Speakers Bureau: “Developing Community Spaces: Storytelling, Stewardship, and the Soul of Place”

Kevin Brown presents: “Developing Community Spaces: Storytelling, Stewardship, and the Soul of Place”

In “Developing Community Spaces,” Kevin Brown explores how physical spaces—especially neglected lots, abandoned properties, and overlooked landmarks—can be transformed into powerful sites of memory, cultural identity, and civic healing. By honoring and acknowledging a community’s past, these forgotten sites can become reflections of historical pain and new hope.

Drawing from Kevin’s work creating Gertrude’s Garden in the historic Burglund District of McComb, Mississippi, this presentation offers insight into revitalizing historical spaces, engaging the community through oral histories, art, and public programs, and connecting with state-wide resources. “Developing Community Spaces” shares a living model of how the humanities can come alive through the land itself.