The Sidewalk Ballet Field Guide
The Sidewalk Ballet Field Guide is a growing collection of people, organizations, projects, books, ideas and ongoing conversations about cities and the people who shape them. It grows out of the podcast, but extends well beyond it—connecting the people doing the work, the places where it’s happening, and the ideas, experiments and resources worth carrying forward. Think of it as part reference library, part trail of breadcrumbs: a way to follow the conversation wherever it leads.
Explore by type, browse alphabetically or by date, or search for something specific. Follow the tags to discover connections—or explore the map to see where the people, projects and ideas in the Field Guide take us.
Marian Anderson
Marian Anderson’s 1939 concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial drew an integrated crowd of 75,000 after she was denied Constitution Hall because of her race. The performance became a defining example of public space expanding who could gather, belong, and be seen as part of “We the People.”
Screaming Queens
Screaming Queens recovers the story of the 1966 uprising at Compton’s Cafeteria, when transgender and queer residents of San Francisco’s Tenderloin fought back against police harassment. The documentary helped restore this largely forgotten event—and the community surrounding it—to its place in transgender and LGBTQ+ history.
Leva Zand
Leva Zand is an Iranian-American conceptual artist, organizational development advisor, and human rights advocate. She is most notably recognized as the founder and former Executive Director of ARTogether, a prominent Oakland-based nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering community, healing, and belonging for refugees and immigrants through the creative arts.
Black Public Joy
Black Public Joy is a framework developed by placemaker Jay Pitter that centers the right of Black communities not only to safety and belonging in public space, but to pleasure, celebration, beauty, rest, and collective joy. It positions joy as essential urban infrastructure—and as something cities can intentionally make room for.