Wednesday, September 16, 2009

The Chattanooga Market presents Plaza Parties: Inauguaral Event Tomorrow

Join your neighbors for the launch of Chattanooga’s new Market & Music Series, held at Miller Plaza every week from 4 pm until 7pm every Thursday, starting tomorrow. These Plaza Parties will run through the end of October, then resume in May for a full 26-week season in 2010. Just like Sunday’s Chattanooga Market, this family-friendly event will feature live music, local produce and regional arts & crafts.

Mainx24 Planning Meeting: September 22 @ green|spaces

Last year on December 6, Main Street was taken over by pancakes, Santas, tacos, bluegrass music, dedications, and dancing, and it lasted 24 hours. Feel like you missed out on last year’s Mainx24? Want to do more to make this epic event bigger, better, and even more community-owned?

Join the organizers of Mainx24 for their first planning meeting on September 22 at 5:30 pm, hosted at green|spaces. Interested in helping coordinate, participate, volunteer? Maybe you just want the inside scoop on events and programming? This meeting’s for you. Plan to attend with your neighbors, business owners and friends in preparation to make our annual neighborhood event the best in the city.

Chattanooga Welcomes Three More ArtsMove Artists

About a week ago, a panel of locally acclaimed artists gathered at CreateHere to assess the latest pool of applicants for the ArtsMove artist relocation program. ArtsMove aims to attract outstanding artists and artisans from around the country to the Chattanooga area by awarding up $2500 in grants to reimburse moving expenses. After comprehensive consideration, the jury unanimously elected to offer awards to mixed-media artist Beverly Hayden, ceramics master Linda Falcone and multi-genre musician Evan Lipson. The funding will help support the artists as they pack-up their lives and move to the Scenic City.

Beverly, a former lawyer from Paducah, Kentucky, is now a well-decorated artist who has shown her work in over 70 art shows throughout the nation since 2003. Beginning her artistic career as a photographer, she transitioned into mixed media work a couple of years ago.

Linda, hailing from Wilmington, North Carolina, has resided in many locations across the nation, which has exposed her to varying culture and foreign influence. This eclectic viewpoint, along with her “love of colors and their expressive abilities,” help her create beautiful pieces such as one-of-a-kind horsehair pottery and richly glazed ceramic dinnerware.

Evan has been splitting his residence between Philadelphia and New York City. He is a currently a composer/bassist who is “focused on transgressing the politics of genre, in favor of cultivating the rarefied esoteric world(s) of underground music.”

The grantees will be settling into their new homes in Downtown Chattanooga within the next few months. The three recipients have each expressed excitement about sharing their art with the city. Each artist will offer new, high-quality work to the city’s growing art scene while also working to engage the community through educational opportunities driven by their unique perspective.

By Trey Meyer, Senior Arts Fellow

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Majora Carter’s Visit Should Herald Start of Citywide Conversation

I’ve just come back from a day full of big, inspiring ideas; a day whose richness I can attribute directly to Majora Carter, environmental justice advocate and all-around rock star.

That last comment reminds me that I shouldn’t disguise this as a blog post written from CreateHere’s often cryptic (I have only myself to blame for this) authorless Marketing Speak. It is my own impassioned view.

Naïve at times, yes, but I’ve heard more than once that naïveté is a crucial component in change-making. And it is a quality that Carter at some point reveled in, as well, as she described in her lecture tonight. “I never knew who I wasn’t supposed to talk to,” she said regarding the community of experts she helped form at the launch of her sustainability initiatives in the South Bronx, the neighborhood she grew up in and lives in still. Obstacles to knowledge transfer between people invested in their communities should be readily breakable. It’s a lesson for all of Chattanooga, too.

Carter’s time in Chattanooga started this morning with a tour through downtown, the Southside, Highland Park and Alton Park. Touching on past, present, and especially future, guides from River City Company, Neighborhood Impact, the St. Andrews Center, and the Enterprise Center lead Carter through the city’s victories, and shortcomings.

Reverend Mike Feeley of the St. Andrews Center discussed the methodology for implementing a neighborhood garden in a Highland Park, which will soon expand. “We drove around the neighborhood and found houses where people were growing food, where they were cooking for their neighbors. We found out what they were eating, how they were cooking, and what languages they spoke.” With this knowledge in hand, the Center was able to launch a community garden that reflected the interests of the surrounding area, and as a result, the project has flourished.

It was talk of similar successful projects across the city that lead our group to talk of Alton Park. Maria Noel of the Enterprise Center discussed the very dire environmental depreciation of the area, which for decades was red-lined by banks and investors, and as a result, has come to bear the brunt of ecological damage following major industrial decline.

The area holds eight Superfund sites, several capped landfills,  and a dubiously named “Residue Hill,” a site so contaminated that the EPA has made it clear its contents—completely manmade—will never be explored. Residents have been evacuated twice in the past thirty years because of chemical contamination. Noel told us about a school, now demolished, where teachers were struck with fits of nausea and vomiting, directly attributed to waste from a nearby chemical factory. While it isn’t completely clear what made the teachers sick, theories abound, including one that states the plant produced materials included in Agent Orange.

The residents in this neighborhood are separated by huge stretches of land, occupied by factories, both abandoned and functioning. Construction of any kind requires an EPA grant for cleanup, and even in spots not contaminated with hazardous materials, there are issues of access and transportation that contribute directly to an average income significantly lower than the rest of Chattanooga.

It is staggering.

There is hope, though, and Carter’s visit provided an ideal opportunity to start a citywide conversation that can find sustainable, community-owned solutions to the problems all Chattanoogans experience daily. A luncheon following the morning’s tour focused us on The Bethlehem Center, a beacon in the community, and on the Neighborhood Environmental College, which claims 300 graduates in the area. Literacy and marketable skills were at the forefront of the discussion with Carter, who has pioneered the Green Collar movement.

In her lecture at UTC, Carter touched on what inspired her to work in environmental justice initially. “It started with my family, and with my neighborhood,” she said. “Movements start when conditions are no longer tolerable, when people decide they will fight for the freedom to do something they couldn’t do before.”

In the South Bronx, Carter has trained a green collar workforce to work on projects that help locals reclaim public spaces. A waterfront development project and greenway are underway this year, as well as projects in Detroit, North Carolina, and New Orleans. “You have to unlock the potential of places,” she said.

My deep hope, and I suspect it is also the hope of anyone familiar with the depth and thoughtfulness of Carter’s work, is that this is the start of a much larger conversation for our city. A culture of opportunity, one that doesn’t leave the fate of our neighborhoods up to chance, is a real possibility.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Environmental Justice Leader Majora Carter at UTC, Tomorrow Night

National environmental justice leader Majora Carter comes to Chattanooga tomorrow, September 15. Join the Benwood Foundation, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, the Ochs Center for Metropolitan Studies and CreateHere in welcoming this progressive young activist.

Born, raised, and continuing to live in the South Bronx, Carter’s work takes her around the world in pursuit of resources and ideas to improve the quality of life in environmentally challenged communities. She founded Sustainable South Bronx in 2001 and since then, she has been instrumental in creating riverfront parks, building green roofs, working to remove poorly planned highways in favor of positive economic development, and successfully implementing the Bronx Environmental Stewardship Training (BEST) program—a pioneering green-collar job training and placement system—seeding a community with a skilled workforce that has both a personal & economic stake in their urban environment.

Carter also worked with Van Jones to co-found Green For All, a national initiative dedicated to creating quality jobs in green industries by collaborating with government, business, labor, and grassroots communities.

Carter’s visit to Chattanooga couldn’t come at a better time. As a community, we stand at a crossroads, and how we move forward with community-based environmental initiatives could change the way our city works.

Carter will speak at UTC’s Roland Hayes Concert Hall at 7 pm. This event is free and open to the public, though space is limited.

For more information on the George T. Hunter Lecture Series, visit the Benwood Foundation online.

Chattanooga Stand featured in Next American City

Check out Next American City magazine’s blog today for an update on Stand.

We’re thrilled to have Stand featured in a venue that promotes innovation and fosters sustainable urban development. Thanks are due to everyone who’s taken a Stand so far: at last count, you’re a force 24,234 strong.

For those who haven’t completed the Stand survey yet, visit the visioning effort online.

Park(ing) Day: Visit our Creative Lab this Friday

Park(ing) Day, a global movement to promote the use of green space in urban centers, hits Chattanooga streets once again on September 18.

Park(ing) Day started in San Francisco as an opportunity for citizens, artists, and activists to collaborate and create temporary public parks out of curbside parking spaces. According to organizers, more than 70% of most cities’ outdoor space is dedicated to private vehicles. It is from this fact that the movement, now in its fourth year, draws its momentum.

Since the inaugural PARK(ing) Day event four years ago, participants have broadened the scope of their installations to fulfill a range of unmet social needs. “From public parks to free health clinics, from art galleries to demonstration gardens, Park(ing) Day participants have claimed the metered parking space as a rich new territory for creative experimentation, activism, socializing and play,” says Blaine Merker of Rebar, the organization behind Park(ing) Day.

To celebrate Park(ing) Day 2009, CreateHere will host a Creative Laboratory in one of the parking spots immediately in front of our studio. Divided into work and leisure space, we’ll provide blackboards, refreshments, and a comfy place to hatch a few plans. With community conversations in full swing, thanks in part to Chattanooga Stand, we want to provide a fun space for idea generation.

Join us from 10 am to 4 pm on Friday, September 18. If you’re interested in setting up your own Park(ing) Day spot, visit http://www.parkingday.org for inspiration and planning materials. And look for Park(ing) Day spots across the city all day!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Global Music + Local Arts: The Party Continues Saturday

AVA Gallery Hop
HelloWorld.show(); closing reception
September 12, 2 pm to 9 pm

Strap on your walking shoes and bring out your bikes because it’s almost time, art lovers, for the AVA Gallery Hop. On Saturday, September 12, from 2 to 9 pm, galleries, studios and fine art retailers will open their doors to patrons from all walks of life—inviting them to come in, have a drink or a snack, see some art, talk shop, and then shove off to the next venue and do it all over again.

Gallery Hop 2009 will feature nearly 30 galleries and studios spanning the downtown area, from Northshore to Main Street to St. Elmo. This annual event, now in its fourth year, provides the public with a great opportunity to check out the local art scene and meet working artists in their studios.

CreateHere’s 55here gallery space will host a closing reception for HelloWorld.show(); that same day, with live music from 6 to 8 pm and portrait painting by MakeWork 2008 grant recipient Mia Bergeron all day.

For more information on the Gallery Hop, visit AVA’s website, or download an event map.

World Town Afterparty
featuring DJ /rupture + DJ k789
September 12, 9 pm to 2 am, at Contrapasso

From 9 am to 2am on September 12, following the Gallery Hop studio tour, DJs /rupture and K789 will take Chattanooga on a tour of the world through music at Contrapasso. Come for tunes straight from the barrios to boroughs, favelas to townships, and everywhere in-between.

Admission for the event is $10 with proceeds benefiting International Justice Mission.

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Global Music + Local Arts: It All Starts Friday Night

World Town Lecture, featuring DJ /rupture | 7 pm @ CreateHere

Jace Clayton, also known as DJ /rupture, comes to CreateHere on Friday, September 11 as part of the MakeWork sponsored World Town series.

World Town is a year-long project put together by local DJ Phillip Allen, a.k.a. K7. The first event will feature globe-trotting DJ, journalist, label owner, blogger, and “bass pioneer” Clayton, who hails from Brooklyn. Clayton has been described by the The New York Times as “a thoughtful pipeline for music from countless distant and obscure outposts.”

Clayton will discuss how his experience performing in over 30 countries has influenced and helped to shape his original productions and mixes. Following the talk will be a short turntablism and sound composition demo. The night will conclude with a Q&A session and DJ set by local duo K789. The lecture is free, open to the public and will be broadcast live via Allen’s blog.

Duwayne Burnside and Lefty | 8 pm @ Champy’s on MLK

Immediately following the World Town lecture, join your fellow music-lovers for an evening of blues at Champy’s, located at 526 MLK Boulevard. The Champy’s Blend—aka Natty Lite—may not draw a huge crowd, but world-renown Blues guitarist Duwayne Burnside absolutely will.

Burnside, son of legendary musician R.L. Burnside, grew up in Senatobia, Mississippi, and his music is as informed by his childhood experiences as it is by his musical family. Burnside played in his father’s band, Sound Machine Groove, which combined the hill country sound with Memphis soul.

Burnside’s visit to Chattanooga rounds out a night of Chattanooga music, both local and global. A big Saturday follows, with more details here tomorrow.

Thursday, September 03, 2009

Drink a Beer, Save a Forest

You know that tunnel you drive under when passing from North Chattanooga to Redbank?  Maybe the smell of the onion rings at Nikky’s Diner will jog your memory.  Well, some of you may not know that as you lose your cell-phone reception driving through that tunnel, you’re passing underneath a battleground known as Stringer’s Ridge.

For almost two years, residents and advocates of Hill City have been defending the 100 woodsy, undeveloped acres of their back yard from a private developer who bought it in late 2007 with plans of clear-cutting and high-end condos.  The property spans from Nikky’s all the way to Merriam Street in North Chatt and like most of our city’s beautiful natural refuges (ahem, Suck Creek…), it serves as both a great place to hike and an unfortunate vessel for unwanted trash.

As one member of a neighborhood team wearing homemade “Save Stringer’s Ridge” t-shirts who hauled tires, sofas, even refrigerators out of the long-underappreciated woodland last March, I can see how a developer might have assumed that no one cared about this land.

But people do care. 

Last fall, the Trust for Public Land got involved. The Trust agreed to purchase a portion of the land and is currently working, along with local businesses, organizations, and individuals, toward the creation of a conservation easement for the remaining portion.  The goal is to see Stringer’s Ridge become a new greenway for our city.

This month, the Terminal Brewhouse is adding a little flavor to the fight to save Stringer’s Ridge, by introducing ‘Old Baldy ESB,’ described as “a classic session beer designed to refresh and stimulate both your taste buds and your desire to preserve the beauty and natural uses of Stringer’s Ridge.” 20% of the September sales of Old Baldy will be donated to the Stringer’s Ridge cause.

“We have not only vowed to give you a well rounded beer,” says Terminal partner Jeff Tarr, “but to give some jack to the people that are dedicated to preserving the hiking and biking access to one of the most beautiful and approachable ridgelines in our fair city.”

Whether you’re drinking Old Baldy for the flavor or for the cause, stop into the Terminal all month and toast a glass of it to our beautiful backyard.

By Alison Burke, Editorial Fellow

AVA Gallery Hop @ CreateHere: HelloWorld.show(); + Live Portraits from Mia Bergeron

Strap on your walking shoes and bring out your bikes because it’s almost time, art lovers, for the AVA Gallery Hop. On Saturday, September 12th, from 2 to 9 pm, galleries, studios and fine art retailers will open their doors to patrons from all walks of life—inviting them to come in, have a drink or a snack, see some art, talk shop, and then shove off to the next venue and do it all over again.

Gallery Hop 2009 will feature nearly 30 galleries and studios spanning the downtown area, from Northshore to Main Street to St. Elmo. This annual event, now in its fourth year, provides the public with a great opportunity to check out the local art scene and meet working artists in their studios.

CreateHere’s 55here gallery space will host a closing reception for HelloWorld.show(); that same day, with live music from Christie Burns, from 6 to 8 pm and in-house portrait painting by Mia Bergeron all day.

For more information on the Gallery Hop, visit AVA’s website, or download an event map.

AVA Gallery Hop
HelloWorld.show(); closing reception
September 12, 2 pm to 9 pm

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

“Story & Craft” Lecture Series: Friday @ 7:30

This Friday from 7:30 to 10:30 pm at CreateHere, Chris Clark, Assistant Communications Professor at Bryan College, will bring students and local film buffs together for the first of four “Story and Craft” lectures. This speaker series is designed to address the different areas that go into film production, and the associated challenges. 

The series starts with Joe O’Brien, writer director, and producer of the Endure, a detective movie set in Florida starring Judd Nelson, Tom Arnold, and Devon Sawa. Joe will talk to about the joys and pains of making his first feature-length film.

Join us for this exciting discussion, and visit Bryan College online for more information about future events.

By Elana Gulas, Senior Fellow