Creative Community Development

Strengthening and promoting the creative resources of communities is at the heart of all our consulting work. The intersection of a community’s unique assets, with the inventiveness of its arts, culture, and industry, is a powerful one. Maren Brown Associates works with private and governmental entities in creating effective initiatives that engage and celebrate the artistic and cultural assets of their communities. We partner with committed citizens in utilizing the arts to strengthen the fabric of community life.

Types of creative community development include:

• Cultural district planning & support
• Community cultural planning
• Creative economy planning and implementation
• Public art training and planning

As part of our creative community development work, you may choose from a variety of services: designing and facilitating retreats to clarify community needs and values; researching and identifying promising practices in other comparable communities; coaching community leaders on cross-sector partnership development; conducting community asset mapping; gathering community input through surveys, interviews, focus groups, and public forums; reviewing, analyzing, and reporting on all research; designing and facilitating retreats to clarify strategy and goals for the cultural district or creative economic development initiative; drafting and refining a plan.

After a plan has been developed, we also coach community leaders on implementation strategies and are available to facilitate “post-plan” retreats.

Sample clients (click below for a full list of projects):

El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs Department, Massachusetts Cultural Council Cultural Districts Program, Portland Temporary Public Art Committee (Maine), Vermont Arts Council Danville Transportation Project