Guest Blog: Change Through Placemaking
A review of the “Small Scale Changes to Strengthen Our Communities” panel at the Southern Vermont Economy Summit.
To learn more about the Erie Arts and Culture’s efforts to expose residents to Refugee and New American businesses, pictured above, visit here (Erie Arts and Culture was a panelist in this session at the Summit) or watch the recording of the session from the Summit!
By Marion Major, Windham Windsor Housing Trust
Reflections on change. What does “change” mean for a community? Who makes change? How do communities absorb change? How does one go about making change? Change is a delicate subject, sometimes an inspiration, sometimes intimidating. The panel “Small Scale Changes to Strengthen Our Communities” during the Southern Vermont Economy Summit dug into how four communities brought impactful changes in Danby, NY; Owswego, NY; Erie, PA; and Somersworth, NH. Here’s my big take away: successful change is born by the community and is centered on place-making; cultivating a space or spaces where the community members feel pride and ownership.
My takeaway isn’t a new concept. We know that placemaking, this sense of ownership, is critical to thriving communities. The most compelling part of this panel, and what’s exciting to me in my work, is thinking about the powerful role arts and culture play in creating that space and that sense of belonging in community. It made me reflect on the miniature public art installations on the light posts along Elliot Street in Brattleboro, the murals all over Bellows Falls, coming across painted rocks in Saxtons River, the SUSU Community Farm’s indigenous farming practices and their CSA connecting community. All these aspects are how arts and culture ground a community, show life, and connect a community across generations.
Change is growth, a community evolution, becoming something more. The panelists reflected on the importance of using the resources that exist locally- creating the change from within. What an opportunity we have to discover the untapped talents and underrepresented voices, lift up our community as a whole, and create new evolutions here at home.
I sit in this reflection in a time where we are discussing the opportunity of welcoming refugee resettlement, where we face the challenge of a housing crisis during the pandemic, where we also face an aging demographic challenge. Where it’s finally time to address Racial Inequities, social disparities, and climate crisis. Let’s call on our communities to be a part of this change, meeting this moment with solutions from the ground up and from within, creating and supporting places where arts and culture nourish our thriving and ever evolving community.
To watch the entire session visit: www.sovermontzone.com/recordings-and-materials/
