Erin Harkey is the commissioner of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE). She has 20 years of experience working in the nonprofit and government sectors helping individuals and communities succeed through the arts. Prior to this, she was acting commissioner, and before that, first deputy commissioner at DCASE. Previously, Harkey was deputy commissioner for programming, projects administrator, and senior policy advisor for arts and culture in the mayor’s office, advising on cultural policy and arts strategy across all city departments and agencies. She previously managed public art programs at the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and the Arts Council for Long Beach. Harkey holds two master’s degrees in public art administration and in urban planning from the University of Southern California.
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The word city is not exactly synonymous with nature. Yet increasingly, urban landscapes offer innovative canvases for designers and artists who use ecology and horticulture as...