CREATIVE COMMUNITIES
Create Birmingham, in partnership with the City of Birmingham’s Department of Community Development, is proud to announce the launch of Creative Communities, an initiative designed to equip Birmingham-based artists, creative entrepreneurs, and nonprofit leaders with the skills, tools, and real-world experience needed to compete for and successfully execute municipal contracts and community development projects.
By intentionally integrating creative entrepreneurship with targeted creative placemaking strategies, the initiative seeks to strengthen Birmingham’s creative ecosystem while advancing equitable, community-driven solutions in neighborhoods across the city.
Offered free to the public, the Creative Communities initiative will feature a series of workshops, guided working sessions, and networking opportunities focused on topics including public art, municipal systems, budgeting, storytelling, preservation, and long-term sustainability for creatives working in community spaces.
Programming will begin in June with Navigating Municipal Systems for Creative Impact, a foundational workshop led by Erica Chisolm that will help participants better understand Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Requests for Qualifications (RFQs), and how creatives can position themselves as valuable partners in civic and community development work.
Additional sessions throughout the year will explore themes such as preservation and public memory, financial planning for public projects, data storytelling, stewardship, and the role of artists in shaping vibrant, people-centered spaces. Featured facilitators include Renee Kemp-Rotan, Amy Davila of Art Smart, and Atlanta-based multidisciplinary artist Ellex Swavoni, Dashboard.us, and Sydney Foster.
“Creative Communities uses art, culture, and collaboration as tools for community transformation. Through workshops, public art initiatives, and targeted creative placemaking projects, the program brings together artists, community members, nonprofits, and city partners to build local capacity for public art, strengthen connections to place, and inspire community-led visions for Birmingham’s future. Creative Communities empowers communities to move from being observers of development to active contributors in creating a more connected, equitable, and vibrant Birmingham.”
-Erica Chisolm
About City of Birmingham Department of Community Development
The Department of Community Development administers the City of Birmingham’s Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grants, applies for funding opportunities, and implements strategic community plans. It conducts neighborhood assessments, enforces codes, and engages in outreach to enhance local infrastructure and resources. With a mission to create thriving, sustainable communities, the department collaborates with developers, agencies, and residents to improve housing and neighborhood conditions. Through these efforts, it aims to ensure all Birmingham residents have access to safe, dignified, and affordable housing. The Community Development department provides programs focused on improving housing, neighborhoods, and local businesses.
Creative Communities Program Schedule
Workshops are free to the public, registration is through Eventbrite
- Date: Thursday June 25th 4:30 PM – 7 PM
- Location: Erica Chisolm’s Studio in Ensley
- Facilitator: Erica Chisolm
- Format: Workshop + guided working session
This foundational workshop introduces participants to the municipal landscape in Birmingham and equips them with the knowledge and tools needed to begin pursuing public-sector creative opportunities. Led by Erica Chisolm, the session demystifies how the City of Birmingham functions, how creative projects move from idea to implementation, and how artists and creative entrepreneurs can position themselves as viable partners in community development.
Participants will gain a practical understanding of Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and Requests for Qualifications (RFQs), including how they are structured, evaluated, and awarded. The workshop also focuses on professional readiness—guiding participants through the creation and refinement of curriculum vitae, biographies, and portfolios specifically tailored for municipal and institutional review.
- Date: July 16th 3:30 PM – 6 PM
- Location: Smithfield Public Library
- Facilitator: Renee Kemp-Rotan
Join us for an engaging workshop that explores how preservation, remembrance, and historical acknowledgment contribute to creative placemaking and community development. Through case studies, real-world examples, and interactive learning experiences, participants will discover how community history, cultural assets, and public engagement can inform and inspire impactful civic projects while successfully navigating municipal systems.
The session will be led by Renee Kemp-Rotan, CEO of studiorotan, urban designer, and master planner. A nationally recognized leader in architecture, planning, and civic design, Kemp-Rotan has advised fifteen mayors across Washington, D.C., New York City, Atlanta, and Birmingham, and has played a key role in shaping major public projects, including the Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail, Railroad Park, CrossPlex, and SPARK@Sloss Arts Tech Hub. Through her experiences, participants will gain valuable perspectives on how creative practitioners, preservationists, and community leaders can advance impactful cultural projects within municipal systems while honoring the histories and communities they serve.
- Date: July 23 4:30 PM – 7 PM
- Location: Virtual
- Facilitator: Amy Davila, Art Smart
- Materials: Art Smart Workbook, individually purchased by participants
Our third installment in the Creative Communities workshop series will feature Amy Davila, founder and creator of ArtSmart, a one-stop business consulting practice for the art world that helps artists, galleries, consultants, art fabricators, art nonprofits and creative professionals achieve financial, organizational and career success. Today, ArtSmart has over 100 clients offering a wide variety of services from career consulting to bookkeeping, tax planning to grant writing, web design to social media consulting and so much more!
I understand that budgets scare people. I agree that when you first envision or begin the creative process, you do not want to even utter the word “budget”. But I know from experience that they will save you a lot of pain, frustration, and your hard-earned money in the long run. At the Sotheby’s Institute, they called my class “shark tank for artists”. I used to tell my students, I’m not here to kill your dreams. I’m here to make sure they don’t turn into nightmares. This is the stage where we must strike a balance between dreams and reality.
Budgets are boring, but they are so critical to understanding how possible your dream really is and what you must sacrifice to make that dream come true. This is very important to note. Budgets are not optional. They are fundamental. It is the only way you can really see into the future.
In this workshop we will tackle different types of budgets and discuss all of the components of budgeting for public projects as well as the day to day numbers behind running and operating an artist studio. Budgets are the back door into pricing any size project and your individual work. We will also go into overall financial planning and building financial stability around your practice.
-Amy Davila
- Date: Thursday August 13th 4:30 PM – 7 PM
- Facilitator: Ellex Swavoni
- Location: TBD
This workshop will pull back the curtain on the journey from concept to production, sharing the specific planning and collaboration frameworks I use in my own practice. Drawing on her experience as a public artist working with commercial and municipal institutions, Ellex will provide a behind the scenes look at navigating complex partnerships without losing your creative identity as well as how to be mindful of the communities you serve while producing public works.
Ellex Swavoni (b. 1992, Louisville, Kentucky) is a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores the intersection of science, history, and speculative world-building. She began sculpting at the age of nine, teaching herself through online resources before earning a B.S. in Graphic Design from Campbellsville University in 2014. In 2016, she relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, where she established her studio practice. Swavoni’s work merges digital and traditional processes, employing 3D modeling, 3D printing, and hand finished detailing to create intricate, futuristic artifacts that challenge conventional modes of storytelling.
Her work has been featured in exhibitions across the United States, including A Way Among Ways at Jackson Hartfield Airport and Cypher at Fierman Gallery in New York. She is a recipient of the 2024 Nexus Grant from Atlanta Contemporary and was named a 2023 Edge Award Finalist. Swavoni has also completed public art commissions including What Sonia Said in Decatur, Georgia, and One in All along the Atlanta BeltLine. Deeply influenced by technology and communal offerings, her practice investigates cultural memory and speculative storytelling. Through ongoing research, she creates immersive experiences that bridge science, history, and possibility, inviting audiences to engage art as both a sensory and intellectual journey.
- Date: Thursday September 10th 4:30 PM – 7:00 PM
- Facilitator: Dashboard.us
- Location: TBD
This workshop will help creatives understand how data, documentation, and storytelling can strengthen community-based work, support City goals, and improve competitiveness for RFPs and funding.
- Facilitator: Sydney Foster
- Date: Thursday October 8th 4:30 PM – 7 PM
- Location: TBD
This workshop will prepare creatives for what happens after installation, focusing on accountability, community relationships, stewardship, and personal sustainability once a project enters public life.