In a report for The Kresge Foundation, Ann McQueen and Julia Gittleman examine two pilot initiatives launched at the time of the Great Recession in the U.S. The foundation’s Arts and Culture Program undertook a pair of initiatives – Community Arts and College Arts – as a way to challenge communities to use art and culture as a tool to address broader community issues in underinvested urban neighborhoods. The qualitative analysis offers lessons about variations on the theme of art-based civic dialogue and community revitalization.