Welcome Dear Listeners…
To the Vibrant Spaces Podcast where we explore the transformative power of art, culture, and community in revitalizing urban spaces across the United States. In this special Baltimore episode, join co-hosts Emily Craven and Tim Souza as they sit down with Tonya Miller Hall, trailblazing advocate and Senior Advisor of Arts and Culture in The Office of the Mayor of the City of Baltimore.
Tonya shares her inspiring journey of returning to Baltimore after decades in New York and finding herself as a direct bridge for the people to the Mayor’s Office lighting a spark for the city’s creative resurgence. As the driving force behind groundbreaking initiatives such as the creation of the Artscape Pocket Park, Art After Dark, and the beginnings of a different kind of graffiti task force, Tonya is shaping the city’s vibrant landscape through bold, guerrilla-style placemaking efforts.
Through thoughtful storytelling and candid conversations, this episode highlights Tonya’s bold vision for a cultural plan that reflects Baltimore’s rich history and future potential. Whether it’s building pocket parks, creating murals, or rethinking how communities engage with public art, Tonya’s work exemplifies how intentional placemaking can transform cities from the ground up.
Whether you’re a city planner, artist, or community advocate, this episode will leave you inspired to think big, be bold, and reimagine the potential of your own urban environment. Plug in and learn how Baltimore is setting a powerful example of urban renewal, proving that when a city comes together, the possibilities are endless. Vibrant Spaces is more than just a podcast—it’s a roadmap for building the cities of tomorrow.
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Show Notes
Learn more about Story City and how we work with partners here.
Transcript of this Episode is here.
You can subscribe to the Podcast via our YouTube channel here, or via our main Podcast page here where you can also find our other episodes and seasons.
Want to be considered for an episode? Email Emily and Tim with information on your city and initiatives and tell us, what do you do innovatively in your city?
Our Guests on Today’s Pod:
Tonya R. Miller Hall is a pioneering figure in Baltimore’s cultural landscape, serving as the city’s first Senior Advisor of Arts and Culture within the Mayor’s Office since the 1990s.
A Baltimore native, Tonya ventured to New York City in her twenties, where she crafted an illustrious career spanning fashion, music, social justice, and lifestyle branding, collaborating with notable figures and brands such as rockers Steven Tyler, Wendy Williams, Miss Sixty Jeans, Enyce, WWD, Teen Vogue, and orchestrated significant events like the National Equal Justice Awards, New York AIDS Walk, GLAAD Media Awards, and MTV Music Awards. Tonya’s professional journey brought her back to Baltimore in 2018 when she became the Senior Director of Public Affairs. She oversaw communications, social media, city-wide events and festivals, public art curation, content creation, design, sponsorship development, and CHARM TV’s original network programming.
Tonya was the Chief Marketing & Programs Officer for the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts (BOPA), leading a brand revitalization and introducing a new vision of Artscape. As the Senior Advisor of Arts & Culture at the Mayor’s Office, Tonya is fervently dedicated to transforming Baltimore into a hub of innovation and creativity within the creative sector, reimagining projects such as Artscape 2023, Baltimore’s flagship arts festival and successfully acquiring a $1 million grant from the Bloomberg Philanthropies Art Challenge for the innovative “Inviting Light” project, slated for 2024-25. As one of eight U.S. cities selected from 154 submissions, this project aims to transform public spaces with innovative lighting installations, all the while increasing public safety in a beautiful way.
About your hosts:
Emily Craven – Founder & CEO Story City: Emily has worked with cities for well over a decade to reimagine public space via storytelling and upskilling of local creators in digital activations of cities. Regularly driving 30k+ people through targeted city areas via adventure and whimsy, Emily has won national awards, been profiled in multiple magazines, and worked with international organizations like the Institute for the Future of the Book to bring content from the screen to the streets in innovative ways.
Tim Souza – Head of Community Activation at Story City: Tim has held many roles and titles over the years with organizations ranging from Microsoft to Thomson Reuters to TEDx, specializing in the building networks of partners to create larger impact than would have been possible individually. With both a passion for and a degree in Peace, Justice, Entrepreneurship and Technology Tim excitedly now tackles the challenges faced by local creatives, cities, and businesses to build strong vibrant communities of creators who add layers of play to the physical world around them via Story City’s innovative model.
