FREE WEBINAR: Placemaking and Planning Public Art

Placemaking: Buzzword or By-Product? Process or Tactic? The Choice is Yours!

In recent years the buzzword "placemaking" was introduced into the Main Street lexicon. Regrettably, however, few have taken the time to actually understand what it means on a deeper level that just populating a space with some interactive elements. This presentation will help participants distinguish between placemaking as a process versus placemaking as a tactic. The good news is that these two distinctions are not necessarily at odds with one another. This presentation will feature highlights from a year-long placemaking project in eleven (11) Mississippi Main Street communities.

This inspirational presentation is packed with highly visual, real-life examples that illustrate how to achieve placemaking, not just talk about it, or worse still, reduce it to a set of temporary installation gimmicks that don’t stand the test of time. Ultimately, participants will realize that the Main Street approach is the best methodology for sustainable placemaking as a process, while understanding the critical role of placemaking tactics to support that holistic approach to downtown revitalization.

Downtown as a Canvas: Public Art Planning for Main Street

The presence of public art in a downtown has the power to drive creativity (within the arts community), quality of life (for its residents and visitors), and economic development (for the entire community). While this is an undisputed fact born out in myriad studies, it is also intuitively understood in the real-life experience of each of us. When art is present in a downtown, the creative community thrives. When art is celebrated in a downtown, people intuitively sense that ‘this place is different.' And, when art is present and celebrated in a downtown, it can make a discernible economic difference in the life of the community.

This session will provide tangible evidence of these dynamics that you intuitively suspect are true. Additionally, it will provide a step-by-step guide to create an Arts Master Plan to provide both a vision and structure for highlighting the arts in your downtown. Moreover, and perhaps best of all, this session will provide templates and practical steps associated with implementing a public art plan by outlining real-life approaches to the policies, procedures, and funding mechanisms necessary to make it happen.

Presenters

Randy Wilson

Randy Wilson is a nationally renowned architect who established Community Design Solutions as a community-based design firm devoted to delivering creative, asset-based design services for community building and downtown revitalization. Mr. Wilson serves as the consulting architect to Mississippi Main Street and Main Street South Carolina. In 2023 Mr. Wilson was awarded the Sam Kaye Excellence in Design award to commemorate his lifetime achievement for design services provided to Mississippi Main Street. Since 2015 Mr. Wilson has been the Project Architect for Lake City, SC where he has facilitated the renovation of more than 40 facades and a downtown pocket park. In 2019, Lake City was named “America’s #1 Small Town Cultural Scene,” by USA Today. To date he has participated in over 400 Main Street Resource Teams and design and planning exercises nationwide.

Kristen Brock

Kristen Brock is Director of Programs and Development for VisitHATTIESBURG, the destination marketing management organization for Hattiesburg, MS. In her role, Brock engages with organizations and events in the community to enhance tourism offerings and grow visitation to the community. She also serves as director of Hattiesburg Alliance for Public Art and the Mississippi Miss Hospitality Competition. With more than 20 years of experience in the tourism industry, Brock previously served as Sales Manager for both VisitHATTIESBURG and the Hattiesburg Convention Commission and Advertising Director for publishing company HubCitySPOKES. In 2023, Brock graduated from the inaugural class of Mississippi State University’s Center for Government and Community Development, earning a master’s certificate in Excellence in Tourism Leadership.

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