Event Details
Co-hosted by: University of Illinois College of Fine and Applied Arts and Department of Urban and Regional Planning; Sponsored by University of Illinois’ Office of the Provost Investment for Growth Program (Illinois Extension Collaboration Grants)
Presented by:
- Dr. Jennifer Novak, Research/Associate Professor, Fine and Applied Arts, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Dr. Andrew Greenlee, Professor, Urban and Regional Planning, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Emma Walters, Research Asstistant, Fine and Applied Arts, Urban and Regional Planning, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Faculty from the University of Illinois Fine and Applied Arts and Department of Urban and Regional Planning conducted a 2-year applied research project to address the statewide issue of recovery from the economic and social toll of the pandemic on creative and cultural workers, and cultural life in Illinois communities. This project generated expansive mapping of creative and cultural assets in Peoria, Illinois, propelled reflection and connections across Peoria’s cultural ecosystem to identify strengths and opportunities and provided pertinent information for local and regional community and sustainability planning.
This webinar will feature this inclusive and research-based approach to cultural/arts-related tourism and community development. Participants are invited to learn how cultural asset mapping can be implemented at the community level, how to contribute and collaborate with our Illinois’ local cultural ecosystems, what community leaders can lend to these efforts, and how diversity across local arts and cultural communities can spur new capacity to evolve our communities, partnerships, and initiatives.
Register to receive the Zoom webinar link: https://registration.extension.illinois.edu/start/central-illinois-cultural-assets
The Central Illinois’ Cultural Assets: Mapping Resources, People and Meaning to propel Community and Economic Vitality project is previously funded by an Extension Collaboration Grant. First launched in 2018, grants are part of an ongoing effort to connect campus-based researchers and University of Illinois Extension field staff to do applied research projects that will improve the quality of life of Illinois residents. The grants focus on addressing critical issues in food, economy, environment, community, and health. Illinois Extension and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences provided 17 grants in the current round of funding with financial support from University of Illinois’ Office of the Provost Investment for Growth Program.
About the Presenters
Andrew J. Greenlee Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Greenlee’s research lies at the intersection of housing policy, poverty, and social equity within cities and regions. His current research examines neighborhood and metropolitan opportunity structures through residential mobility processes. Greenlee’s other ongoing research examines the influence of governance on spatial outcomes for public and subsidized housing participants, and the dynamics of neighborhood change driven by urban renewal processes and public housing transformation. As an expert in housing policy, Greenlee has testified before the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Housing, and has provided technical assistance to fair housing advocates, states, and local governments. At University of Illinois, Greenlee is a faculty affiliate of the Center for Social and Behavioral Sciences at University of Illinois and the Institute of Government & Public Affairs in the University of Illinois System. Greenlee received a B.A. from Grinnell College, a M.S. in Urban and Regional Planning from University of Iowa, and a Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Policy from University of Illinois at Chicago.
Emma Walters is a PhD student in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. She explores housing policy and community and economic development within the context of urban shrinkage. Through the intersection of housing policy, governance, and economic and demographic changes, Emma examines the socio-economic and political complexities of urban shrinkage and its relationship to stable, affordable housing and quality of life. Her work asks us to ship our focus from growing, coastal cities towards shrinking places to reframe our understanding of modern-day housing crises and the privileging of some response strategies over others. Emma received a B.A. from Boston University and a M.A. in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.
Jennifer Novak-Leonard Ph.D. is Research Associate Professor and Research Director of the Arts Impact Initiative in the College of Fine and Applied Arts. Her work focuses on the social roles of arts, artists, and creativity; how they impact people and communities; and implications for policy and practice. She specializes in the development and use of novel measurement systems to understand cultural participation and the personal and public values derived from these experiences to inform multiple domains of public and social policy. Her research examines racial, ethnic, and socio-economic inequities in outcomes and opportunities for arts, artists, and movements toward cultural democracy.