2021 Community Catalyst Team Begins
KCCI welcomed and trained the new volunteer 2021 Community Catalyst Class Jan. 20-21. At the training conference, 25 different business and governmental leaders such as Mayor John Dailey, Jessica Clark, Tiffany Bowers, Mat Tharpe, Miron Richardson, and Ed Murray inspired the Catalysts. The Catalysts participated in an art walk of the newly unveiled downtown Art of the Boxes and went on an urban safari in the Cascades-FAMU Way area.
Topics covered in the training presentations included the importance of quality of life, economic impact of art in Leon County, placemaking strategies, best practices from other communities such as Thomasville Center for the Arts, the changing local culture scenes, project management, and more.
The 2021 KCCI Community Catalyst class includes: Joey Arellano, The House of Writing; Scott Balog, Tallahassee Community College; Erika Branchcomb, Florida League of Cities; Cyrus Calhoun, III, Florida House of Representatives, Shannon Colavecchio, The Moore Agency; Nipa Eason, SalterMitchell PR; Talethia Edwards, Department of Health; Khari James, State Attorney’s Office, 2nd Judicial Circuit; Tyler Maldonado, Florida Department of Environmental Protection; Marie Moyle, U.S. Attorney’s Office; Ali Palmer, Kimley-Horn; Daniel Taylor, Daniel Taylor Consulting; and Aaron Redda, Florida Public Service Commission.
Thank you to all the KCCI sponsors that made this year’s 2021 Community Catalyst team possible and enable KCCI to do our great work.
We appreciate all the guest speakers who presented during the training conference safely in person or via Zoom. Mayor John Dailey, former County Commissioner Mary Ann Lindley, Ed Murray, NAI TALCOR; Michele Arwood and Darlene Taylor, Thomasville Center for the Arts; Kevin Graham, Florida State University Real Estate Foundation; Maggie Theriot and Leigh Davis with Leon County, Amanda Karioth Thompson, Council on Culture & Arts for Tallahassee; Tiffany Bowers, The Commerce Group; Mat Tharpe, Tharpe Construction; Emily Ely, Gilchrist, Ross, Crowe; Patrick O’Bryant, Holland & Knight LLP; Katie Kole, Visit Tallahassee; Nancy Morgan and Jennifer Humayan, Goodwood Museum & Gardens; Jessica Clark, Skye Creative; Rebekah Dorn, Florida State University; Elizabeth Emmanuel, Downtown Improvement Authority, and Rachel Corry for Elayna Toby Singer, Palm Beach County Art in Public Places; Jeannie Tidy, Community Visions Unlimited in New Orleans, LA; Allison Justice, West Palm Beach County Redevelopment Agency; Julia More, Arts Council of Indianapolis and Kaitlin Blundy, Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission from Somerville, NJ.
This team was able to be part of the process for 3 new Art of the Boxes in downtown Tallahassee. Everyone participated in the art walk down College Avenue to see the 4 boxes as part of Art of the Box, one of which was unveiled back in Sept. 2020 as part of the pilot project. For more information about Art of the Box or to download a map to see the boxes yourself, click here.
Thank you Goodwood Museum & Gardens and Florida League of Cities for hosting us during the 2021 KCCI Community Catalyst Training.
From the information and understanding the speakers shared about our community, this 2021 volunteer Community Catalyst team will use their collective talents and networks to grow the pilot Art of the Box project. The Catalysts will come up with a plan for long-term sustainability that helps provide more art in public spaces in Leon County.