Sustainable art neighborhoods envisioned and created by residents through placemaking and their own unique art making.
Our MISSION is to provide communities with creative placemaking, a grassroots, bottom-up design tool used to identify their goals for their public spaces
CREATIVE PLACEMAKING IN BALTIMORE
834 W. 36th St. Baltimore, MD 21211 410.243.3834 info@artblocks.org
Please support us!
Druid Hill Park at Howard P. Rawlings Conservatory :: Free Fall Baltimore Grant
Our VISION is to see the distinctive personality and creativity of communities of every size, shape and color reflected in their public spaces
Hampden, June 2011 :: Community Traffic Calming Design
The Creative Placemaking Workshop at Druid Hill Park on Saturday, October 15, 2011 was a huge success.
A collaboration with the Conservatory, Friends of Druid Hill Park, New Auchentoroly Terrace Neighborhood
Association, Mondawmin Neighborhood Association, Greater Mondawmin Coordinating Council, and local
residents, the workshop was attended by nearly 50 community members that in terms of age, race, culture,
and gender reflect the new CREATIVE face of Baltimore.
The focus was on re-envisioning the park entrance and dangerous intersection at Gwynns Falls Parkway and McCulloh Street, with an emphasis on beautification and pedestrian safety, that resulted in a list of the COMMUNITY’S GOALS for the space. The first goal -- to clean up and plant one thousand bulbs at the entrance and in the intersection -- was completed on November 12, 2011.
ARTblocks and the community are now in the process of writing grants and fundraising for the completion of their other goals.
Listen to ARTbocks and community participants discuss this project on the Marc Steiner Show in November, 2011.
In response to community discussion regarding the dangerous intersection at 36th & Elm in Hampden, ARTblocks sponsored a community draw session to create traffic calming designs directly on the street at Honfest, 2011. In collaboration with D.O.T., the final design will be painted on the street in Spring, 2012.
May, 2011 :: Creative Placemaking with Chesapeake Center for Youth Development’s After School Program
October 2010 :: Creative Placemaking Workshops for Station North Arts & Entertainment District, 
Free Fall Baltimore Grant
ARTblocks offered two creative placemaking workshops for the Station North Arts & Entertainment District that resulted in community-driven ideas & goals for their public spaces.
ARTblocks led the youth through the creative placemaking process in the Filbert Street Community Garden in Curtis Bay. The result was a list of ten projects -- including hand-painted birdhouses and handmade wind chimes -- the youth would create in the after school program. The process is an excellent way to empower youth, while also generating their buy-in and support of the projects and greater commitment to the after school program.
positive public spaces created by the people for the people
Participants observing & gathering data in the intersection (actually caught without the normal flood of cars)
Breakout groups discussing their observations in the Conservatory (while enjoying pizza donated by Angelo’s & Bella Roma in Hampden and juice donated by Honest Tea in Bethesda)
Group presentations of short and long-term goals for intersection and entrance to Druid Hill Park
ARTblocks is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Baltimore, Maryland
Copyright © 2012 ARTblocks, Inc. All rights reserved.
CREATIVE PLACEMAKING WORKSHOP AT DRUID HILL PARK
