First South Charette, Birmingham, Alabama

Deborah was a team leader for the First South Charette in Birmingham, Alabama, organized by Cathy Sloss Jones and facilitated by Cheryl Morgan from the Urban Studio at Auburn University. Deborah was joined by team leaders Walter Hood and Steve Lewis, both from California. Other team leaders were local practitioners, professors from Auburn U. and Clemson University, and local stakeholders. Six students from Auburn University were on each team. The teams analyzed and developed strategies for development in the First South district including Pepper Place, the farmers market, uses for vacant land, conversion of industrial spaces, access to Sloss Furnaces, and community needs such as housing, arts, and services. September 13-14, 2013.

Design Charette – East Palo Alto Youth Arts & Music Center

Deborah Frieden organized and facilitated a design charette for the East Palo Alto Youth Arts and Music Center. Marsha Maytum of Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects, Walter Hood of Hood Design, and Kirstin Weeks of ARUP San Francisco brought their expertise to an intensive planning charette with local stakeholders and the Youth Action Leadership Team along with representatives of Mural Music and Arts Project and Live in Peace. Topics were introduced by the professionals in 3 sections: Landscape Flows, Sustainability, and Building Typologies and Qualities. Outcomes from the charette will be used to develop the next level of concept planning for purposes of community outreach.

Youth Arts and Music Center, East Palo Alto

Deborah Frieden has been retained by the John & Marcia Goldman Foundation to lead the planning effort to create a new center for arts and music in East Palo Alto. Deborah will collaborate with the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities at Stanford University to build upon the work the Foundation and Center have done over the last 3 years training a team of youth leaders and undertaking an extensive community outreach effort, needs assessment, and site evaluation. Youth development will continue to be an important aspect of the project’s planning effort and will entail creating opportunities for the youth to continue in a leadership capacity and providing broad stakeholder engagement opportunities.

The Art of Placemaking: Artist-Led and Culture-Initiated Development

Deborah Frieden has been invited to attend the Art of Placemaking forum in Chicago, November 9-10, 2012. Hosted in partnership with the Bruner-Loeb Forum, the Rebuild Foundation and the University of Chicago, the symposium will explore the role of artists in the cultural and economic transformation of cities. Activists, artists, community residents, cultural and educational institution leaders, designers, developers, funders and policymakers will discuss opportunities and challenges associated with creative placemaking and community reinvestment. Presentations, tours and workshops with leading practitioners will highlight local and national examples of creative programming, innovative financing, policy advocacy, and housing development strategies that support and advance artist-led initiatives. Participation is by invitation only.

OMA Charette for Central Market

Deborah Frieden assisted OMA and the Office of Economic and Workforce Development in the facilitation of the Urban Design Opportunities charette for property owners, developers and city departments on Wednesday, October 17, 2012. Thanks to all who participated and to OMA for a great visioning exercise.

Central Market Economic Development Strategy

The Central Market Economic Development Strategy has been selected as a finalist for the 2012 Economic Development “Ebbie” Award from the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. Final Awards will be announced at the Gala event on October 25. The Central Market Economic Development team consisted of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, AECOM and Deborah Frieden and Associates. Deborah Frieden provided the research and analysis on the arts components and strategies. Amy Cohen and Jordan Klein led the effort for OEWD.

Central Market Economic Strategy Wins APA Award

The Central Market Economic Development Strategy has been selected as the winner of the 2012 Grassroots Planning Award by the 2012 American Planning Association, California Northern Section. The team consisted of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, AECOM and Deborah Frieden and Associates. Deborah Frieden provided the research and analysis on the arts components and strategies. Adena Friedman of AECOM prepared the award application.

National Symposium on Arts/Cultural/Entertainment Districts

Deborah was a speaker and panel moderator for the “Arts as a Community Revitalization Strategy” session of the National Symposium on Arts/Cultural/Entertainment Districts held in conjunction with the Main Streets Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, sponsored by the Short North Arts District, April 2012. The conference was the first of its kind and was attended by city officials, arts advocacy groups, representatives from the NEA, community development organizations, state arts representatives from all across the U.S., as well as academics, researchers and artists.

http://www.stationnorth.org/calendar/nsaced

Central Market Arts Center

Deborah Frieden is assisting the North of Market Neighborhood Improvement Corporation and the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Project on plans for a new arts and cultural center in the Central Market district of San Francisco. As a member of Elvin Padilla’s team, Deborah is assisting in developing a program for the center that will make it an active community destination for the arts and arts education. She is working with a range of organizations to evaluate their capacity to participate and to assist them in building capacity once they commit to the project. Team members include Equity Community Builders and the Northern California Community Loan Fund. Collaborators include the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development, the American Conservatory Theater, and the San Francisco Arts Commission, among others.

Museum of Craft and design

Deborah Frieden is consulting for the Museum of Craft and Design, leading a strategic planning process. The work with MCD will assist them in strengthening their organization as it plans to open its new facilities in Dogpatch, San Francisco, this summer. MCD is the only museum dedicated to craft and design in the Bay Area and they partner with a broad array of local and national artists, arts organizations, professional organizations and educational institutions to serve the community through education programs and exhibitions.