A program of Kent State University’s Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative that offers design and build experiences for middle and high school students is in the spotlight for its new effort to expand racial and ethnic diversity in the design fields.
The program, Making Our Own Space (MOOS), which introduces youth to opportunities in architecture, urban design and landscape architecture, was featured on WEWS Channel 5 news, highlighting the national arts grant the program recently received.
Since 2015, MOOS has been helping educate youth on design fundamentals, construction, urban systems and community engagement. MOOS serves as an incubator for design thinkers and problem-solvers.
Building on the MOOS initiative, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced that the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative will receive a $30,000 grant to support MOOS. This grant is one of 1,251 Grants for Arts Projects awards totaling nearly $28.8 million that were announced by the NEA as part of its first round of Fiscal Year 2023 grants.
“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support arts projects in communities nationwide,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, Ph.D. “Projects such as this one with Kent State University’s Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative strengthen arts and cultural ecosystems, provide equitable opportunities for arts participation and practice and contribute to the health of our communities and our economy.”
Visit here to learn more about the new grant to support the MOOS program.