Cedric Douglas

Biography Cedric Douglas is the Founder and Creative Director of The Up Truck. Established in 2014, The Up Truck is a mobile art lab designed to engage underserved Boston communities through art and creativity. The Up Truck was created in response to a grant for $100,000 funded by The Boston Foundation in partnership with Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative. Out of 70 national and international applicants Cedric was awarded to receive this grant for his understanding of social intervention and community engagement. In the last two years, The Up Truck has engaged over 3000 Boston residents in 12 communities. The Up Truck was awarded a grant for $15,000 from the City of Boston’s Edward Ingersoll Browne Fund and a $10,000 grant from the New England Foundation for the arts. These grants are being used for design and fabrication of public work in the Upham’s Corner community.  Cedric is a Boston-based public artist, designer, street artist and social interventionist who has created work in the community for over 20 years.  He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Cedric was recently awarded $10,000 for a creative city grant funded by New England Foundation of the Arts and the Barr Foundation. Building upon the connections created through the Up Truck, Cedric Douglas aims to create a more vibrant culture for street art in Boston through a new project called Up Walls. Currently in the planning phases, the goal is to empower local artists looking to create a positive impact in communities that have historically been neglected by traditional arts funding. Up Walls will involve the creation of a constellation of art walls throughout Boston, a mobile pop up art wall for cultural and community events, and ultimately a citywide festival of street art. This grant will support the community organizing and art making that is required for thoughtful, strategic social intervention through art.  Cedric is currently working with the City of Boston’s Youth Lead the Change initiative, this program is designed to empower youth to vote for projects they want see happen in the community. Youth voted for legal art walls to freely be able to paint. Cedric is currently working with the city, the youth, and local organizations to establish 2 legal public street art walls. Cedric was awarded to be Artist in Resident in Upham’s Corner Dorchester. During his residency he offered a platform for community to engage in play. This work he named “Creative Playmaking”. He offered a series of games to community members to engage in conversation and play in the middle of the street. During a time where police and community do not have a favorable relationship he was able to use the act of play to bring police and community together to build a stronger sense of trust and community. Cedric is an active member of multiple Boston based art organizations including on the board of Celebrity Series Community Engagement advisory committee, Artweek Boston, Mass Creative and the Design Industry Group of Massachusets D.I.G.M.A.