There are a couple of recent efforts where artists try to reach parts of the state that we have not typically been able to serve very well. One of them is really grounded in community arts development. It’s a project that’s happening in a federally-designated promise zone. It’s six counties on the Interstate corridor. Historically, it’s been difficult to give grants to these counties. But we’ve just started a new project in this region, the most successful of which is in this very poor, rural county. We’ve identified in each county a person that we call the maven, somebody who is deeply rooted in the community, but who can work with us on sort of an administrative level. And the person in this county is an artist, a musician who has had a long relationship with us. She has become kind of the spark plug for this community arts development in her town and county. She’s organized a local group to work with her and we’re providing some funds. They’re just getting into all sorts of business, that town. The town really needs all the help they can get. There is this blighted lot that used to be an old roadhouse that long since has gone out of business and fallen to rubble – we’ve helped the artist turn it into a park and performance venue. It’s something that the community is going to be really proud of and get a lot of use out of. It’s exciting to see that an artist in the community is really driving the project.

We do cross-disciplinary labs that bring filmmakers, technologists, scientists, and NGO leaders for a day or two-day crash course. We explore new models of storytelling, and we also go into a deep place of what it means to collaborate and what it means to bring your full self as an artist. We’re there to not only spur imagination and creativity, but also to build personal relationships. That’s what collaboration is about.

The Hatch Training Intensive is a program of C4 Atlanta specifically targeted towards readying artists to work in community-centric art projects in ways that are both sustainable and meaningful to all involved stakeholders. The program embeds equity and access as well as tools for listening and reflection throughout.

Cézanne Charles, Director of Creative Industries for Creative Many, describes the organization's process of stepping outside its comfort zone and engaging in deep conversations with artists to understand artists' needs when interfacing with communities.

Helen Kauder, Executive Director of Artspace, shares a story where the organization supported an artist's work on racial bias in the criminal justice system by expanding the framework for the conversation and including a broad range of constituents.