and
invite YOU to
TOGETHER!
Building Resilient Communities Through Creative Placemaking
Thursday, March 5, 2015 8:30 – 11:30
Great River Arts
122 SE 1st Street Little Falls, MN 56345
Featured Speakers:
Anne Gadwa Nicodemus
Sheila Smith
Co-Author of Creative Placemaking
9:00 am
“Creative Placemaking in Rural Communities”
Executive Director, MN Citizens for the Arts
10:00am
“Creative MN”
You’ve heard that buzzword, “creative placemaking,” and may even have read about extraordinary collaborations
between artists and community partners that are transforming small towns into thriving, more vibrant places to live and
work. Here’s a chance to learn, from the nation’s foremost experts, about how to utilize the arts to build more dynamic
communities in Region Five.
Creative placemaking intentionally leverages the power of the arts, culture and creativity to serve a community's interest
while driving a broader agenda for change, growth and transformation in a way that also builds character and quality of
place.
We invite you to join us for breakfast and an exchange of stimulating information and inspiring ideas, designed to
transform our region and equip you with the knowledge to start creative placemaking initiatives in your own community.
RSVP: Go to www.fwac.org and click on the registration link,
or contact Five Wings Arts Council 877-654-2166 or email [email protected]
TOGETHER! Building Resilient Communities Through Creative Placemaking
Featured Speaker Bios…
Anne Gadwa Nicodemus is a researcher, writer, speaker, and advocate for the intersection of arts and
community development. Her influential report, Creative Placemaking co-authored in 2010 with Anne
Markusen, was developed for the Mayors’ Institute of City Design and is a key resource for those seeking to
leverage the arts to help shape communities. Anne galvanized the creative placemaking movement, helping
mayors, governors, and grassroots organizations across the nation impact their cities and communities. Urban
Planning is just one of her many talents — she previously worked as an arts administrator, dancer, and
choreographer. Anne’s upcoming book,The Creative Placemakers Playbook: Towards Effective and Ethical ArtsBased Community Transformations, addresses the ethics and practical challenges of placemaking as cultural
policy. http://metrisarts.com/people/
Sheila M. Smith has been Minnesota Citizens for the Art’s Executive Director since 1996. She was a leader in the
2008 “Vote Yes” campaign, passing a Minnesota state constitutional amendment to create 25 years of dedicated
funding for the arts and environment. Smith has been Chair of the State Arts Action League, part of Americans
for the Arts, and was recipient of the 2009 Alene Valkanas State Arts Advocacy Award, which honors an
individual who has dramatically affected the political landscape through arts advocacy efforts at the state level.
An Adjunct Professor for the University of Minnesota in both Minneapolis and Duluth, she teaches and lectures
nationally about the arts, grassroots advocacy, and other issues. For the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, she is
part of the Public Policy Cabinet and a member of the Board. Smith has a Masters in Arts Administration from St.
Mary’s University and a B.A. in Shakespeare from St. Olaf College. Before joining MCA she served as staff at the
Minnesota State Senate and lobbied local governments for Continental Airlines in Houston, TX. In her off hours,
she is a proud member of Minnesota’s 2008 and 2009 Champion WorldQuest team, an international affairs
trivia competition of the World Affairs Councils of America, and enjoys kayaking and hiking along the North
Shore of Lake Superior. She received the 2009 Leadership Award from Conservation Minnesota.
http://www.mncitizensforthearts.org/home/staff/