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The Toolkit

How-to Guides | Implementation Ideas | More...

Creative Placemaking

What is placemaking?

The Project for Public Spaces describes it here (take a deeper dive into their resources here)
Creative placemaking expands the idea to "strengthening communities with arts as the core"
Community Arts & Culture Guide (https://rural.indiana.edu/)
Think it is just for cities? Here's a "Rural America Placemaking Toolkit" from USDA
The National Association of Counties has a Creative County Placemaking Initiative with resources
So does the National Governor's Association : Rural Prosperity through the Arts and Creative Sector + FABULOUS Action Guide

Where can I find implementation ideas?

Ideas from the Indiana Arts Commission
Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper : find out more and explore examples
Our Town : another treasure trove here from past NEA projects
Americans for the Arts : database of projects from across the country

Public Art is More than Paint

Getting Started

Putnam County Mural Project : A Guide to Creating Engaging Public Art with your Indiana Community
Bloomberg Associates : Asphalt Art Guide: How to Reclaim City Roadways & Public Infrastructure with Art (there is a safety study too)
Resources gathered by the Indiana Arts Commission

Templates & Inspiration

Sample Guidelines : Public Art in Madison
Tons of Templates from the Public Art Archive

Other Resources

American Bar Association : First Amendment Limitations on Government Regulation of Artwork
Americans for the Arts : Public Art Network (professional development, tools resources, even an active listserv)
Platforms for sharing public art collections and connecting with artists : CODAworx and PublicArtArchive

Creative Placemaking Funders

National Funders

Bloomberg Philanthropies : Asphalt Art Grant Program
National Endowment for the Arts : Our Town

Public Funders - Indiana

Indiana Arts Commission : Arts Project Support Grant Program & Creative Convergence
Indiana Humanities : Action Grants, INcommon, Historic Preservation Education Grants
Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority : CreatINg Places Crowdgranting Program
Indiana Destination Development Corporation : Placemaking Grants

More ...

Check out "Finding Funding" from the Indiana Arts Commission's Creative Placemaking Toolkit

Arts Impact : Why it Matters

Interactive National Sources

Americans for the Arts : Arts & Economic Prosperity & Arts Impact Explorer (not just economics)
US Bureau of Economic Analysis : Arts & Culture Data
A treasure trove of resources from the National Endowment for the Arts

Indiana Specific Data

Pattern & Pathemy Strategies : Embracing A Culture of Creativity: Indiana’s Overlooked Economic Engine
Indiana Communities Institute : How Indiana Municipalities are Utilizing Local Arts & Culture...
Indiana Arts Commission : Impact Points for Indiana's Cultural Districts
NASAA : Creative Economy State Profiles
SMU DataArts : Arts Vibrancy 2024 Interactive Map (inc. county-level)

Have other favorite resources?

Send us a note (e.g., one of our favorites is Why Making Music Matters)

Under Construction

The resources below are just the beginning. We will be uploading and linking more over the coming weeks!

Data Sources We Lean On

Finding Cultural Assets & Grant Data

ProPublica : Nonprofit Explorer / Candid : Guidestar + Foundation Directory / IRS : Tax Exempt Organization Search
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies : Research & Datasets
SMU DataArts : Arts Vibrancy 2024 Interactive Map (inc. county-level)
CODAworx + PublicArtArchive : Public art collections

Indiana Specific

Indiana State Data Center @ Indiana State Library, includes A-Z Statistics by Topic and resources by County
Indiana Arts Commission Grants Dashboard Map (other IN.gov sources: IndianaMap, ISL and Gateway)
STATS Indiana : Indiana's Public Data Utility
Purdue Center for Regional Development Data Tools (County, Rural, Regional, etc.)

Everything Else: Community Commons

Seriously, it has over 200 topic areas

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