Front Porch

The Front Porch project paired six Wichita-based creatives and six local business owners together to create outdoor extensions of their businesses. The porches debuted on Friday, July 1, 2022, during the First Friday art crawl. This temporary pilot project will last one year, ending on June 30, 2023. Inspiration for the project came from the idea of the midwestern front porch - a space that is crucial to community, family, identity, and conversation. The project has an emphasis on creating safe spaces as we reintroduce visitors and patrons to our urban center. Find all six locations using the list below and an interactive map. 

Participating Locations

This project is a placemaking initiative that contributes to the identity, character, and culture of downtown by serving as an activator and catalyst for continued growth. Enhancing vibrancy through placemaking and programming is one of the Downtown Wichita organization's key areas of focus.  

Downtown Wichita received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Knight Foundation Fund at the Wichita Foundation for the project.

Meet the Creatives

National Endowment for the Arts

Downtown Wichita in partnership with the City of Wichita has been approved for a $75,000 Our Town Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. The funding will support a new initiative called the Front Porch project. This is one of 63 grants nationwide that the agency has approved in this category to support projects that integrate arts, culture and design activities into efforts that strengthen communities by advancing local economic, physical, and/or social outcomes; ultimately laying the groundwork for sustainable systems change.

"As the country and the arts sector begin to work towards a post-pandemic world, the National Endowment for the Arts is proud to announce this Our Town funding. These awards will support cross-sector partnerships such as the one lead by Downtown Wichita that demonstrate the power of the arts to help communities create a better future for themselves.” said NEA Acting Chairman Ann Eilers.

Downtown Wichita would like to specifically thank Fidelity Bank. Through their support, we were able to work alongside Blais and Associates, an incredible grant consulting firm, whose expertise was imperative in completing our successful application. 
For more information on the projects included in the Arts Endowment grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.

Project Announcement

Emily Brookover, Director of Community Engagement & Placemaking, announced the Front Porch project during the Mayor's News Briefing on May 27, 2021.