Food, shelter, walkable streets, even access to nature are all vital ingredients for a thriving community. But on their own, they aren’t quite enough. To truly flourish, people also need beauty, inspiration, and creativity woven into daily life. That’s where the arts come in.

In this episode of Start In Your Own Backyard, Steve Nygren explores why music, theater, sculpture, literature, and public art are so vitally important. You’ll hear insights from Dr. Anjan Chatterjee, director of the Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics, on how our brains respond to beauty, as well as stories from artists themselves who have seen firsthand how art can knit people together and shape a place’s identity.

We’ll also share how Serenbe pioneered a permanent funding model for the arts by dedicating 1% of real estate sales to its nonprofit Art Farm, ensuring that creativity remains central to community life for generations to come.

Whether it’s a sculpture tucked along a forest trail, neighbors gathering for a midsummer play in the woods, or children inspired by visiting artists, this episode reveals how the arts sustain not just culture, but the human spirit itself.

Show Notes

• Pre-Order Start In Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where You Live with Radical Common Sense by Steve Nygren
• Start In Your Own Backyard Substack
• Learn more about Serenbe
• Serenbe Stories Podcast
• The Art Farm at Serenbe
• The Aesthetic Brain: How We Evolved to Desire Beauty and Enjoy Art by Dr. Anjan Chatterjee

• Serenbe community celebrates Curtis Patterson’s striking new sculpture by Gail O’Neill (ArtsATL)

• Naturally Fragile & Durable with Rachel Garceau (Serenbe Stories)
• Morgan Boszilkov Studio

Keywords: art in community, arts funding, Serenbe, Start In Your Own Backyard podcast, Steve Nygren, Art Farm, public art, creativity, culture, biophilic community, artist residencies, sculptures, theater in nature, concerts by the pond, transfer fee model, community building, creative placemaking, arts and wellbeing, art and neuroscience, Curtis Patterson, community design, sustainable community, supporting artists

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