Dr. Terron Banner has served as Urban Art Space’s Manager of Community Learning and Experience for over three years. From live events to virtual exhibitions, Dr. Banner’s presence has been vital in transforming Urban Art Space into a community asset that improves community life. As a professor at The Ohio State University, he advocates for culturally responsive teaching that accounts for the lived experiences of students, and he conducts research on the impact of Black art movements. 

In recognition of his outstanding work, The Office of Outreach and Engagement bestowed Dr. Banner with the Community Engaged Practitioner Award, meant for staff members who have demonstrated superior commitment to developing, coordinating, and/or sustaining projects, activities, or initiatives involving Ohio State and community partners that enhance engaged scholarship and community impacts. 

“The award means a lot because this type of work that is done by community-engaged practitioners often goes unseen or invisible,” Dr. Banner shared. “It’s not always quantifiable by metrics that are hard data. The data is relationship building, the data is care, the data is impact in the community. So it’s not always recognized, not always understood in the same way that other types of research are.”

Dr. Banner added, “That invisible labor of love—having it acknowledged is rewarding, in and of itself. Not just to myself, but everyone that does this work. It’s promising that a university can acknowledge that, recognize that, and incentivize that.”

One of Dr. Banner’s most cherished initiatives at Urban Arts Space is Artist Commune. These monthly events serve as a free platform for local artists to connect, collaborate, and showcase their work. From poetry readings to hip-hop storytelling to knit circles, Artist Communes are a testament to Dr. Banner’s mission of making art accessible and community-engaged. Artist Commune also provides opportunities for student interns to gain meaningful experience in arts programming.

The Office of Outreach and Engagement has also awarded a previous project Dr. Banner helped bring to fruition in 2023, Irrepressible Soul. The project was created and curated by former UAS intern Iyana Hill, now a graduate student in the Department of Arts Administration, Education and Policy. A collaboration between the university and local communities, Irrepressible Soul was a month-long celebration of the complex and intersectional Black identity, featuring arts-based research and cultural programming. Local Black artists were able to showcase their work, fostering conversations about art and identity.

Dr. Banner is currently working with Dr. Joni Acuff in the Department of Arts Administration, Education and Policy on a large-scale research project: “Care, Culture, & Justice as Practice.” Supported by a Global Arts + Humanities Discovery Theme grant, this project aims to use data-driven research priorities to meet the needs of Black and Afro Diasporic communities. Its vision is to offer educational opportunities in the arts and humanities, with Black creative spaces at the center that are free of appropriation or commercialization.

Dr. Banner and the other award recipients will be celebrated at an awards luncheon on Wednesday, April 30 from 11:30 AM – 1 PM at the Ohio State Faculty Club. All of the staff, interns, and community partners at Urban Arts Space could not be prouder of this well-deserved achievement!