2016 GIA Conference
Saint Paul, MN   October 16–19
A Confluence of People, Cultures, and Ideas

Roots of Rondo

Black Artists Rising

Tuesday, October 18, 2:00pm – 4:30pm*

Hallie Q. Brown Community Center

Organized by Erik Takeshita, Community Creativity Portfolio Director, Bush Foundation.

Presented by Noel Nix, Vice President, Springboard for the Arts; Nieeta Presley, Executive Director, Aurora St. Anthony Neighborhood Development Corporation (ASANDC); and Peter Thompson, Community Development Coordinator, Springboard for the Arts.

For this off-site session, participants will visit Saint Paul’s African American community that was once centered on Rondo Avenue, a thriving commercial corridor, until it was destroyed to make way for Interstate 94. While there, participants will hear from neighborhood artists leading Roots of Rondo: Black Artists Rising, a collaborative, artist-led community and economic revitalization effort. Roots of Rondo connects African American artists who live, work, or have a significant relationship to the Rondo community to create collaborative artistic projects that showcase the past, present, and future of their community. Roots of Rondo builds on the rich history and legacy of the neighborhood to help it not just survive but to thrive in the future.

This session will be held at Hallie Q. Brown Community Center.

*Off-site session schedule: