TAKIN' IT TO THE STREET: ARTS INSTITUTIONS AS FORUMS FOR URBAN PROBLEMS IN NEW YORK'S LOWER EAST SIDE

Abstract

This paper analyzes the ways in which arts institutions have expanded their community role to serve as forums for urban issues and potential generators of innovative design-based solutions. Using two case studies from New York City, we argue that arts institutions have increasingly used the philosophy of ‘design thinking’ to tackle public issues previously reserved for city governments and nonprofits. Through outdoor festivals, arts institutions sought to engage the public over issues such as housing, transportation, and environmentally conscious development. We ask what participatory arts-based processes bring to urban issues and how ‘design thinking’ can be compromised by frequent corporat..