Place + People + Music = Community Bonding and Social Capital
Part of the 2024 GIA Conference Blog
Rachel Dukes
Free concerts in Chicago’s Millennium Park quickly became a hobby that I picked up roughly nine years ago when I moved to the city. Now whenever I visit a new city in the summer I look to see what outdoor concerts might be available. Earlier this summer, during a trip home, I joined a family member at the Levitt Pavilion in Arlington, Texas for a cool evening of lively music in the area where I grew up. While there, we enjoyed a rare breezy night in the north Texas summer and even ran into a few old friends. How beautiful that a free concert series could transform the downtown Arlington area into a lively space where the talent reflected the diversity of the city and brought people together. I had no clue at the time that night was made possible because of funding from the Levitt Foundation.
During this session, the Executive Director, Sharon Yazowski, introduced the Levitt Foundation as a mission-focused funder that has found a unique lane in building and empowering communities through music. Instead of focusing on quantitative results, success is determined by social friction, social bonding, and social bridging; in other words, the Levitt Foundation intently focuses on social capital and the value that is received when people feel welcomed in a space and where they feel a sense of belonging. “Social friction is bringing various social groups together in a defined space that fosters interactions and that results in social bonding, which is time spent and strengthening of bonds among existing social groups. Social bridging is points of connection, understanding, and exchange across diverse social groups. And why is it important to invest in programs that result in social capital? When you have higher levels of social capital, you have greater social cohesion, increased public safety, better health outcomes, and greater economic stability.”
Following the introduction were two testimonials from two different areas of the country. Celia Shaffner from Middlesboro, Kentucky detailed her role as Executive Director for Middlesboro Main Street and the impact of the funding they received from the Levitt Foundation. A small Appalachian town of roughly 10,000 residents, Middlesboro was once a social, economic, and cultural hub due to its booming iron and coal industries. As industries started shifting away from iron and coal, the town was unable to recover and many buildings were left unkempt. In 2015, they became aware of the Levitt Foundation and began putting on their first concert series. The concert was one facet of the transformation of the city; they also employed local artists and architects to revive the downtown area that had served as the commercial hub several years ago. Now, not only does the city see more visitors, but local businesses are also receiving a boost in sales because of the lively nightlife brought on by the concert series.
The second presentation came from Christy Walton who is the Coordinating Chair for Levitt Amp Springfield in Springfield, Illinois, a city that is deeply segregated due to the history of redlining. One of the city’s culturally significant locations is known as “The Block” which is central to the Governor's Mansion, Lincoln’s home, and the Illinois State Capitol. The area was slated to be a prime, walkable area that would bring new energy to that segment of the city. During the summer, “The Block” is transformed into the Levitt Amp where the concert series takes place. Since the concert series began five years ago, it has grown in popularity so much so that they regularly meets their attendance capacity. This summer in 2024, in the wake of the tragic murder of Sonya Massey by law enforcement in Springfield, Illinois, the team was faced with the difficult task of holding space for a range of tough emotions while also providing a safe space for release and joy. Even when confronted with protesters, instead of inciting further conflict, the concert stage transformed into a platform for connection and healing. By the end of the night, those who arrived upset were dancing and singing along with other attendees strengthening the bond of the entire community in the wake of such tragedy.
In both instances, record attendance did not happen overnight, but through the continued funding from the Levitt Foundation, the engagement of local community members as core planners and not simply audience members, and the funding of dedicated artists who made this a creative placemaking/placekeeping initiative, the concert series has been more than successful and has brought a new light to those areas.
ABOUT THE SESSION
Inspiring Civic Engagement Through Arts Funding
Christi Walden, Sharon Yazowski, Celia Shoffner, and Chris Dzialo
Mention civic engagement and many people immediately think of issues around voting rights and electoral politics. However, civic engagement takes many forms, including talking with neighbors about local community matters, volunteering with nonprofits, and showing up to planning meetings. This panel will explore how arts funding through the use of free concert series in public spaces as case studies, can be designed to spark civic engagement, bridge divides, and deepen community attachment while advancing shared priorities—oftentimes creating ripple effects of additional civic engagement and increased participation in community life. Moderated by the Levitt Foundation, a national social impact funder at the intersection of music, public space, and community building, this session will feature the perspectives of three grantee partners from across the country, including The Heart of Appalachia, an archetypal Rust-Belt city, and northern Florida. The panel will emphasize the importance of naming civic engagement in arts funding strategies, especially against the backdrop of a historic and polarized national election. Now more than ever, we must view arts funding with a dual purpose: opening doors to greater arts access as well as creating broader community discourse and civic engagement.
