Neighborhood Arts Program Expands in Dudley Heights, Glenwood and Kings Forest

Creative Greensboro will expand its Neighborhood Arts Program to bring additional arts experiences to three Greensboro communities this fall and spring. Residents of Dudley Heights, Glenwood, and Kings Forest will have opportunities to experience live concerts, storytelling and art making events, or a poetry and visual arts series.

These programs build on the community-based activities Creative Greensboro supported last year through the Neighborhood Arts Residency Program.

Upcoming Neighborhood Arts Programs include:

• In Dudley Heights: A six-part poetry and visual arts series called "Home" on the first Tuesday evening of each month starting at 6:30 pm September 6 at Barber Park Event Center, 1502 Barber Park Dr. Dudley Heights residents are invited to create with poet Josephus Thompson III and artist Darlene J. McClinton to explore what home means to them and share the history of their neighborhood. The series will culminate on April 15, 2023, with a presentation at The Poetry Café, hosted by Thompson at the Van Dyke Performance Space at the Greensboro Cultural Center.
• In Glenwood: Storytelling and art making, hosted by Greensboro artist Tamra Hunt, will take place at The People's Market, a weekly neighborhood market on Thursday evenings at 1417 Glenwood Ave. Hunt and guest artists and storytellers will be at the market from 6-8 pm August 18, September 15, October 20 and October 27 to share the indigenous history of Glenwood and invite market goers to participate in sharing stories and making art about the neighborhood. Hunt will use The People's Market sessions to create a community-informed design for a crosswalk mural installation in the Glenwood community.
• In Kings Forest: Piedmont Blue Preservation Society and its President Atiba Berkley, is Kings Forest resident, will host two Blues and Foods concerts 1-5 pm September 25 and October 23 at the Renaissance Shopping Center, 2521 Phillips Ave. At the concerts, Sunny Gravely-Foushee, executive director of TAB Arts Non-Profit, will host creative activities for concert goers to learn about six notable Kings Forest residents featured on the sidewalk murals painted around the community's park. Gravely-Foushee will also invite residents to share stories about their favorite Kings Forest neighbors.

"Neighborhood Arts is a sustained effort to learn about and invest in communities in Greensboro, and to bring arts opportunities and experiences to people where they live," said Ryan Deal, chief creative economy officer and head of Creative Greensboro. "These programs have been designed in partnership with neighbors and artists who have deep ties to the community. Creative Greensboro is committed to supporting artist-led opportunities that address issues that are important to our residents and the neighborhoods where they live."

About Neighborhood Arts

The Neighborhood Arts Residency Program supports artists and neighborhood residents as co-leaders. The program brings creativity close to home through arts activities and beautification projects that respond to neighborhood priorities. Through the program, Creative Greensboro has committed to date more than $150,000 toward creative projects in the five neighborhoods identified for reinvestment in the city's Housing GSO plan. Additional support for the initiative is provided by the City's Housing and Neighborhood Development, Transportation, Parks and Recreation and Library departments.

About Creative Greensboro

Founded in 2019, Creative Greensboro provides support for, ensures access to and drives awareness of Greensboro's creative community. Through a range of programs, services and partnerships, Creative Greensboro supports the development of a vibrant city. Learn more at www.creativegreensboro.com.