Student Profile: Patrick Landes, MPP Class of 2023

Patrick Landes (he/she/they) is dedicated to putting creative placemaking at the center of their work.

After completing a bachelor’s in sociology and theater at Connecticut College, Landes moved to Washington D.C. and began working with several artistic groups and theater companies. “I have always been into theater and came out of undergrad thinking I would become directly involved in the arts.” Landes first worked as a Programs and Marketing Fellow for CulturalDC, a small arts organization that manages arts spaces in the D.C. area and works with real estate developers to make space for art in their developments. Landes also served as a Human Resources and Hiring Manager for Theatre Prometheus, where they spearheaded the formation of an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) committee tasked with enacting policies to advance the theater’s EDI efforts.

It was at Theatre Prometheus where Landes first became interested in the intersection of arts and policy. “I noticed several small theaters operating at the same scale as we were and doing very interesting work that was community focused but not getting a lot of funding compared to larger theaters in the area. I kept thinking that these theaters could have more opportunity to amplify their impact if there were better funding policies and practices in place.”

From 2019–20, Landes participated in AmeriCorps VISTA as a Thriving Networks Program Associate for the National Alliance of Community Economic Development Associations (NACEDA). While at NACEDA, Landes led a redesign of a network-wide member survey to inform NACEDA’s programs and fundraising efforts. “That opportunity opened my eyes to how cities are working to create equitable communities across the country. It made me realize that I wanted to work at the intersection of arts, culture, and community development. I recognized that policy can be used to ensure that more neighborhoods have greater access to funds they need to develop—economically and communally.”

When considering his options for graduate school, Landes said they wanted to be in a place with a multidisciplinary approach to coursework—and where they could continue to focus on the arts. “I don’t think you can just isolate arts policy when considering how to create equitable communities. I also want to look at health policy and economic development, and I felt that Harris could give me the opportunities to explore those topics as well. Plus, I knew Harris had partnerships with arts groups around the city.”

Since enrolling, Landes has been active in the Harris community as a member of Harris Community Action, a student organization active in building the technical, operational, and strategic capacity of nonprofits on Chicago’s South Side, and the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board. Landes also co-leads OUTPolitik, a Harris Student Organization committed to fostering a community of policy professionals interested in issues that impact the LGBTQ community.

“One of my personal goals while at Harris is to make it even more gender-inclusive for nonbinary and transgender people. Like many HSOs, the pandemic slowed our group’s activity a bit:, but we’ve been picking up momentum: recently, Courtney Thompson from the Harris Career Development Office discussed navigating queerness in the workforce, and Jae Rice spoke about the work of Brave Space Alliance, a Black and Trans-led LGBTQ+ Center in Hyde Park. Moving forward, we are planning events relating to the international queer experience and the intersection between queerness and disability.”