Georgia Council for the Arts Scholarship

Creative Placemaking Summit (CPC)
April 21–24, 2026 — Memphis, Tennessee

Walter Ryu, ASLA, PLA, received a scholarship from the Georgia Council for the Arts to attend the Creative Placemaking Summit (CPC) held in Memphis, Tennessee, from April 21 to 24, 2026.

This support enabled Walter's participation in a multidisciplinary gathering of artists, planners, community leaders, and designers focused on the evolving role of culture in shaping meaningful places. The summit provided a platform to explore how art, identity, and spatial design can converge to create environments that are not only functional but also deeply expressive of community narratives. 

This experience reinforces my ongoing exploration of creative placemaking at multiple scales:

Through workshops, discussions, and site-based experiences—including the revitalized riverfront and civic spaces in Memphis—I further developed my perspective that landscape architecture can serve as a structural framework for cultural expression. Rather than treating art as an applied layer, I see the potential for spatial design itself to become the primary medium through which identity, memory, and civic life are articulated. 

• Urban scale — city identity, branding, and destination-making
• Intermediate scale — streetscapes, parks, and historic environments
• Human scale — plazas, gardens, and intimate public spaces

The scholarship represents not only recognition, but also a meaningful step in advancing Walter's work at the intersection of landscape architecture, art, and cultural narrative—where design can inspire both social connection and economic vitality.