Short Talk 2A: Place-Based Change Requires Supporting Creative Leaders
Session Description
Effective place-based change must be rooted in broad and diverse citizen power; thus every community needs a steady supply of residents, artists and other leaders with the capacity and agency to have a positive impact. To nurture this talent, we need to look beyond, or behind, the usual suspects and invite more people to the table to help neighborhoods thrive. Doing this requires both grantmakers and nonprofits to work in a hyperlocal way, building more leadership that is truly from and of the communities we hope to serve. Drawing on the work of Springboard for the Arts, which puts artists and artistic process at the heart of place-based problem solving, Laura Zabel will provide practical examples from Minnesota and beyond for finding and supporting new community leaders and sparking creative change.
Session Designers
Speakers
![[photo]](https://8ca84662c5b8f0cff50d-4baaaf97d63fd7b01243e1b1c57f0cc1.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/1190/profile_1b370e674d4280e87c7c8b7ce8df6e46.png "Laura Zabel, Springboard for the Arts")
Laura Zabel, Springboard for the Arts
Biography
Laura Zabel is the Executive Director of Springboard for the Arts, which operates Creative Exchange, a platform for sharing free toolkits, resources, and profiles to help artists and citizens collaborate on replicating successful and engaging community projects. An economic and community development agency run by and for artists, Springboard provides programs that help artists make a living and a life, and programs that help communities connect to the creative power of artists. Based in Minnesota, Springboard's projects include: Community Supported Art (CSA), which is based on the Community Supported Agriculture model and connects artists directly with patrons; the Artists Access to Healthcare program; artist entrepreneurial development; and Irrigate artist-led creative placemaking, a national model for how cities can engage artists to help reframe and address big community challenges. An expert on the relationship between the arts and community development, Zabel has spoken at leading conferences and events including the Aspen Ideas Festival, the Urban Land Institute, and Americans for the Arts. A 2014 Bush Foundation Fellow, Zabel’s insights on industry trends have also been featured in outlets from The Guardian to The New York Times. Zabel serves on the board of directors of the Center for Performance and Civic Practice and the Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers.