The history of a neighborhood is the foundation for much of a community’s identity. To strengthen our community and honor its cultural heritage, we must look back at the people and places that shaped our local landscape. At The ACGG, we believe art is a powerful tool for celebrating these narratives, ensuring they are preserved for future generations.
This spring, we are launching the Art and Dialogue Artist Residency. This initiative is made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. The project focuses on the legacy and stories in Southeast Greensboro by connecting residents, artists, and city leaders through direct conversation and artistic endeavors.
By identifying Story Keepers and Third Places within the neighborhood, we are creating a platform for residents of all ages to share their experiences. Among the many aims of this project, perhaps most important is providing a sense of visibility and pride in one’s community.
In service of strengthening these bonds, we have partnered with the Greensboro Police Department’s Community Connectors program. This collaboration prioritizes listening to the needs of residents and working together to address them. Through artist-led activation workshops, the project seeks to use creative engagement that reflects the community’s cultural narrative, fostering positive social networks.
To spearhead this ambitious work, we have selected two resident artists. Rodney Dawson is the Resident Media Artist for the project and will identify and interview “Story Keepers” to produce a multi-part video podcast series.
With his empathetic approach, Rodney will document the community’s oral history, ensuring these accounts are preserved in the authentic voices of the people who lived them.
Karena “Kidd” Graves is serving as our Resident Activation Artist and will lead 15 community workshops from April through August. These sessions will create space for conversation, storytelling, and art-making across generations. Kidd will draw from the stories and creative works that emerge from these gatherings into a final artwork that reflects the strength, history, and lived experiences of the community.
These podcasts and art pieces will serve as lasting resources for Greensboro. Distributed to local schools, libraries, and civic venues, they will provide a sense of visibility and pride for Southeast Greensboro while creating a model for community connection that can be expanded across the city.
As we approach our first public listening sessions in March, we are eager to work with the residents of Southeast Greensboro to document their stories and spirit while building a stronger community together.
