Blog

  1. 55Here: More than a name Monday, November 02, 2009

    Recent visitors to CreateHere’s gallery space may have noticed some changes—namely, to the name on the door, the printed copy, and to the sandwich board outside. No, CreateHere hasn’t changed its name. Rather, we folks at CreateHere have renamed the gallery space, christening it with its very own visual identity to accompany that shift. We want to give 55here its own character and milieu, as well as its own set of goals, initiatives, and programming so that it may operate as an independent project under the broader CreateHere umbrella, much like ArtsMove, Stand, or Springboard; and a name helps, if only practically, to do that.

    The name “55here” was first held by our wireless network, and, no cutesy puns intended, we felt it was an appropriate name for a space that is to have a “wireless” operating structure. In other words, we wanted the gallery’s identity to hinge on the notions of adaptability and community ownership. Ideally, like a laptop computer, 55here will be able to “go” anywhere—as in, it would have the same mission and identity were the physical space on Main Street, Frazier Avenue, or Brainerd Road.

    Also, like the internet, 55here will ideally become a space that is about, by, and for the community—a space for local talent, experimentation, and vision. And the fixed point around which all this local creative energy and dynamism will revolve is CreateHere’s ongoing mission, which is to “build Chattanooga’s cultural economy,” and 55here’s new-found mission, which is, “to exhibit a range of Visual Art and to host performances and events that are distinctly contemporary, conceptually original, socially relevant, challenging, meaningful, and beneficial to the Chattanooga community.”

    Operationally speaking, we want to make 55here an open platform for Chattanooga’s creative community. The term “open platform” refers to two things we’re striving toward with the gallery space. First, we want to make 55here a venue for workshops, performances, events, and happenings initiated and facilitated by local artists, performers, and other creative professionals. Secondly, we want to incorporate the community into the exhibitions themselves. Our next exhibition, for example, will be a joint curatorial effort between all of the CreateHere fellows and will turn the gallery into a creative laboratory wherein we invite the members of the community to share their vision for Chattanooga’s future.

    But what’s really exciting is that we have already seen the open platform spirit manifest itself in 55here through our most recent exhibition and events, where Chattanooga arts leaders held their own workshops and performances in the space, and gallery and event attendees brought their own creativity to the table through interactive activities and events.

    By Katie Waddell, Arts Fellow

    Posted by Administrator