CURA and Artfluential co-hosted a community visioning workshop at the African American and African Studies Community Extension Center on Wednesday, July 24th. The event brought together two initiatives: CURA's Ghost Neighborhoods project and Artfluential's Bronzeville Universe branding campaign. Ghost Neighborhoods uses data from Sanborn Maps to create virtual 3D reconstructions of neighborhoods impacted by highway construction, redlining, and urban renewal. The 3D models are intended to help people understand what was lost through these policies while making a case for repair. Similarly, Bronzeville Universe uses art and messaging to build pride and identity around the Bronzeville neighborhood. By exploring the community's historical significance and imagining its potential had it not been impacted by government policies, the campaign seeks to foster community engagement, educate the public, and inspire future development rooted in Afrofuturism.

Marshall Shorts (Founder of Artfluential) kicked off the event with an introduction to Bronzeville Universe and his vision for the project. Following Marshall's presentation, Willis Brown (President of the Bronzeville Neighborhood Association and the unofficial Mayor of Bronzeville) delivered remarks on the history of Bronzeville and Shelbi Toone (Ohio History Connection) and Jordan Swaim-Fox (CURA) spoke about the Poindexter Museum and Cultural Center and Ghost Neighborhoods respectively.

For the remainder of the evening, Harvey Miller (Director of CURA) and Columbus Landmarks Foundation helped facilitate three activities: testing and providing feedback on CURA's 3D urban model of Mt. Vernon Avenue, drawing the past, present, and future of the corridor, and mapping key areas in the Bronzeville community. Attendees also toured a pop-up of Marshall's art related to Bronzeville Universe. Through each of these engagements, participants had a chance to explore the history of the neighborhood with an eye toward its future. With over fifty people in attendance, the workshop was a spirited and fun affair!