The Tampa-based Gobioff Foundation announced today that the University Area Community Development Corporation (CDC) will be the first to earn a grant of $30,000 as part of their Treasure Tampa (T²) initiative.
The University Area CDC won with its proposal for Art in the Park, which will create three to five dynamic art installations in Harvest Hope Park with community residents taking the lead on the creation of the work with their lead artists facilitating. Art in the Park is scheduled to begin by August, 2017.
Partnering with University Area CDC, WMNF-FM will produce monthly resident engagement events. WMNF-FM’s Urban Café segment and 83 Degrees Media will include onsite resident interviews that showcase the Prodigy Cultural Arts program and engage in community dialogue about the socio-economic impact and history of arts in the University Area.
“We are elated to be chosen as the only awardee in Tampa Bay for this placemaking grant to fund our Art in the Park project. The most exciting part is that we will be engaging adults and youth in the community in a meaningful way to create community artwork that represents the culture and essence of the University Area,” said Sarah Combs, CEO and executive director of University Area CDC.
“Community art is something that has been missing in the University Area community, but thanks to the Gobioff Foundation it won’t be any longer. We envision Art in the Park to be an experience that will take residents beyond their block, forming social connections in the community, which is what propels and grows a community forward,” The monthly park events and activities will also include elements of cultural arts and healthy eating through cooking demonstrations in University Area CDC’s teaching kitchen and community garden. Their Prodigy Moves program will also inspire residents’ interest and involvement with live art, African drumming/dance and a host of other activities along with the trilingual (English/Spanish/Haitian Creole) Prodigy Moves hype team!
Focusing on areas within the City of Tampa and the Hillsborough County neighborhood area served by the University Area Community Development Center, Treasure Tampa (T²) strives to inspire businesses to implement creative place-based projects: collaborations with the public and private sectors to forge the identity, character and experience of those areas with the members of those communities. To select the Treasure Tampa (T²) grant finalist, The Gobioff Foundation recruited a panel of 15 reviewers, comprised of arts, business, and community leaders from the Tampa Bay area. “This is the Gobioff Foundation’s first competitive grant and we wanted the applicants to work on collaborating with members of the public, private and non-profit sectors,” says Neil Gobioff, Gobioff Foundation President.
“We’re excited by the University Area CDC Art in the Park Project. We truly believe they understand the type of collaboration that is necessary to make a creative placemaking project successful.“ For more information about Treasure Tampa (T²), please visit TreasureTampa.org.
It will be wonderful to have the park, with all its components, and the art experiences in this neighborhood!