About this Webinar

Through this webinar, explore how artists can be a vital part of community engagement and the development of a civic space planning process. Through the experinence of bulidingcommunityWorkshops (bcWorkshops) in Dallas, Texas who focus on design justice through community engagement, learn how to incorporate artists within a civic design planning process.

Learning Objective:

• To provide practices and examples of integrating artists in community engagement processes for planning and design of civic spaces.

After registering, be sure to check out further resources and handouts in the tabs above. You can download a PDF of this presentation in the "Handouts" tab and see additional resources on the "Resources" tab.

How to Bring More Artists Into City Planning

Aesthetic Perspectives: Attributes of Excellence in Arts for Change

New Ways to Talk About Art, Artists, and Community

Elizabeth "Lizzie" MacWillie

Associate Director, bcWorkshop

Lizzie MacWillie is an Associate Director at  buildingcommunityWORKSHOP. Lizzie heads up People Organizing Place (POP), the participatory city shaping initiative of [bc] that positions local stakeholders as experts to proactively shape their neighborhood’s future.

Lizzie brings to the team critical design experience managing [bc]’s multi-year creative placemaking initiative, Activating Vacancy, an initiative focused on bringing people together to share food, stories, art, experience, and histories as well as enabling neighbors to talk, to learn, and to organize.  This activation leads to cultural, physical, and political changes that can revitalize neighborhoods, improve infrastructure and bring economic benefits to residents.

Prior to joining [bc]in her current role, Lizzie was a part of OMA/AMO in Rotterdam, NL, as aneditor of “Elements of Architecture” by Rem Koolhaas, a collection of books about 15 basic units of architecture. She received a Master of Architecture in Urban Design and a Master of Design Studies in Art, Design and the Public Domain from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, and a Bachelor of Architecture from Carnegie Mellon University.

Patricia Walsh

Public Art & Civic Design Program Manager, Americans for the Arts

Patricia Walsh joined Americans for the Arts in 2014. She works to empower public art professionals, artists and other stakeholders in the implementation of public art in the built environment through the use of best practices, case studies, resource development, and peer-to-peer networking.

In her role at Americans for the Arts, Patricia has grown the annual Public Art Preconference
to over 300 attendees, moderates a 400+ membership network of public art professionals and travels frequently to communities across the country to engage and learn from her colleagues working locally. She manages partnerships with Smart Growth America/Transportation for America and the American Planning Association, and continues to develop strategies to engage allied fields to cultivate policy and practice that supports public art in communities across the country.

Prior to arriving in D.C., Patricia lived and worked in many communities across the US. She held positions in public art for the Arts Commission for the City of Las Vegas and the City of San Jose Public Art Program. She served on the City of Palo Alto Public Art Commission, as a committee member for genARTS Silicon Valley, an initiative of the Arts Council Silicon Valley dedicated to serving emerging leaders, and volunteered with the City of Oakland public art
program.

Born in Vermont, Patricia grew up near Poughkeepsie, New York, holds a Masters of Science in Arts Administration from Boston University and a Bachelor in Arts in painting from State University of New York at Plattsburgh. She has also enjoyed time living in Santa Fe, New Mexico.