industries that had the largest gains in the number of establishments were hair, nail, and skin services, full service restaurants, independent artists, writers, and performers, photography services, and jewelry stores.

The industries that had the greatest growth in jobs were full service restaurants, hair, nail, and skin services, independent artists, writers, and performers, fine art schools, and photography services. - Despite this growth in New Jersey’s creative sector, growth in New Jersey lagged behind that of the United States. Creative sector establishments in the US grew by 39% and creative sector jobs grew by 12%, far outpacing growth in New Jersey.


Wednesday, March 18, 2015

NCCP to publish report on New Jersey's creative economy

By Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

How has New Jersey's creative economy fared over the past decade?  The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking will share its findings in a report to be published in late March on NCCP's website. 

Executive Director Leonardo Vazquez previewed some of the findings at a February meeting of the New Jersey State Council for the Arts in Morristown NJ.  Among them were:

*The number of private-sector establishments in New Jersey's creative sector -- including for-profit and not-for-profit -- grew 27% from 2002 to 2012.
*There were slightly more jobs in New Jersey's creative sector in 2012 than in 2002.  There was a 4% increase, which kept pace with overall job growth in New Jersey.
*The fastest growing industries in the creative sector were hair, nail and skin services; photography services; and full-service restaurants.

Read more about these findings, or other research conducted by NCCP.

To get updates when the report is published, please subscribe to NCCP's newsletter

NCCP's work with Sustainable Jersey spurs creation of at least 46 Creative Teams in New Jersey

By Leonardo Vazquez

With the support of nearly 75% of the towns in New Jersey, Sustainable Jersey is one of the most successful programs working to protect the environment, enhance economic prosperity, and make places more livable.

For several years, NCCP has helped lead Sustainable Jersey's Arts and Creative Culture Task Force, and with our partners, we've helped promote broad partnerships and planning for creative
placemaking.

Under the Sustainable Jersey program, municipalities get points for taking a set of steps called 'actions'.  For example, educating residents about clean energy earns a municipality 10 points.  One-hundred and fifty points are needed for bronze certification; 350 for silver.

The Arts and Creative Culture Team developed three actions, which together are a guide for creative placemaking: Establish a Creative Team,  Creative Assets Inventory, Creative Placemaking Plan.  Together they provide 30 points, 20% of what a municipality needs for certification.

The Creative Team action is designed to help build diverse partnerships and a team of stewards for creative placemaking.  The Inventory action encourages towns to get to kno
w about creative organizations and people in their communities, as well as spaces for creativity.  The Plan action challenges towns to make creative placemaking part of their approaches to sustainability.

As of early 2015, at least 46 communities have put together teams for creative placemaking and applied for Sustainable Jersey recognition.  One -- Cape May -- has completed all three actions.

The Task Force is now working on another action that rewards municipalities for supporting arts and cultural projects.  The Task Force is open to anyone interested in arts, culture and sustainability; we welcome new members at any time.

For more information about the Sustainable Jersey Arts and Creative Culture Task Force, please contact Leonardo Vazquez by email or at 973-763-6352