Creating Community Art with Ben Stone

Led by some of Baltimore’s best and brightest activists, artists, educators, and leaders, GHCC’s 5th Annual Neighborhood Institute: Love Where You Live is all about learning what you can do to build and strengthen vibrant urban neighborhoods.

We caught up with Ben Stone, Executive Director of Station North Arts and Entertainment District, to ask him a couple of questions about what participants can expect from Creating Community Art – a workshop that he will be leading at this year’s Neighborhood Institute.

Tell us about your background in community art.

My background is in studio art and urban planning. I’ve worked on a number of public and community art projects, including the design of new bus shelters in Phoenix, the creation of a new waterfront art park in Portland, and most recently, Open Walls Baltimore, a new large-scale street art project in Station North. I’ve also been involved with the creation of plans for the revitalization of commercial corridors in Baltimore, New Orleans, DC, and other cities; I strive to incorporate elements of public art in all of my planning projects and elements of urban planning and design in all of my art projects.

Why did you choose to participate as a workshop leader in this year’s Neighborhood Institute?

I chose to participate in the Neighborhood Institute because I know that Baltimore’s community leaders all have much to learn from one another. Just as I am looking forward to sharing my knowledge of the arts, I’m excited to learn from others about energy efficiency, event planning, and community greening.

What are you hoping that your workshop participants will take away with them?

I hope that participants will leave the workshop with a desire to incorporate art into their neighborhood revitalization strategies, and with an understanding of how to successfully engage artists and community members in the art making process.

Register today for the 5th Annual Neighborhood Institute: Love Where You Live. It’s a free event, but space is limited!