Creative placemaking is the use of arts and cultural activities to rejuvenate public places. It includes activating public spaces or creating short-term opportunities to connect residents around arts and culture.
In 2018 I gained permission from a commercial building owner in Graham, North Carolina to transform his then-vacant, 100 year old building into a one night only pop-up art museum. I used social media to find the artists and market the event and ended up working with 50 emerging artists. On opening night the building overflowed with over 500 people. Since this initial event, Merge has been recreated in a different venue every year.