The 2021 Winter Buzz Breakfast series, hosted by Leadership Asheville and the Asheville Area Arts Council, was focused on Equity in Creative Placemaking. This approach uses arts strategies to involve those that live, work, and play in a community a role in the urban design process.

Presenting Sponsor for the 2021 Winter Buzz Breakfast series is The Van Winkle Law Firm. Additional funding for this series was provided by Explore Asheville and the North Carolina Arts Council.

Mitch Landrieu

January 27 | 8:30 am

The series begins with a look at the removal of Confederate Monuments with special guest Mitch Landrieu, former Mayor of New Orleans, and author ofIn the Shadow of Statues: A White Southerner Confronts History. The presentation concludes with a Q&A period moderated by Darin Waters of the Waters & Harvey Show and Aisha Adams of The Asheville View.

Paul Farber

February 18 | 8:30 am

The second event in this four-part series features Paul Farber, the Director of Monument Lab, and Senior Research Scholar at the Center for Public Art & Space at the University of Pennsylvania. This discussion will look at what should be considered when selecting public art and monuments. The presentation concludes with a Q&A period moderated by Darin Waters of the Waters & Harvey Show and Aisha Adams of The Asheville View.

Maria R. Jackson

March 18 | 8:30 am

The third event in this four-part series features Maria R. Jackson, Institute Professor at the Studio for Creativity, Place and Equitable Communities at Arizona State University Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. Maria is a national leader in the Equitable Creative Placemaking movement. The presentation concludes with a Q&A period moderated by Darin Waters, Special Assistant to the Chancellor at UNC Asheville and Executive Producer of the Waters & Harvey Show, and Aisha Adams, Founder and Executive Producer of The Asheville View.

Local Panel

April 15 | 8:30 am

This four-part series concludes with a panel discussion moderated by Darin Waters, Special Assistant to the Chancellor at UNC Asheville and Executive Producer of the Waters & Harvey Show, and Aisha Adams, Founder and Executive Producer of The Asheville View. The presentation will focus on local public art initiatives and explore what Equitable Creative Placemaking could look like for our community. Panelists include: 

• Cortina Caldwell, Founder/ Director, adé Project
• Sekou Coleman, Executive Director, Asheville Writers in the Schools & Community
• Katie Cornell, Executive Director, Asheville Area Arts Council
• Stephanie Monson Dahl, Strategic Development Program Director, City of Asheville