New Year's revelers enjoy downtown Flint celebration
Dominic Adams, Flint Journal, Jan. 1, 2013
Downtown Flint bars hosting 'pub crawl' for New Year's Eve
Scott Atkinson, Flint Journal, Dec. 29, 2012
'Pop-up' film fest to be featured at Art Walk Dec. 14
Scott Atkinson, Flint Journal, Dec. 13, 2012
Local art organizations create competition to build structure in downtown Flint
Scott Atkinson, Flint Journal, Nov. 19, 2012
3D Karaoke - Flint Public Art Project
G.H. Hovagimyan, Rhizome, Nov. 15, 2012
Flint Public Art Project holds first Congress for Urban Transformation
Nadia Alamah, The Michigan Times, Nov. 12, 2012
Local officials hope to fill former Chevy in the Hole location with ideas from residents
Robert Acosta, Flint Journal, Oct. 28, 2012
Flint Gets A Master Plan
Josh Marshall, NBC25, Oct. 28, 2012
Jerome Chou and colleagues talk about an upcoming event
Tom Sumner Program, 1470 WFNT, NewsTalk Radio, Oct. 25, 2012
VIDEO
The Spacebuster Invades Downtown Flint
ABC12's Marc Jacobson reports on Flint Public Art Project's installation of Raumlabor's Spacebuster for a series of events and actions in public spaces.
Spacebuster to be in downtown Flint for Art Walk
Scott Atkinson, Flint Journal, Oct. 10, 2012
Architects seek new use for Spencer's Mortuary
Nic Custer, East Village Magazine, Oct. 9, 2012
Forward-Thinking Flint
Wert & Company blog, Oct. 4, 2012
Flint Public Art Project holding potluck and movie night
Scott Atkinson, Flint Journal, Oct. 1, 2012
ArtPlace Blog
Jerome Chou, ArtPlace, Sep. 28, 2012
New York architects aim to turn historic Flint mortuary into piece of art
Scott Atkinson, Flint Journal, Sep. 22, 2012
Inflatable Architecture Fun Visits Detroit For A Night
Sarah Cox, Curbed Detroit, Sep. 18, 2012
Abandoned buildings, vacant spaces transformed in 'Value + Ruin' panel by Flint Public Art Project
William E. Ketchum III, MLive, Sep. 14, 2012
Local 432 club opens as center of arts
Nic Custer, East Village Magazine, Sep. 14, 2012
What to do tonight: A giant bubble is a unique hangout
Dan Majors, The Pittsburgh Press, Sep. 12, 2012
VIDEO
After three weeks as a resident artist in Flint, 3 Mercer Store and Fashion Moda founder Stefan Eins talks about his experience on WJRT ABC12, and discusses a few works created during his time in the city, joined by FPAP producer and artistic director Stephen Zacks.
Fashion Moda founder Stefan Eins visits Flint Public Art Project
William E. Ketchum III, MLive, August 21, 2012.
Flint Public Art Project comes to city
Nic Custer, East Village Magazine, July 30, 2012.
Flint draws in artists from around the country
Jennifer Baum, Creative Impact Michigan, July 26, 2012.
Flint Public Art Project
ArtPlace, August 2, 2012.
Flint Public Art project returns to downtown Flint for Art Walk with 'Ground Breaking Art Party'
Scott Atkinson, MLive, July 13, 2012.
Flint, MI, June 12, 2012
Flint Public Art Project Wins ArtPlace Grant
Flint Public Art Project (FPAP) will soon be launching a series of spectacular and practical actions in the city, featuring inflatable structures, building-scale video projections, urban research programs, and conceptual performances in the street – thanks to a substantial grant from ArtPlace announced today.
FPAP’s ongoing events will be produced in collaboration with visiting artists from Detroit, Toledo, Buffalo, Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles, Berlin, Japan, and China, bringing the vitality and expertise of the global art and architecture scene to the city. In the fall, the project is organizing a Congress for Urban Engagement that will combine public discussions with programs by urban planners that use innovative tools to involve residents of all ages in designing the city’s future. These programs are being organized in close partnership with Mayor Dayne Walling and chief planner Megan Hunter. Among the visiting architects and organizations expected to participate are Interboro Partners, James Rojas, Damon Rich, Center for Urban Pedagogy, Public Workshop, Dland Studios, and Srdjan Jovanovic-Weiss.
"This project will shine a positive light on Flint and show off the creative work that is taking place here to turn our community around,” Mayor Walling said. “The timing of this project could not be better—it will illustrate new ideas and strategies that can be incorporated into the master planning process.”
In addition to planning, Flint Public Art Project will promote a series of art provocations, architectural form-making experiments, and spectacular video projections, culminating in a May 1- 4, 2013 public art festival. Entries will be open to local, regional, and international participants, inviting proposals for light-and-projection art, performances, and installations to transform a disused former factory site into a temporary public space and demonstrate its potential future use. “We want to encourage residents to feel free to transform the city through their own creative energy and actions,” said Flint Public Art Project director Stephen Zacks. “Every vacant lot is an opportunity to experiment, play, and reimagine.”
Flint Public Art Project will receive a $250,000 grant from ArtPlace, a new national collaboration of 11 major national and regional foundations, six of the nation’s largest banks, and eight federal agencies, including the National Endowment for the Arts, to accelerate creative placemaking across the U.S. To date, ArtPlace has raised almost $50 million to work alongside federal and local governments to transform communities with strategic investments in the arts.
"Across the country, cities and towns are using the arts to help shape their social, physical, and economic characters," said NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman. "The arts are a part of everyday life, and I am thrilled to see yet another example of an arts organization working with city, state, and federal offices to help strengthen and revitalize their communities through the arts. It is wonderful that ArtPlace and its funders have recognized this work and invested in it so generously."
Flint Public Art Project is one of three Southeast Michigan organizations funded by ArtPlace in 2012 and among the 47 creative placemaking initiatives nationwide supported by the collaboration this year. Power House Productions and the Detroit Institute of Arts are also receiving ArtPlace support.
“The Detroit and Flint projects receiving ArtPlace funding exemplify the best in creative placemaking,” explained ArtPlace’s Carol Coletta. “They demonstrate a deep understanding of how smart investments in art, design and culture as part of a larger portfolio of revitalization strategies can change the trajectory of communities and increase economic opportunities for people.”
ArtPlace received almost 2200 letters of inquiry from organizations seeking a portion of the $15.4 million available for grants in this cycle. Inquiries came from 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands.
In September, ArtPlace will release a new set of metrics to measure changes over time in the people, activity and real estate value in the communities where ArtPlace has invested with its grants.
Participating foundations include Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Ford Foundation, The James Irvine Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, The McKnight Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, Rasmuson Foundation, The Robina Foundation, The William Penn Foundation and an anonymous donor. In addition to the NEA, federal partners are the departments of Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Agriculture, Education and Transportation, along with leadership from the White House Office of Management and Budget and the Domestic Policy Council. ArtPlace is also supported by a $12 million loan fund capitalized by six major financial institutions and managed by the Nonprofit Finance Fund. Participating institutions are Bank of America, Citi, Deutsche Bank, Chase, MetLife and Morgan Stanley.
A complete list of this year’s ArtPlace awards can be found at artplaceamerica.org.
VIDEO
Flint Public Art Project plans big spectacle for Art Walk
VIDEO
Genesee Towers will come to life for Flint Art Walk
NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO
Artpod: Flint, public art, and revitalization
Jennifer Guerra, Michigan Radio, July 21, 2011.
Re-imagining Flint, one art installation at a time
Jennifer Guerra, Michigan Radio, July 7, 2011.
A coalition of city officials and artists are trying to re-write Flint's story
CMU Public Radio Newswires, Aug. 1, 2011.
Newspapers, Wires, and Blogs
Top 10 of 2011: Architecture
USA Character Approved Blog. Chad Smith, Dec. 27, 2011.
CCNY Studio Designs for Midwest City’s Rebirth
Ellis Simon, The City College of New York, Nov. 8, 2011.
German resident artist in Flint helps bring together next Flint Public Art Project movement
Jessica Strachan, The Flint Journal
Photos of the Aug. Artwalk project
The Northern High School marching band's performance from downtown Flint to the Carriage Factory took the downtown area by storm. August Anthony, The Flint Journal, Aug. 13, 2011.
The Flint Public Art Project
Erin Writes, Erin Brambella, Aug. 11, 2011.
A look inside The Flint Public Art Project and why lighting Genesee Towers was at the top of its list
Jessica Strachan, The Flint Journal, Jul. 12, 2011.
Gallery: Genesee Tower transformed into work of art in downtown Flint
photos by Sean Ryan, The Flint Journal, Jul. 9, 2011.
Art display at condemned Downtown Flint building draws crowd despite electrical problems
Khalil AlHajal, The Flint Journal, Jul. 9, 2011.
Hundreds attend Genesee Towers art display as dancers and colored light fill windows of aging building
Khalil AlHajal, The Flint Journal, Jul. 8, 2011.
Arts groups to light up Genesee Towers at dusk during this week's downtown ArtWalk
Jessica Strachan, The Flint Journal, Jul. 5, 2011.
Flint tries Japanese-model project to share ideas, motivate others and change the city
Jessica Strachan, The Flint Journal, Jun. 21, 2011.