Adam Rakestraw, M.A.
Arts & Culture
Data Specialist

Nearly 10 years of experience as an administrator in the Arts & Culture and Urban Development sectors. My professional objections are to increase the importance of art and culture in society; connect and improve communities through sustainable, inclusive practices; and further my own creativity as an artist, writer, researcher, and project manager.​

​

"My philosophical insight is that everyone is capable of intrinsic creativity. As a cultural facilitator we are capable of tapping into that collective creative energy - rather through shared experience, policy, or data"

The Arts have always been a central passion of mine. My entire background is centered around the emphasis of the arts and culture in broader society. Coming from a fine arts and anthropology background, I am both fascinated by, and critical of, the integration of creativity in the public domain as a strategy for urban revitalization. My fascination with creativity in data and urbanism, particularly with the creative cities movement, is due to its promotion of new artistic entrepreneurial endeavors, celebration of the arts and culture sector as fundamental to Quality of Life planning, and utilizing a design philosophy of, “creative spaces” for a more social approach to urban development.

​

My approaches to Arts-based community engagement are heavily influenced by the texts: Building Communities from the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing a Community's Assets by John P. Kretzmann and John L. McKnight and Arts - Based Participatory Research by Patricia Levy. Kretzmaan & McKnight laid the groundwork for Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) as a methodology for the sustainable development of communities based on their strengths and potentials. Levy introduced new methodologies for capturing measurements in arts-focused participation and data gathering

​