FORWARD: Issue #5: Housing

How creative projects and partnerships raise visibility and spur action around critical housing issues

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Welcome to FORWARD, a digital publication and conversation series from Forecast, a nonprofit that activates, inspires, and advocates for public art that advances justice, health, and human dignity. FORWARD highlights how artists are partnering with cities, institutions, and communities to courageously tackle the vital issues of our time. This fifth issue, made in collaboration with NeighborWorks America, focuses on housing. Guest-edited by Paul Singh, vice president of NeighborWorks's Community Initiatives, it highlights projects and partnerships that use art and creativity to raise visibility and spur action around critical housing issues.

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Image: Audience gathers in breakout discussion group for The Most Beautiful Home…Maybe, an experimental, participatory theater production that asks, “What can artists and the artistic process offer housing policy advocates and community members?” Photo by Rich Ryan, 2021, courtesy Mark-n-Sparks.

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Image: Karla Mosley as Zébra, chanteuse and hostess of The Most Beautiful Home…Maybe, an experimental, participatory theater production that asks, “What can artists and the artistic process offer housing policy advocates and community members?” Photo by Rich Ryan, 2021, courtesy Mark-n-Sparks.

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Public Art Now: Indigenous Public Art with Jessica Mehta and Gregg Deal

The third Public Art Now event in our FORWARD series features a conversation between artist Gregg Deal and guest curator Jessica (Tyner) Mehta, PhD. In her introduction to the Public Art Now collection in FORWARD Issue #5, Jessica writes: "I believe the works of these artists and their recent contributions will spark necessary discourse, provide a framework for information exchange and culture bearing that breeds real change, and, overall, make big strides toward re-Indigenizing Turtle Island." Watch the recording and enjoy their captivating discussion about how Native artists are critically engaging the public realm.

Watch this conversation, which was held via Zoom on Wednesday, March 22, 2023.

Please consider a donation to make events like this possible.

Not Just Housing: Artists Addressing the Housing Crisis

with Paul Singh, Dr. Lisa Yun Lee, Tiff Beatty, Mark Valdez, and Jenn Lamb A FORWARD series panel conversation about how artists are helping to address the housing crisis. Panelists include Dr. Lisa Yun Lee and Tiff Beatty of the National Public Housing Museum and featured interviewees for FORWARD 5; artist Mark Valdez, who is also the co-creator of The Most Beautiful Home... Maybe; and Jennifer Lamb of Southwest Minnesota Housing Services, who helped create the play and podcast, A Prairie Homeless Companion.

Amidst a national housing crisis, artists continue to push for bold solutions that aim at alleviating the root causes of housing instability and inequity. Learn how artists are partnering with housing organizations and others to make changes to help bring about housing justice. Watch the conversation, which was held via Zoom on Tuesday, November 15, 2022.

Please consider a donation to make events like this possible.

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