Curator Alpha Bruton, Explores the Concept of Deep Play

"Art is Business"

The Willow Springs Wetlands Restoration Project opened in October 2017. The project restored 11 acres of a 48-acre degraded site into wetlands that highlight the pivotal role they played in the establishment of the City of Long Beach in the late 1800s by preserving the site's history and unique topography. 

The Park site sits atop the Cherry Hill Fault, a region of the Newport/Inglewood Fault, which lifts the land 4 millimeters/year, created topographic contours in the Park that were preserved and used to create a unique park user experience, unlike any other in Long Beach’s park system. 

Visitors discover a walking loop through a series of water-capturing bioswales that flow to one acre of restored seasonal wetlands and 10 acres of habitat with native plants and trees. They also see a constructed spring that mimics the original artesian spring that provided water to early Long Beach, a water retention basin that cleans and diverts water to be reused on-site, and an outdoor environmental education classroom. 

Longview Point at Willow Springs Park is located on the west side of Orange Avenue between Willow and Spring Streets. The four-acre site is at the highest point of the Willow Springs property and provides 360-degree views of the Long Beach skyline, the Port of Long Beach, Rancho Palos Verde, and the Los Angeles Basin and San Gabriel Mountains.

Park ranger touring with non-binary children summer camp.

2024 Loiter Galleries, Long Beach installation 

2014 Tarble Art Center Eastern Illinois University

Altar elements from the Black Girl Altar Project/ City of Altars

Sonya Taylor, guest photo documentation of a conversation with the Earth Keeper, 2023, and Oasis in the Woods, 2023.  

Grandmother's circle clothes line.

Curator Caryl Henry Alexander Explores "Land Art" "Earth Art"

"Art is Business"

Curator Altar Maker Andrea J. Porras "YaYa"

"Art is Business"

Curator Happy/LA Hyder Uses the Lens to Document Environmental Art Installations

"Art is Business"

South Side Sanctuary Community Plaza Opens In Bronzeville

"Art is Business"

https://blockclubchicago.org/2024/08/07/south-side-sanctuary-community-plaza-opens-in-bronzeville/

BRONZEVILLE—A long-vacant lot on King Drive is now a community oasis thanks to a local restauranteur and her team.

The South Side Sanctuary, 4702 S. King Drive, opened for business Tuesday. The sprawling, 13,000-square-foot greenspace is meant for neighbors and visitors to take a break and appreciate the beauty around them. It will also serve as a hub for wellness, art, and entrepreneurship.

The sanctuary is the brainchild of Bronzeville Winery’s Cecilia Cuff and OASES CEO Jasmine Michaels, the communications director for Cuff’s company, The Nascent Group.

Mayor Brandon Johnson applauded Cuff and Michaels for getting the outdoor plaza off the ground.

“We’ve seen the power of these spaces to unite and uplift communities in 10 other plazas across the South and West sides of the city. By bringing neighbors together in this space, we will spur foot traffic for local businesses, support our young people, and create safer communities,” Johnson said.

The city took over the vacant lot in 1998 with plans for redevelopment, but it remained empty for decades. Other proposals fell through due to a lack of financing and coordination, said Ciere Boatright, commissioner of the city’s Department of Planning and Development.

“The investments represent a true public and private partnership led by the community and for the community,” Boatright said.

South Side Sanctuary is a project from The Nascent Group’s nonprofit arm, I Am Your Village. It is the 11th Public Outdoor Plaza to open in the city following the grand opening of the Overton Exchange last week.

The program, which was launched as a pilot in 2020, mandates that publicly or privately owned outdoor spaces be erected in moderate—or low-income areas, with the city defraying most of the construction, design, and maintenance costs.

SAPPHIRE AND CRYSTALS A documentary about one of longest running Black ...

Episode three of ART AS MOVEMENT.  The documentary series celebrates Black artists' resilience, creativity, and cultural contributions. The series provides a comprehensive exploration of the art itself and contextualizes it within Chicago's broader social and historical fabric.

Sapphire and Crystals tell the story of their mission to give voice and opportunity to African American women artists by participating in and increasing our visibility in art institutions and honoring our history and culture.