SAACA
  • ABOUT
    • ABOUT US
    • EQUITABLE OUTREACH
    • TEAM CONTACTS
    • SAACA BOARD LEADERSHIP
  • GET INVOLVED & SUPPORT
    • SUPPORT OUR WORK - DONORS & PARTNERSHIPS
    • CURRENT PARTNERS, DONORS & SPONSORS
    • SPONSOR A PROGRAM OR EVENT
    • VOLUNTEER
    • INTERN
    • ARTIST & VENDOR APPLICATIONS
  • EVENTS & FESTIVALS
    • CALENDAR OF EVENTS
    • EVENT & EXHIBITOR APPLICATIONS
    • ART & MUSIC FESTIVALS >
      • CRUISE, BBQ & BLUES
      • DESERT RIDGE MUSIC & MURALS
      • DOWNTOWN GLENDALE ARTS & CULTURE FEST
      • LA ENCANTADA FINE ART FESTIVAL
      • SAHUARITA ART ON THE LAKE FESTIVAL
      • SKY ISLANDS FALL ARTISAN MARKET
      • ORO VALLEY FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS & HOLIDAY TREE LIGHTING CELEBRATION
      • ORO VALLEY FALL ARTISAN MARKET
      • ORO VALLEY SPRING FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS
      • TEMPE ART BLOCK PARTY
      • TUCSON FOLK FESTIVAL
    • CULINARY EVENTS >
      • DEVOUR CULINARY CLASSIC
      • SALSA, TEQUILA & TACO CHALLENGE
      • SAVOR FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL
      • WORLD MARGARITA CHAMPIONSHIP
    • LIVE MUSIC >
      • LIVE MUSIC AT THE LOOKOUT
      • ORO VALLEY CONCERT SERIES
      • RIVERFRONT PARK CONCERT SERIES
  • ART PROGRAMS & COLLABORATIONS
    • ARTIST OPPORTUNITIES - CALL TO ARTIST LISTINGS
    • SAHUARITA CAPTURING COMMUNITY PHOTO CONTEST
    • ORO VALLEY PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION
    • PUBLIC ART IN ORO VALLEY, AZ
    • PUBLIC ART IN SAHUARITA, AZ
    • VENTANA GALLERY & ART EXHIBITIONS AT ROCHE >
      • UNCOMMON KNOWLEDGE ART EXHIBITION
      • 2023 ROCHE CULTURE LENS PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION
      • 2022 ROCHE CELEBRATING MOMENTS PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION
      • 2021 ROCHE LUNG CANCER AWARENESS EXHIBITION
    • CREATIVE AGING AT THE FOUNTAINS
    • DIGITAL ART PROGRAMS >
      • AARP CELEBRATING ARTISTS VIDEO SERIES
      • SLOW FOOD COOKING CLASSES WITH SLOW FOOD
    • UNDERCOVER ARTS MAGAZINE
    • TRANSPORTATION ART BY YOUTH 2022 >
      • Gila Monster
      • Glowing Scorpions
      • Prickly Pear Everywhere
  • CATALYST CREATIVE COLLECTIVE

CREATIVE PLACEMAKING

Strengthening communities with arts at the core
​Creative placemaking integrates arts, culture, and design activities into efforts that strengthen communities. Creative placemaking requires partnership across sectors, deeply engages the community, involves artists, designers and culture bearers, and helps to advance local economic, physical, and/or social change, ultimately laying the groundwork for systems change.

WHAT IS CREATIVE PLACEMAKING

Creative Placemaking is a cooperative, community-based process that leads to new and rejuvenated parks and open spaces reflecting local identity through arts and culture focusing on 5 main engagement strategies
  • Equity
  • Arts and Culture
  • Community Engagement
  • Partnerships
  • Stewardship

HOW IS CREATIVE PLACEMAKING DIFFERENT?

Creative placemaking is best defined by what it encompasses.
  • Character
  • Identity
  • Social Change
  • Life
  • Culture
  • Equity
  • Civic Engagement
  • Hopes
  • Dreams
  • Vibrant
  • Economic Development
  • Connected
  • Access
  • Diversity

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?

​Creative Placemaking is generally understood as the use of arts and culture by diverse partners to strategically shape the physical and social character of a place in order to spur economic development, promote enduring social change and improve the physical environment.

DEFINING SPACES AND PLACES

  • Walkways
  • Cultural Centers
  • Nonprofit Spaces
  • Office Spaces
  • Industrial Spaces
  • ​Medical Centers
  • Community Parks
  • Green Spaces
  • Preserved Lands
  • Shopping Centers
  • Vacant Retail Spaces
  • ​Bus Stops
  • Community Centers
  • Golf Courses
  • Neighborhood Associations
  • Churches & Houses of Worship
  • Outdoor Spaces
  • ​Paths & Walking Trails

A NEW LENS ON GATHERING  |  PLACE AND SPACE

  • Connects arts and culture to larger community revitalization initiatives
  • Engages in cross-discipline,cross-sector activities
  • Possesses strong leadership and vision that has an outward orientation
  • Advances a shared community vision

PROGRAMS  |  IT'S ALL ABOUT PROCESS

  • Involve the Community
  • Artist in Residence Programs
  • Don't look in, look out
  • Utilize Natural Resources
  • Revitalize Vacant Space
  • Invite the Arts to the decision making table - Public Safety, Transportation, Development, Parks & Recreation, Economic Development, Preservation & Heritage

PUBLIC ART  |  FOCUS ON PLACE

  • Go Big
  • Tell A Story
  • Look Up
  • Multi-Sensory
  • Be Whimsical
  • Keep It Changing

​WHAT TYPE OF PLACEMAKING ARE YOU ENGAGED IN?

STANDARD PLACEMAKING
​Your currently support and/or host events, classes and a public art program
TACTICAL PLACEMAKING
You currently are engaged in small projects, focused on creating quality places, with broad impact
CREATIVE PLACEMAKING
Brings new life to public spaces by applying arts, culture and creative thinking to all aspects of the built environment to awaken vibrancy
STRATEGIC PLACEMAKING
Strategic investment in creating a community you want to live, work and play, with focused investment in prime locations.

SAACA CAN HELP YOU START THE PROCESS

  • Do no simply invite people to come to you, but rather, go directly to people.
  • Do you have an asset heat map? Do you know the resources that live and work in your community?
  • Does your Parks & Recreation leadership represent all of your community?
  • Do they understand the language culture, politics, geographic location, economic, values and perceptions of those around them?
  • Are you rewarding their participation and incentive's partnerships?
  • Do you invest equally among departments in arts and culture?
  • Are you regularly engaging with all of the community organizations, for profit and non profit?

THE PAYOFF IS BIG

Collaboration and engagement are not easy...it takes an extraordinarily high investment of time, and resources.
THE PAYOFF IS BIG

Social
​

About
​

The Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance (SAACA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the creation, preservation and advancement of the Arts. SAACA strengthens the bonds between people, place and purpose through collaborative, arts-driven experiences.

​
  • ABOUT
    • ABOUT US
    • EQUITABLE OUTREACH
    • TEAM CONTACTS
    • SAACA BOARD LEADERSHIP
  • GET INVOLVED & SUPPORT
    • SUPPORT OUR WORK - DONORS & PARTNERSHIPS
    • CURRENT PARTNERS, DONORS & SPONSORS
    • SPONSOR A PROGRAM OR EVENT
    • VOLUNTEER
    • INTERN
    • ARTIST & VENDOR APPLICATIONS
  • EVENTS & FESTIVALS
    • CALENDAR OF EVENTS
    • EVENT & EXHIBITOR APPLICATIONS
    • ART & MUSIC FESTIVALS >
      • CRUISE, BBQ & BLUES
      • DESERT RIDGE MUSIC & MURALS
      • DOWNTOWN GLENDALE ARTS & CULTURE FEST
      • LA ENCANTADA FINE ART FESTIVAL
      • SAHUARITA ART ON THE LAKE FESTIVAL
      • SKY ISLANDS FALL ARTISAN MARKET
      • ORO VALLEY FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS & HOLIDAY TREE LIGHTING CELEBRATION
      • ORO VALLEY FALL ARTISAN MARKET
      • ORO VALLEY SPRING FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS
      • TEMPE ART BLOCK PARTY
      • TUCSON FOLK FESTIVAL
    • CULINARY EVENTS >
      • DEVOUR CULINARY CLASSIC
      • SALSA, TEQUILA & TACO CHALLENGE
      • SAVOR FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL
      • WORLD MARGARITA CHAMPIONSHIP
    • LIVE MUSIC >
      • LIVE MUSIC AT THE LOOKOUT
      • ORO VALLEY CONCERT SERIES
      • RIVERFRONT PARK CONCERT SERIES
  • ART PROGRAMS & COLLABORATIONS
    • ARTIST OPPORTUNITIES - CALL TO ARTIST LISTINGS
    • SAHUARITA CAPTURING COMMUNITY PHOTO CONTEST
    • ORO VALLEY PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION
    • PUBLIC ART IN ORO VALLEY, AZ
    • PUBLIC ART IN SAHUARITA, AZ
    • VENTANA GALLERY & ART EXHIBITIONS AT ROCHE >
      • UNCOMMON KNOWLEDGE ART EXHIBITION
      • 2023 ROCHE CULTURE LENS PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION
      • 2022 ROCHE CELEBRATING MOMENTS PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION
      • 2021 ROCHE LUNG CANCER AWARENESS EXHIBITION
    • CREATIVE AGING AT THE FOUNTAINS
    • DIGITAL ART PROGRAMS >
      • AARP CELEBRATING ARTISTS VIDEO SERIES
      • SLOW FOOD COOKING CLASSES WITH SLOW FOOD
    • UNDERCOVER ARTS MAGAZINE
    • TRANSPORTATION ART BY YOUTH 2022 >
      • Gila Monster
      • Glowing Scorpions
      • Prickly Pear Everywhere
  • CATALYST CREATIVE COLLECTIVE