On Thursday, August 3rd, the Urban Land Institute Cleveland in partnership with the City of Cleveland and Assembly for the Arts hosted a community listening session from 5:30-7:00 pm at Dunham Tavern. This event was free and open to the community. During the event attendees engaged in facilitated table discussions. Attendees ranges from community residents, real estate developers, and artists. Below, please find a summary of the discussions that took place. Please join us for a continuation of this discussion on Wednesday, August 30 from 5:30-7:00 pm at the Baseball Heritage Museum. Learn more and register for free online here.

• How does a relationship between developers and artists get established before the real estate development begins? How can relationships be built between community members and real estate developers before the process begins so representation can be at the forefront of the process?  Prevent art from becoming an afterthought in a development.
• Is there a current or can there be an inventory of current and possible art opportunities and artists in Cleveland?
• Are there possible tax incentives for artists? Are there other opportunities that real estate developers receive that artists should also be receiving?
• How do we create an economy around artists? Create income and jobs for artists in the community.
• Projects are designed in a way to be inclusive of all (assessable for those with disabilities for example).
• Can artists’ voices change the development process? Can art bring back the soul of the space and be a springboard for the developer’s thoughts?
• Generational poverty: Turning renters into owners to create generational wealth to not displace residents. Wanting to put the voices, needs, and ideas from the residents into art and real estate developers to preserve the history and tell the story of the neighborhood to bring about new opportunities.
• Meeting artists where they are at and understanding their needs. Affordable place to work, live, and sell. Treat artists like entrepreneurs.