AFTA Awards ArtsMemphis for Community Engagement Fellows Curriculum
By Anne B. Pope, Executive Director –
Congratulations to ArtsMemphis! On Friday, June 17, Americans for the Arts (AFTA) named ArtsMemphis as the winner of its 2016 Robert E. Gard Award at the organization’s Annual Convention in Boston, MA. The award recognizes exemplary work at the intersection of the arts and community life. Linda Steele, Chief Community Engagement Officer with ArtsMemphis, accepted the award on behalf of ArtsMemphis Community Engagement Fellowship. ArtsMemphis was one of eight finalists, drawn from a pool of candidates spanning the entire country.
The ArtsMemphis Community Engagement Fellowship Program trains arts and civic leaders, including artists, arts managers, neighborhood leaders and residents. The fellows create projects that use the arts as a vehicle for social change and empowerment in specific, disenfranchised Memphis neighborhoods. Launched in 2014, each fellowship award comes with a stipend to participate in a six-month, hands-on curriculum under Linda Steele and features classes, fieldwork and site visits in Memphis and around the country.
Fellows explore such relevant concepts as creative placemaking, reimagining neighborhoods, community impact, sustainable fundraising and cross-sector partnerships. The Fellows current curriculum has several initiatives, including the Cross-Generational Storytelling Project, Family Resource Center at Dunbar Elementary School and “O-MUSIC” After-School Music-Instruction Program.
Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of AFTA said, “ArtsMemphis integrated the arts into their communities in a meaningful way, through innovative projects and transformative practices. Through this work, they have positively impacted the lives of residents and strengthened their communities as a whole, and their commitment is deserving of this recognition.”
We second Lynch’s statement and are so proud that ArtsMemphis has emerged as a leader in our state and nation for community building. We applaud their efforts in the work they are carrying out and look forward to hearing about the change in their communities as a result of it.
