The city of Charlotte, North Carolina has issues with economic mobility that stem from a long-standing history of segregation of income and race. Arts and cultural programming is a possible solution to build social capital amongst low-income and minority populations and alleviate the economic inequity that stems from these historical issues. This thesis examines potential disparities in arts participation among low-income and black residents of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg areas and evaluates the impact of community arts programs currently in place in terms of their ability to increase equity of arts participation and social capital. Analysis of most recent data from the Quality of Life Explorer of Mecklenburg County demonstrated that a household income of over $75,000 is associated with a higher arts participation rate, and that black individuals have a statistically significant lower arts participation rate. Focus groups conducted with Culture Blocks participants, however, indicated that the Culture Blocks program mitigated several barriers to access faced by low-income and black individuals and provided participants with a variety of social and psychological benefits. The results of this study indicate that community arts programs can be useful to provide more equitable arts access in urban areas and can provide many of the same benefits as more traditional arts institutions.