Thursday, May 06, 2010

Spring Learning in Chattanooga

Spring is in the air, everybody (though it’s been feeling more like summer).  Finals week has gone by for most college students and schools will soon be letting out, but that doesn’t mean Chattanooga has to stop learning as the summer officially approaches.  Here’s a rundown of local opportunities in the next few weeks to learn about everything from art and wine to Chattanooga history.

Starting TONIGHT: The Back Row Film Series, Chattanooga’s primary interactive film event, opens at 6:00 tonight at the Tennessee Aquarium with a screening of The End of the Line, a powerful documentary about overfishing and the importance of making sustainable seafood a priority.  After the film, Charlie Loomis from Greenlife will be talking about being the store’s seafood buyer and what Greenlife is doing to prevent overfishing.  Check out the Pulse’s cover story on the series in this week’s issue.

Beginning May 11 (and continuing Tuesday evenings this month), The Chattanooga History Center will be present “A Short History of Chattanooga,” a series of talks exploring our dramatic and colorful history.  It’s free of charge (but please do register) and will happen at the History Center’s interim location on Lindsay Street.  Come out to see historic Chattanooga artifacts from the Center’s collection and to hear bunch of quirky and moving stories about where we’ve come from.

On Sunday, May 15 the Friends of the Chattanooga Zoo invite you to “Spirits in the Wild,” a wine tasting event in the great outdoors (i.e. the zoo) complete with live music from the Peter Moon Band.  It’s $40 per person, but all funds raised will benefit the Chattanooga Zoo Capital Campaign.

UTC students will present Plausible Artworlds at the Hunter Museum on Thursday May 20 from 6-8 PM.  Plausible Artworlds is a project that originated in Philadelphia to collect and share knowledge about alternative models of creative practice.  It’s free for college students, faculty, and staff.

Also, Widgets and Stone is offering “A Letterpress Intensive” with Terrence Chouinard on Friday and Saturday May 21-22.  The class has two separate events – a general presentation by Chouinard for anyone on Friday evening ($5-$7) and an all-day workshop on Saturday for select registrants ($25-$70).  Please RSVP to the folks at Widgets & Stone so you can be sure to get a seat.

Thursday Plaza Party!

The Chattanooga Market kicked off its 2010 season two Sundays ago with a record-breaking turnout of approximately 15,000 people.  Over 350 vendors set up at First Tennessee Pavilion along with all sorts of events for anyone and everyone to participate in including a Beast Feast BBQ and an Earth Day celebration called “The Art of Recycling” that encouraged kids and teens to express their creativity with recyclables.

Can’t make it to the Chattanooga Market on a Sunday?  No worries.  Normally, the Market is only open on Sunday afternoons, but they’re changing things around this season to bring a smaller version of the Sunday festivities to Miller Plaza on Thursday afternoons.

The Chattanooga Market’s Thursday Plaza Party starts today from 4-7 PM and will extend through September.

The Thursday Plaza Party is a new way for the Chattanooga Market to provide city residents and office workers with a downtown destination for fresh produce, local arts & crafts, live music, and a cold after-work drink.

This is the Market’s 9th season and they’re sporting a larger selection than ever of fresh meats, cheeses, eggs, and more.  As usual, there’s a special focus on fresh produce – local fruits and vegetables have been culled from over 5,000 acres of nearby farms this year.  The folks at the market are especially excited about the upcoming strawberry season (rumor has it there will be some fresh local strawberries on sale even today at Miller Plaza).

Keep checking the Chattanooga Market’s website, or better yet, sign up to receive their weekly e-newsletter, the best way to be in-the-know about market events, fresh crops, and the exciting opportunities the market offers each week.  Like always, admission is free … so come on out and invite your friends to enjoy products from local farms, artists, and vendors.

Monday, May 03, 2010

City Share, May 5: Vision to Action

City Share is back in action this Wednesday, May 5 at 12:00 pm at CreateHere. We’re excited to welcome Lori Quillen and David R. Eichenthal from The Ochs Center for Metropolitan Studies, the folks who sorted through all 26,263 Stand surveys and presented us with this big report. 

If you’ve been to City Share before, you’ll know that we’ve focused on conversations with nationally recognized authors and innovators about ideas and methods that have worked for them. Now that the Stand data is in, we’re ready to shift that focus to a conversation specifically centered on Chattanooga-based solutions for the needy areas located by the Stand survey.

You may have logged onto ChattanoogaStand.com and searched through the data only to find a mountain of information that might seem impossible to interpret. This month’s City Share is here to remedy that.

Lori Quillen is Policy Analyst at the Ochs Center and will open the conversation with a brief overview of the Stand data.  If you’ve been wondering about the primary findings of Stand, this is your time to start understanding them better.

We are also pleased to welcome David R. Eichenthal, President and CEO of the Ochs Center.  Eichenthal was named a Nonresident Senior Fellow with the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program and has extensive expertise in public finance, performance measurement, criminal justice policy, education and local economic development.  He’s a recognized leader in our community and will address City Share about how to use the Stand data for community organization, advocacy, and change.

Friday, April 30, 2010

Celebrating MakeWork: Past, Present, and Future

Over the last two years, CreateHere has been privileged to develop and provide the MakeWork grant to artists and artisans in Chattanooga. The 2010 MakeWork cycle is currently offering up to $125,000 for artists who need assistance in three different categories: projects, studio assistance, and career development.

One of the most exciting aspects of MakeWork is the variety of talents that are fostered by the process. Over the last two years, we’ve awarded grants to film makers, screen-printers, DJs, and chefs. The individuals who have benefited from the MakeWork grant process represent a broad swath of creativity and trade—a true testament to the strength of the creative community in our fair city.

This year marks the third anniversary of the grant process. And as the 2010 grant process begins, the 2009 cycle is coming to a close. While we eagerly await the diverse applicants that we’ll be hearing from in the next two weeks, we would like to take a moment to highlight some of these past recipients’ work.

Phillip Allen was awared a MakeWork grant in 2009 to expand his capabilities as a professional DJ. As a DJ who creates original compositions of sampled beats and sounds, he was able to purchase equipment to advance his craft, and host several events that promoted local electronic music.

Jonathan McNair applied for a MakeWork grant in 2009 to put on a concert of original compositions. He was able to hire performers to perform his original song cycle, “An Earthen Man” for string quartet and Baritone voice, along with other compositions.

Thomas Spake is a glass blower who was awarded a MakeWork grant in 2009 to help develop his studio. With his grant money he was able to purchase new production equipment and improve his studio space.

It’s clear that creative individuals have an impact on Chattanooga. Local artists in our community are a force for growth in the local economy. CreateHere’s MakeWork grants reinforce the value of this unique sector of the workforce and our recipients help shape Chattanooga as an emerging creative economy. The first deadline for 2010 applications is May 7th, and the final deadline is May 14th. Get your application in soon, and tell your friends.

If you have any questions, please contact (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Three UTC Projects Inspired by Valencia 826

This semester, senior designers at UTC were presented with a very unique and very interesting project. To create a storefront in keeping with those of 826 National, a highly unconventional network of youth tutoring and writing centers.

Essentially Odd tells the story of how 826 National began and what follows is an abbreviated excerpt:

What is now 826 National began back in the fall of 2001, when Dave Eggers and some friends were looking to rent a space on Valencia Street in San Francisco’s Mission District. They planned to open an after-school tutoring center for the kids who lived in the neighborhood; it was a simple and only semi-formed notion. The plan was that the front of the building would be used for tutoring and workshops, and the back would house the offices of McSweeney’s, their small publishing house.

Each 826 center worked with local artists and designers to craft a distinct fantasy retail environment. Local creative types would leap in to conjure a wonderful world that would delight customers and intrigue kids, and the products they created, when sold, would help pay the rent.

This semester, under the direction of Professor Matt Greenwell, the senior graphic design majors at UTC were asked to approach this idea as a design problem; in effect, to develop a thematic concept for an 826 National Store, to brand it with a logo, signage, packaging, and copy—and to stock it with “products” in the spirit of both the theme of the store and of 826 National.

As a class, they quickly agreed to try doing it in a way that would live in the world, if even for a little while. So when they heard about a Leadership Chattanooga initiative to promote the potential of MLK Blvd. and the small (but largely vacant) retail area near the UTC campus, the two groups came together with a quiet hope that it will occur to someone that this is a good enough idea to pursue right here in Chattanooga.

The UTC class of designers split up into three groups to create three separate storefront ideas: Instacitiocity, peddler of big city smells and sights; The Everlasting Shop, where you can buy forever in a spray bottle; and Mad Lab, a monster pet shop. All three shop ideas will have a public window display all day Friday at 515 E MLK Blvd (across the street from Champy’s). Stop by, do some window shopping, and consider the possibilities.

Next Thursday: Take the Lead

On Thursday, May 6, the Chattanooga Leadership Think Tank Roundtable presents “Take the Lead: Creating a Livable Chattanooga Region for All Ages,” a conference taking place from 8 - 11:30 a.m. in the UTC University Center Chattanooga Rooms.

“Take the Lead” participants will consult the Building Partnerships: Creating a Livable Chattanooga for All Ages report from last summer’s summit in an effort to inform the next key level of community dialogue, visioning, and building for the future.

Co-founded in 2007 by Missy Crutchfield of the Chattanooga Department of Education, Arts & Culture and Diane Parks of Leadership Chattanooga, the Chattanooga Leadership Think Tank regularly gathers a roundtable of Chattanooga’s leadership program directors to network, share best practices, and combine efforts to mutually support each other in growing the city’s leadership development programs.

For the 2009-2010 year, the Chattanooga Leadership Think Tank Roundtable has focused on addressing the needs of all generations living in Chattanooga now and in the future. The “Take the Lead” Conference is the culmination of this year’s Think Tank focus.

The Chattanooga Leadership Think Tank Roundtable isn’t alone in this endeavor. Convened by Mayor Ron Littlefield, other “Take the Lead” partners include: Choose Chattanooga, Southeast Tennessee Area Agency on Aging & Disabilities, Chattanooga Health and Performance Institute, Leadership Chattanooga, Partners for a Livable Chattanooga, The Learning and Leadership Laboratory (L3) and UTC.

“Great cities have discovered that economic development and livability go hand in hand,” says Mayor Ron Littlefield. “Chattanooga is taking the lead for successfully creating partnerships that benefit citizens of all ages.”

“Take the Lead” is free a conference, but space is limited. Please email RSVPs by tomorrow, April 30, to fulgham_k [at] Chattanooga [dot] gov.

For more information about the Chattanooga Leadership Think Tank Roundtable or the City of Chattanooga’s Department of Education, Arts & Culture, contact Melissa Turner at 423/425.7826 or turner_m [at] mail.chattanooga [dot] gov.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Southside Creative presents “Strange New World” May 6

Southside Creative Group presents “Strange New World,” a social media conference for beginners and intermediates featuring Jose Castillo on Thursday, May 6, 2010 at their offices at The Freight Depot.

Castillo provides insight into the convergence of technology, marketing and ideas to companies all over the country, though he is based in Johnson City, Tennessee. Jose says, “Most companies now realize that they need to have a Facebook page and maybe a twitter account but beyond that, how are they supposed to interact and grow in this strange new world? The power of conversations with your current and potential customers is nothing new, but in this new media world you need to be able to understand the tools, listen intently, and be prepared to respond. The faster you adapt, the better equipped you will be to respond when something strange comes along. And at the rate technology is morphing, that will be tomorrow.”

The conference will consist of two sessions, 101 for Beginners, which will identify the most strategic ways each business should be using social media and actually get businesses set up, and 201 for Intermediates, which will provide strategies for Public Relations in the digital age using social media tactics. 201 participants are asked to bring a press release about their business for use in this exercise. Laptops are also welcome, as Southside will provide wireless internet all day.

Registration for the event is available online at http://www.southsidecreative.com. There you can also follow a flow chart to determine which session will be most helpful to you.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Pancake Breakfast to Benefit 3 Firehall Families

On Saturday April 24, Station One on Main Street will hold a pancake breakfast to benefit three families of firefighters recently wracked by tragedy. The event costs $5 per plate and will last from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. with all proceeds directly benefiting the three families. Jonathan, a firefighter from Station One, brings us this update.

Stereotypes exist for a reason: one-time occurrences become sometime happenings that soon become habits and ultimately lore. The firefighting profession is no exception to the rule. We are held to a higher moral and physical standard because of what we are charged to do on a daily basis and stereotypes have been formed out of these characteristics. 

We are, stereotypically, each other’s brothers and sisters at the station—a second family.  We are bound by necessity, drawn together out of shared experience, and unified by stress and hardship. As in any family, disagreement rises and is eventually resolved. When members are individually challenged, the loyalty of the group is drawn out.

Over the course of the past couple of months, the brotherhood has been tested and our loyalty to each other has become more visible than ever. Three families within our sworn department have been directly affected by terrible medical emergencies. One firefighter and two children of firefighters have been afflicted by dire medical diagnoses. Because of this, we pool our resources, we rise against together, and we do our best as brothers and sisters to show our resolve alongside our shared sympathies. 

Still, within these strengths lies an undercurrent that seeks to topple our greatest efforts. A consequence of this job is a detachment from the reality of injury, hardship, and death. We are always looked to as pillars of strength and capability, never allowed to falter or cave under the pressure of what we see and do. But when those mechanisms are put to the ultimate test, when they are threatened in a way that we can no longer control, we must face our own vulnerabilities. 

We can only hope that in these moments, we will be comforted, supported, held across the threshold of our own shortcomings, and resolve to fight like hell alongside our brothers, our sisters, and our children. These are matters specific to our profession, things that no one outside the job would ever fully understand—but in the end, we are no different than anyone else. We are fathers, we are injured, we are human. 

We would welcome anyone to the breakfast next Saturday, but also welcome anyone to come by and get a look at the station, take pictures with your kids on the trucks, or simply hang out with us. 

And of course, thank you for listening.

New Program Supports Local Food Shed

Phillip Johnston is an editorial fellow at CreateHere. He brings us this update on a Benwood Foundation initiative supporting the local food shed.

Local food production is on the move in Chattanooga and the Benwood Foundation is ready to launch a comprehensive reform of our food system designed to create a comprehensive culture of local food production and consumption. Chattanooga, meet Gaining Ground.

Gaining Ground is a new initiative envisioned to facilitate a sustainable, cohesive, vibrant, and distinctively Chattanoogan foodscape through grants, coordinated efforts, and increased public awareness. By building strong connections in our food system, supporting partners from farm to table, informing policy makers, and inspiring the public, Gaining Ground aspires to help bring better food to everyone and advance a movement to help Chattanoogans view food in a radically new way.

Within the next three years, The Benwood Foundation will invest up to $1.65 million in Gaining Ground. At the helm is Jeff Pfitzer, a community leader with considerable experience in local food issues. Pfitzer served as the first director of Crabtree Farms, a local public-private partnership to renew urban agriculture, and most recently as Director of Special Projects at RiverCity Company.

We want to eat locally in Chattanooga and realize that supporting local food production is one of the simplest and most beneficial ways to stimulate the our community economy in a period of national economic downturn. And what’s the result? We’ll eat better, feel healthier, and purchase safer—all while helping local food producers bring their very best to the community table.

For more information on Gaining Ground, email (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or log onto the Benwood Foundation’s website at http://www.benwood.org.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Common Shelf Comes to Miller Plaza, Today at 11

Phillip Johnston is an editorial fellow at CreateHere. He brings us this update on an exciting project from Leadership Chattanooga.

Today at Miller Plaza you can find Chattanooga’s first Common Shelf, a take-a-book, leave-a-book effort from the 2010 Leadership Chattanooga program. We’re excited to give our full support to Leadership Chattanooga, the passion they have for our city, and their brilliant idea to try to out a Common Shelf in Chattanooga. Here’s how it works:

Take a book. Browse through the selection in the bookcase and Miller Plaza.  If you see anything that interests you, take it, read it, and enjoy it!

Leave a book. The purpose of the common shelf is so anyone and everyone in our community will have a source for free books, but the only way it will continue is if those who enjoy visiting Common Shelf also share by bringing books to replenish the supply. And don’t just bring books you don’t want – sacrifice something great, a book that just might just change the life of a fellow Chattanoogan.

Tell a friend. The more people with a vested interest in Common Shelf, the better!

The first common shelf originated in Hanover, Germany and caught the eye of an American studying abroad.  They blogged about it asked the question, “Would you want something like this in your city?”  Of course we do! 

Leadership Chattanooga is thrilled to be partnering with RiverCity Company in the center of downtown for this first event. The bookcase was crafted and donated by Collier Construction and decorated by the Sprouts at St. Peter’s Episcopal School. Advertising has been donated by Joe Graham at Accent Signs. Books for the first shelf have been donated by McKay’s Used Books & CD’s, Anna Breckenridge, and other generous individuals.

Come on out to Miller Plaza at 11:00 AM today for the ribbon-cutting and launch for the first shelf! Bring a book and tell a friend!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

MakeWork Applications Available

Phillip Johnston is an editorial fellow at CreateHere. He brings us this update on MakeWork 2010.

This year, CreateHere is offering up to $125,000 in grants to innovative artists and artisans in the Chattanooga area and we’re excited to present you with all the resources you’ll need to apply for grants (up to $15,000 each) for career advancement, studio assistance, or that next big project that the community (and the world!) needs to see.

Because Chattanooga believes in the arts, we are committed to nurturing the creative spirit in our artists. The core mission of MakeWork is to stimulate our city’s creative economy and empower creatives with the tools they need to flourish and grow—whether you need time in the studio, film stock, paintbrushes, instruments, or models, MakeWork is here to help you succeed.

“But how does it work?” Check out our MakeWork homepage for more information, but for now, here’s what you need to get started:

Read through the MakeWork Grant Guide so you know what we expect and how to make your application the best it can be. You’re going to need to provide samples of your work, know about what expenses you’ll incur if you get the grant, and have two references who are as excited about your work as you are.

Next, fill out the 2010 MakeWork Arts Grants application. Be sure to be clear about your goals and dreams—don’t hold back. We want to know what makes you tick and why you’re so passionate about the ideas inside your head.

Applications are due on May 7 along with a $30 application fee. The final deadline is May 14 with a raised application fee of $45. Applications will be reviewed and considered and you’ll be notified on your award status by July 2. More details available at the main page.

If you have questions about MakeWork, contact Jessica Martin at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

World Town 3.0 April 17 Featuring DJ Moni

On April 17 the love movement will embrace Chattanooga. Phillip Allen, a.k.a. K7, local DJ and MakeWork grant recipient is hosting the third installment of his WorldTown global music project with Brooklyn based DJ, multimedia artist, and co-creator of Friends We Love web documentary series Moni Pineda.

DJ Moni’s career has led her to countries such as Japan and France.  In addition to her selector duties, she is an accomplished photographer, with photos published in magazines such as The Fader, and Rolling Stone.  Moni is also the co-creator of the Friends We Love (FWL) artist documentary series.  FWL seeks to create cultural exchange through short web documentaries filmed by her and partner Mike Vargas, events, artist installations, and educational initiatives.

So far the project has featured diverse creative’s such as shadow chalk street artist Ellis G, controversial N.Y.C. subway collage artist Poster Boy, and BBC presenter and global DJ, Gilles Peterson.  More information on FWL can be found at friendswelove.com

The event will take place in two segments.  From 3 to 4 pm there will be a screening of 3 FWL shorts followed by a discussion on global underground music and art culture with Moni. The discussion will be followed by a Q&A session.

From 9 pm to 1 am DJ Moni, Miss Kai of Nashville and K7 will take the Southside of Chattanooga on a journey through the world via music.

The screening/discussion is free and open to the public. The party is open to 21 and older, and the cover charge will be $10. Both segments will be held at the former Decossimo studio turned venue, CampHouse, at 1427 Williams street.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Stand Celebrates Downtown with “Day of Play” Games Across Town

To mark the release of the Chattanooga Stand results this week, organizers will host a play day for adults in multiple downtown locations Wednesday, April 14th from 11am-2pm. Survey results show Chattanoogans are proud of their downtown and enjoy using it for recreation. Activities will take place during lunchtime in an effort to allow anyone who wishes to participate to do so. Citizens are encouraged to visit one of the following locations and join in on the fun:

Riverfront Lawn (In Front of Blue Plate): Kickball and Frisbee
Miller Plaza: 4-Square, Jump Rope, Hoola Hoop, Chalk Drawing
CreateHere Offices: Photo Scavenger Hunt
Renaissance Park: Cardboard Sledding

Don’t forget to bring your tennis shoes to work on Wednesday, and be ready to celebrate everything our downtown has to offer.

Stand is the world’s largest survey-based community visioning effort led by residents across the Chattanooga region. Stand encourages people from every walk of life to share their input and ideas for the purpose of enabling citizens, organizations, neighborhoods, businesses and community leaders to collaborate and enact change. The dialogue began with four simple questions:

1. What do you like about the Chattanooga region?
2. Imagine the best possible Chattanooga region. Describe it.
3. What challenges must be addressed?
4. What actions, big or small, can you take to help?

26,623 responses were collected in this visioning effort, and the entire data set was made public April 12, 2010. Search the results at http://chattanoogastand.com/results

By Meghan Stancil

Lindsay Street Hall Mural Painting This Weekend

After months of perseverance, brainstorming, and collaboration, a group of UTC Honors students are set to paint a mural onto Lindsay Street Hall (901 Lindsay Street). From April 15-18, students will color the walls of the historic hall, expressing a desire to extend their artistic talents beyond the UTC campus. 

But it isn’t just the students who want to change the face of Lindsay Street Hall—this mural represents a myriad fusion of community dreams including Leadership Chattanooga’s goal to improve the aesthetics of MLK Blvd. and building owner Ken Crisp’s efforts to enhance his historic property. On a world-wide scale, the mural will support Step up and Reach Out, a non-profit international youth leadership program. The UTC muralists will “buy” the squares they paint with all proceeds going toward purchasing prosthetic limbs for Haitian earthquake victims.

Come check out the Wonder Wall on Lindsay Street this week!  A single wall can, indeed, change the lives of many people.

An Update (And A Deal) on MIXED MEDIA

Garry Posey, founder and producing artistic director for The Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga brings us this letter, with an update (and a deal!) on MIXED MEDIA.

Dear CreateHere Friends and Family,

I wanted to personally invite you out to see the final performance of our current production MIXED MEDIA. We commissioned a local artist (Tommy Spake) to create a sculpture which was split into four conceptual models (a sketch, a statement about the piece, the process for constructing it, and the inspiration). Four playwrights each received one of those conceptual models and used what they were given to create original short pieces of theatre. Four more local visual artists were then commissioned to create an art piece based on one of the scripts chosen at random. All four plays and all five pieces of art were then incorporated into one two hour production, which we called MIXED MEDIA because it crosses the barriers of artistic disciplines, something very important to the Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga (as we are partnering with local poet Laurie Perry Vaughen and local dancer Anne Law on projects later this season). Though none of the visual artists or playwrights communicated with each other during the process, the cohesiveness of the four plays and the similarities between scripts and paintings is unbelievable.

Anyone who mentions this blog post will be able to receive a 50% discount off our current admission prices.

In the 18 months we have been in residence at the St Andrews Center, we have produced 21 productions (6 staged readings of new playwrights, 15 full productions ranging from Shakespeare to Theatre for Young Audiences). We are happy to be a part of the revitalization of Chattanooga and happy to also be a part of the CreateHere community.

Best,

Garry

MIXED MEDIA will have its final performance this Saturday, April 17 at 2 pm. The performance will be held at the St. Andrews Center, 1918 Union Avenue in Highland Park.

Cost:
General Admission $10.00 ($5.00 CreateHere discount); Student/Child $8.00 ($4.00 CreateHere discount)
Artists involved:
Joe Helseth, Cat Collier, Thomas Spake, Matthew Dutton, Chandra Morgan
Playwrights involved:
Rob Smith, Peter Macklin, Anthony Garcia-Copian, Derek Van Barham
Actors Involved:
John Thomas Cecil, Christy Gallo, Ryan Laskowski, Mark Edward Murray