National community development initiative selects Chicago for $5 million grant

Stony Island Arts Bank will serve as the pilot site in an initiative to foster civic engagement, economic opportunity and environmental sustainability. A national effort to counter the growing economic and social fragmentation in cities has awarded a $5 million grant to Chicago and the Chicago Arts + Industry Commons, a collaboration between Prof. Theaster Gates? Rebuild Foundation , University of Chicago's Place Lab and the city of Chicago. The grant is part of Reimagining the Civic Commons, a partnership of four national foundations that seeks to foster civic engagement, economic opportunity and environmental sustainability through revitalizing and connecting parks, libraries, community centers and other public spaces. Chicago was one of four cities selected for the grant; Chicago, Akron, Detroit and Memphis join Philadelphia, which began a Reimagining the Civic Commons pilot project in 2014. An additional $5.25 million in support from local sources will match the $5 million grant for Chicago. 'It is important to the University of Chicago to support Prof. Gates and Place Lab's effort to develop collaborative partnerships, engage artists and leverage resources to put innovative urban thinking into practice in our surrounding neighborhoods on the South Side of Chicago,' said Sian Beilock, Executive Vice Provost at the University of Chicago. 'The Chicago Arts + Industry Commons project is an ambitious next step in Gates? constellation of neighborhood revitalization initiatives.' 'We have spent the last 10 years developing a network of platforms, skilled people and facilities that would allow us to turn the city's perceived deficits into assets,' said Gates, acknowledging how critical collaboration is to the idea of the commons.