The 2017 theme, Arts in the Public Sphere: Civility, Advocacy, and Engagement, will use the city of Boston as a starting point for discussion and engagement surrounding creative placemaking. As a 21st century global city, Boston embodies many of the issues that drive diverse contemporary cultural contexts. It supports a rich and continually evolving sense of civic realms, and is home to leading arts, educational, medical, industrial, and corporate entities invested in innovative modes of research, practice, and civic participation. There is also clear recognition that the ‘public sphere’ is not confined to large metropolitan regions. Creating dynamic communities that engage and extend beyond traditional boundaries – in both virtual and material ways – remains a growing challenge and the work before us.

What is Creative Placemaking?

Throughout history, artists, musicians, and designers have been catalysts for civic engagement and social change. Creative placemaking brings the cultural sector into strategic collaboration with sectors more traditionally engaged in urban planning and development, such as transportation and housing. It is a strategic effort by governmental, commercial, nonprofit, civic, and philanthropic stakeholders to position the cultural sector as a crucial component of holistic, place-based planning in the United States. This holistic planning is intended to result in more equitable policy decisions and improved general well-being of all residents. 

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Bios for keynote and plenary speakers can be found HERE.