Riding For The Arts: Designing a Transportation System for the Local Arts Economy
Session Description:
GO-410 is a startup project, at the intersection of arts, transportation, and economic development. The purpose of the project is to provide communal shuttle/coach bus rides for residents of under-resourced neighborhoods, to arts and culture events. GO-410 is currently targeting Baltimore City, and “under-resourced” is defined as neighborhoods ranked highest on the Baltimore Hardship Index and lacking substantial arts centers, venues, festivals, and other programming. There is additional data that illustrates many Baltimore residents do not own cars, popular rideshare services are not generally affordable, and there is a push for enhanced public transportation systems for those communities. GO-410 is piloting in summer 2025 by providing shuttle rides, and the ultimate goal is to design a software system that empowers community development associations and arts organizations to orchestrate communal transportation with local private transportation companies.
The workshop will begin with a lecture-style presentation of data and project overview. Then, an interactive card/board game activity for participants to learn about transportation problems, and share narratives or data with each other. The objective for the game is for the audience to consider current transportation realities while dreaming big of how transportation can amplify the arts economy.
GO-410 is funded by Maryland State Arts Council’s Creativity grant and mentored by Central Maryland Transportation Alliance.
Presenter: Twi McCallum
Twi McCallum is a former artist and a current arts administrator. She had the privilege of working as a sound designer for 5 years, including Broadway, podcasts, audiobooks, and television. While living and working in NYC, she co-chaired a charitable organization Design Action, with the mission of providing professional development resources and affinity space to theatrical designers of all backgrounds. In 2022, she returned to her hometown and joined Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts (BOPA), beginning as the Arts Education Specialist and concluding as the Community Engagement Manager. Her additional experience includes Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance’s Urban Arts Leadership Program, AMS Planning & Research’s Arts Consulting Fellowship, Techstars Founder Catalyst, and Yale School of Drama’s Sound Design & Engineering Masters Diploma. She is motivated by community service and leveraging for-profit startup methodology to sustain charitable/mission-driven initiatives
Date, Time, and Location
Wednesday, June 18th
Breakout Session 6: 3 – 4 PM
Room: CPA 105 ACE