The Engaged City is a joint project led by the Center for the Humanities (College of Arts & Sciences), the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity (CRE2), and the Office for Socially Engaged Practice (Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts) at Washington University in St. Louis.
WHAT ARE WE DOING?
In an attempt to bridge divides instead of highlight or enforce them, this project will create publicly accessible co-created cultural maps of St. Louis that spatialize the individual and collective cultural knowledge bearers, organizations, and community members in STL. This project emerges from a need articulated by Reverend Charles Norris in our team’s conversations with community leaders: the need to know who is doing what in our city, so that we can join efforts and better serve communities and neighborhoods. The project team will work closely with individuals, organizations and stakeholders to develop the cultural mapping framework through a series of engagements including collaborative mapping sessions, community events Engaged City, and listening sessions, student internships, community fellowships, and seed grants for enhanced partnerships.
WHY NOW?
This initiative not only showcases our cultural vibrancy but also fosters stronger partnerships and investments in our neighborhoods, helping to build a more inclusive and thriving St. Louis for everyone. The aim is to spotlight the artists and organizations that make St. Louis unique.
How We Got Here
St. Louis gained national media attention in August 2014, when 18-year-old Michael Brown was killed by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, MO. The Divided City initiative launched the same year in June 2014. As we approach the 10-year anniversary of the death of Michael Brown, we seek to reclaim a cultural legacy for St. Louis that unroots us from one of violence, segregation, and divisions. The language of divisions unfortunately has become a part of the story of St. Louis. The phrase “Delmar Divide” alludes to the North and South sides of Delmar Boulevard and references the socioeconomic and racial divide in the city. These divisions are perpetuated through physical disinvestment and by the undervaluing and lack of recognition for existing local cultural assets across the city.
