WHEN: Tuesday, March 4 at 6:30 PM

WHERE: 61 St. James Place, Brooklyn, NY

PARTICIPANTS:

Laurie A. Cumbo, Commissioner of Cultural Affairs, The City of New York

Lindsay Greene, President, The Brooklyn Navy Yard

Mickalene Thomas, Artist and Pratt Alumna

Frances Bronet (moderator), President, Pratt Institute

How do the arts and industry work together to reshape cities for equity and creativity?

Pratt Institute’s Design Equity initiative is hosting a conversation on the power of the arts and industry to collaboratively transform neighborhoods, drive creativity, and stimulate innovation at Higgins Hall Auditorium (61 St. James Place) on Pratt’s Brooklyn campus. Free and open to the public at 6:30 PM on Tuesday, March 4, the event will feature insights from Laurie A. Cumbo, Commissioner of Cultural Affairs, The City of New York; Lindsay Greene, President, The Brooklyn Navy Yard; and Mickalene Thomas, distinguished artist and Pratt alumna. Pratt Institute President Frances Bronet will moderate the conversation.

The panel discussion will focus on one of the best examples of the extraordinary power of the arts and industry to transform cities: the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which has become a unique creative engine, enhancing the city’s economic development and supporting its artistic sector.

The conversation will explore the ways public art enhances shared space and helps catalyze neighborhood transformation, the role of arts and creatives in the progress of urban areas, how the relationship between culture and commerce can be leveraged to promote equity, and how to navigate the complexities that can arise as art and creatives make neighborhoods more desirable.

This is the fourth event in Pratt Institute’s Design Equity initiative, a provocative series of discussions and events dedicated to shaping a sustainable and just future in New York City (and beyond). Previous Design Equity events have examined transportation, housing, and food access, and have featured a host of distinguished participants, including Pascale Sablan, Hank Gutman, and Marcus Samuelsson.

The event will take place on Tuesday, March 4, in Pratt’s Higgins Hall Auditorium at 61 St. James Place. The panel discussion is free and open to the public, with reservations required. Register now.