Tactical Urbanism in the Horizontal Landscape. "Soundscape Tapestry"

Artist in Residence Programs Tactical Urbanism Music Soundscapes

Reggie Nicholson-Drummer, Percussionist, Composer The instantly recognizable style and sound of Reggie Nicholson has elevated him to one of the most distinctive, inventive, and inspirational drummer/percussionists of his generation; a formidable technician, but one who uses his considerable skills constructively and with infinite taste.

Tactical Urbanism, in the Horizontal Landscape, "Soundscape Tapestry."  This collaborative project will utilize sound and visual art in a public installation. Soundscape Tapestry will echo the African-American music experience unique to the sounds of Chicago. In addition, they are introducing a new sector of experimental film projections in the public space, curated by Alpha Bruton, ambitious new video projections of current artworks created during the residency project. Two thousand twenty-two project plans are to host and collaborate with composer Reggie Nicholson and develop platforms for exploration and creating new works.

They are using tactical urbanism and contributing to the horizontal landscape to expose pedestrians and tourists to the experience of what is viewed inside the gallery. Will create a dynamic platform for large-scale installations, moving image works, and sound performances, which did not have a dedicated space at the Bronzeville Art District Trolley Tours in prior years. Music and performances from collaborating artists accompany all the projections. Artist in Residence Programs, Tactical Urbanism, Music, and Soundscapes are some of the key elements of Reggie Nicholson's work. As a drummer, percussionist, and composer, Nicholson has developed a unique and recognizable style that has earned him a reputation as one of the most inventive and inspirational musicians of his generation. He is a formidable technician who uses his considerable skills constructively and tastefully.

One of Nicholson's latest collaborative projects is called "Soundscape Tapestry." This project combines sound and visual art in a public installation that aims to showcase the African-American music experience unique to the sounds of Chicago. To achieve this, the project will use tactical urbanism and contribute to the horizontal landscape to expose pedestrians and tourists to the experience of what is viewed inside the gallery.

The project will also introduce a new sector of experimental film projections in the public space, curated by Alpha Bruton, showcasing ambitious new video projections of current artworks created during the residency project. The 2022 project plans are to host and collaborate with Reggie Nicholson and develop platforms for exploration and creating new works.

This project aims to create a dynamic platform for large-scale installations, moving image works, and sound performances that did not have a dedicated space at the Bronzeville Art District Trolley Tours in prior years. All the projections will be accompanied by music and performances from collaborating artists. 

Capital Region Creative Corps Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum

"Art is Business"

Our working title is "Tactical Urbanism Art in Placemaking."

Project activity will begin in December 2023 and be completed on September 30, 2024. 

FOCUS AREA: Social Justice and Community Engagement.

 

This program is a media outreach and engagement campaign. 

Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum will focus on Social Justice and Community Engagement.  

It is also an economic and workforce development program, demonstrating how artists from multiple disciplines can be instrumental in developing and implementing critical campaigns to address our most pressing community issues. 

This grant program intends to provide as broad a geographic reach as possible, serving all 58 counties in communities that demonstrate the highest levels of need as indicated by the California Healthy Places Index (HPI). Sub-grantee organizations should demonstrate strong, ongoing relationships with communities within the lowest quartile of the HPI and will support meaningful engagements with those communities through this grant. 

“What Makes a Great Place?” What are Streets as Places?

"Art is Business" https://www.pps.org/article/uses-activities

Like a few other places, streets are a public stage where life unfolds. From town parades and trick-or-treating to markets and public gatherings, they celebrate and come together with our neighbors. They're where we bump into friends and one of the few places where we routinely encounter people different from ourselves. They're where people have gathered to protest injustice for centuries. That's why Project for Public Spaces has advocated that streets are more than just a means of mobility. Streets are critical public spaces that can enrich our communities' social, civic, and economic fabric.

The four elements of great places: Uses & Activities; Comfort & Image; Access & Linkages; and Sociability.

Resources

1. PRINCIPLES

2. ACTIONS FOR INDIVIDUALS

3. ACTIONS FOR COMMUNITIES

4. ACTIONS FOR GOVERNMENT

5. A PLACEMAKER'S PRIMER ON ROAD DIETS

6. STREETS AS PLACES ACTION PACK

What are Streets as Places?

Donald Appleyard may have said it best: "Streets have been where children first learned about the world, where neighbors met, the social centers of towns and cities, the rallying points for revolts, the scenes of repression." Streets showcase the lives of our communities, and being exposed to the good and bad of the world on our roads can make us more compassionate, empathetic, and connected citizens.

Of course, an essential function of streets is facilitating travel from one place to another. But many of the roads in our communities - especially those in our downtowns, Main Streets, and residential areas - can be so much more than just a conduit for traffic. Streets as Places is about helping people begin to see streets in their entirety: not just their function in transporting people and goods but their vital role in animating communities' social and economic life. It's about communities owning and reclaiming their streets, participating in civic life, and directly impacting how their public spaces look, function, and feel.

Streets typically represent the largest area of public space a community has - for example, Chicago's streets and sidewalks represent 24 percent of the city's land area and over 70 percent of City-owned public open space. We also spend tremendous money to build and maintain our street and highway networks - $155 billion a year between federal, state, and local funding sources. Shouldn't we be getting the most we can from these investments?

Designing streets that function as great places is more than just a "nice" thing to do. As Peter Kageyama, founder of the Creative Cities Summit, explains: "No longer is it sufficient to build places that are merely functional and safe. Our placemaking aspirations must be as high and grand as our economic goals because they are bound together." In an age when people are more mobile than ever, and cities and businesses compete to attract talent, great streets are essential to boosting economic development and tourism.

That Project for Public Spaces developed, where streets become part of a network that links a city's best assets and places together, making them easily accessible. At a local scale, which could encompass several blocks in a distinct neighborhood, Streets as Places have 10 or more essential destinations, while each of those individual places has many things to do. The Power of 10 speaks to the importance of layering multiple activities. It uses together - opportunities to sit and relax, eat, socialize, recreate, shop, and so on - to create dynamic streets that attract many people and encourage them to spend time there.

SOUNDSCAPE TAPESTRY EXPERIMENTAL FILM SERIES

"Art is Business" 

JOIN US ON FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2023, FOR AN EVENING OF EXPERIMENTAL FILM DURING THE BRONZEVILLE ART DISTRICT TROLLEY TOUR. FEATURING TACTICAL URBANISM IN THE HORIZONTAL LANDSCAPE-- SOUNDSCAPE TAPESTRY.

Alpha Bruton, lead artist, and the Phantom Gallery Chicago is my curatorial practice. I'm collaborating with composer and musician Reggie Nicholson. This project is designed as an intensive experience.

We are creating a work with an interdisciplinary approach and will present the final product during community programming. This project occurs in and around the Bronzeville community, collecting sounds from the horizontal landscape to produce the Soundscape Tapestry.

CEFF 

Featured Speaker: Ife Olatunji

Topic: Collective Voices Ethnographic Film Festival Preview

Olatunji is a visual anthropologist, documentary filmmaker, and film critic. Born into a family of artists and activists, she graduated from Syracuse University with a BA in Anthropology ('06) and a minor in photography and African American History. Ife completed her MA in Visual Anthropology from the University of Manchester, UK ('10) after creating a short documentary on daily life for girls in Rajasthan, India. She has since lived in Chicago, teaching documentary and film production to youth as young as 6 to adults at community centers and The Art Institute of Wisconsin. She has been a media educator with Facets Multimedia for the past four years, teaching media literacy, narrative editing, and documentary filmmaking. As a Diverse Voices in Documentary fellow with Kartemquin, Ife developed her own short observational film and worked with others to produce and edit their projects. Ife has continued to work with The Community Film Workshop, Reel Black Filmmakers, and Collected Voices: Chicago's Ethnographic Film Festival. An advocate for diversity and inclusion, Ife believes race and gender should not be categories of film festivals but rather the very topics film seeks to explore: www.collectedvoicesfilmfest.com.

Raymond A. Thomas, Studio/Film 12 MINUTES | 2001

CINEMA

N'spire Entertainment Inc. is the film and video production subsidiary of Raymond A. Thomas Studios.

In 2000, Raymond A. Thomas wrote, directed, and produced his first film project, 12 MINUTES. The 30-minute film short was an official selection to over 20 film festivals worldwide, winning numerous awards and honors. The film, which deals with the issues of mass incarceration and the death penalty, continues to be used in community arts engagement efforts with screenings in correctional facilities nationwide. Thomas has written over a half dozen feature screenplays, several of which have been optioned by major motion picture studios. In 2013, Thomas won an EMMY for serving as an associate producer on the documentary COLORBLIND: Rethinking Race, which aired on television station WYCC in Chicago.

Lavon N. Pettis, project manager for the 2023 Phantom Gallery Chicago Tactical Urbanism Film Series.

A Published ethnographer/researcher with program development, piloting, pre and post-evaluation, and background for hire. Civic and community engagement project manager. Best practices, technical savvy, and additional perks include negotiation. Skills include but are not limited to infrastructure setup, operations, lead planning, special events, capacity building, arts, and entertainment. Career experience includes public/social policy strategist, state director, sponsorship procurement, and fundraising.

WE GOT A GRANT! 2022 Neighborhood Access Program

"Art is Business"  #DCASEgrants

We're happy to announce our selection as a Neighborhood Access Program grant recipient from the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events! 

The City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) announces the Neighborhood Access Program. This program aims to support the cultural vitality of every Chicago neighborhood via grant programs and partnerships designed to be responsive to the complex needs of individual communities. This program offers direct grants for community-based arts and culture activities.

Tactical Urbanism in The Horizontal Landscape "Soundscape Tapestry" exposes pedestrians to the experience of what is viewed inside the gallery creating a dynamic platform for large-scale installations, moving image works, and sound performances. This collaborative effort has put two artists, a composer/percussionist, and a visual/installation artist, in a space to create a new body of work that will draw on the inspiration gained from the environment of the Bronzeville neighborhood.

Bronzeville Art District Trolley Tour 2022, Pedestrians viewing Experimental Films 

This funding will support Bronzeville's cultural vitality through collaboration with soundscape artist and composer Reggie Nicholson. The Phantom Gallery Chicago will build a sound and visual installation while expanding its body of work. The piece will be made by recording sound in the neighborhood (the "horizontal landscape" sounds) and then woven together with a new composition by Nicholson. The music tapestry will play alongside experimental film projections curated by visual artist Alpha Bruton. The piece will be presented at the Bronzeville Artists Lofts commercial space and at the corner of 47th and Vincennes. "a series of free public art installations." #DCASEgrants

Tactical Urbanism in The Horizontal Landscape "Soundscape Tapestry" exposes pedestrians to the experience of what is viewed inside the gallery creating a dynamic platform for large-scale installations, moving image works, and sound performances. This collaborative effort has put two artists, a composer/percussionist, and a visual/installation artist, in a space to create a new body of work that will draw on the inspiration gained from the environment of the Bronzeville neighborhood.

2022 AIR Composer and percussionist Reggie Nicholson Soundscape Tapestry

47th and Vincennes Empty Lot, September 16th, 2022  Tactical Urbanism In the Horizontal Landscape

We’re excited to announce Tactical Urbanism in the Horizontal Landscape "Sound Scape Tapestry," and the use of funds will be to Create a dynamic platform for large-scale installations, moving image works, and sound performances. This project was funded by the Neighborhood Access Program from the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. #DCASEgrants.

Loiter Pop-Up Galleries joins the Long Beach Business District.

"Art is Business" https://www.loitergalleries.com/about-us.

Established in 2018, Loiter Galleries' mission is to support local underserved artists by providing affordable gallery space, promotion, and general support even during the most challenging times. We also serve the business community and our Long Beach neighborhoods by filling vacant storefronts with art and optimism. 

We believe that art is a powerful tool in the evolution of neighborhoods and cities. And that the accessibility of art is of the utmost importance. 

 Additionally, Loiter Galleries fills a void. Mainly serving the various needs of underserved artists. The programs we develop directly assist the business district and the arts community. We supply affordable gallery showcases, marketing, supplies, meeting space, art business advice, and emotional support for the artists. Conversely, we aid local property owners by converting dark, empty spaces with art and positive activity. As a result, artists finally have a venue to display their art and receive the support they need to learn how to be successful. In addition, the property owners sell/lease their spaces more quickly via our projects' brightness, activity, and popularity.

Another core audience, naturally, is art lovers and supporters. We serve them by presenting them with artists we discover who are out of the mainstream. Although some of our artists are established, the shows they create tend to be more adventurous and push the boundaries. Again, this occurs through our direction and collaboration.

Many of our visitors have never been in a gallery previously.

Alpha Bruton, Chief Curator for the Phantom Gallery Chicago, has contracted services with the team at Loiter Galleries in Long Beach and is an art partner and cohort with a board of directors member Liza Simone with Space in the Gap, presenting  Popup Research Station CAFE. We welcome Loiter Galleries to our Network of Phantom Galleries. 

IN THE NEWS: C. Lee Cutchens, Community Contributor Verified User Badge

Posted Mon, Jun 4, 2018, at 7:42 pm PT

https://patch.com/california/longbeach-ca/loiter-pop-galleries-host-grand-opening-june-9-dtlb

Loiter Galleries has announced the grand opening of its newest pop-up collaborative, "Loiter Pop Up Galleries," on June 9 from 5–10 pm at The Streets, 375 North Promenade in Downtown Long Beach. While supporting local artists, guests will enjoy art discussions and refreshments and two-hour free parking at nearby public parking garages.

Led by Long Beach artists Vinny Picardi, Fine Art Photographer, and Monica Fleming, Painter, the "Loiter Pop Up Galleries" will run into the summer. Pop Up galleries provides local artists with a location to showcase their work at a low or no cost opportunity.

"We will be the debut artists of what will hopefully be the first of many pop-up gallery showcase opportunities for Long Beach artists in temporarily available storefronts," said Picardi and Fleming, co-proprietors of Loiter Galleries. "As cities redevelop, available gallery space is out of reach for most artists. We aim to ensure Long Beach artists always have a venue to present their work."

Art is a powerful tool in the evolution of neighborhoods and cities, and the Loiter Galleries Pop-Up project's goal is to aid in the responsible growth and progress of a city through art. Its purpose is two-fold: it creates temporary galleries in available spaces and serves to support local artists and their messages.

"We welcome Loiter Galleries to The Streets and look forward to their artists' showcase in our Downtown shopping center," said Tony Shooshani, Managing Member of Shooshani Developers. "Their presence will engage guests, residents, and employees with a unique local art experience in a central location."

Park(ing) Day is a month away!

"Art is Business" RSVP  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/parking-day-global-placemaking-cohort-tickets-400374911137?mc_cid=f04f234d11&mc_eid=7e568d775d

Park(ing) Day is a month away! Join our global cohort for online gatherings to prepare your Park(ing) Day demonstration in good company!

RSVP

Placemakers worldwide are invited to gather online in August and September to support each others' collective actions for Park(ing) Day on September 23, 2022. We have planned a series of thematic web meetups in the following weeks to inspire, provoke and support you in delivering a temporary parklet in your local context.

For our kickoff webinar tomorrow, we are excited to have John Bela, an originator of Park(ing)Day over a decade ago, who will regale us with stories of Park(ing) Day's past, present, and exciting future! See you there!

Our Portland Mastery Program begins in PDX.

Placemakers have arrived in Portland, Oregon, to learn from one of the most livable cities in America as part of our deep dive Place Mastery Program! Day 1 started by peeling back all the layers and exploring the geography, ecology, natural forces, and native people who first carved humanity's relationship to this area. It's incredible how the freeways, roads, and mountains that guided native people through this landscape still dictate the  evolved into the current place dynamics.

Congratulations, Frankie!

Frankie McIntosh, a poet/placemaking from Flint, Michigan, successfully crowdfunded her trip to Portland, Oregon, to learn about placemaking and find out where in the field she can contribute the most with her time and talent.

Help Support our Work!

PlacemakingUS is now organized as a 501c(3) non-profit project of Social Environmental Entrepreneurs. Please donate and support our work!   What We're About PlacemakingUS is a national network organized to unleash community power to build living, interconnected places together. Through our "United Streets of America" program, we prioritize working with frontline communities that have been uprooted and looted by destructive urban planning, auto-oriented development, racist policies, and unequal investment. Our network is fighting back by equipping communities across the country with a range of tools, experiences, funding, and new relationships to regenerate their neighborhoods into complex, resilient systems transformed to face 21st-century issues like climate change, isolation/polarization, economic inequity, and public health.

Park(ing) Day 2022 Tooltesting Journey - Session 1 (Orientation)

Our Park(ing) Day prep gatherings continue this Friday! Join our global cohort for a series of online gatherings to prepare your Park(ing) Day demonstration in good company!

RSVP for Friday's Webinar

Placemakers around the world are invited to gather online in August and September to support each others' collective actions for Park(ing) Day 2022 (Sep 16-18). We have planned a series of thematic web meetups in the following weeks intended to inspire, provoke and support you in the process of delivering a temporary parklet in your local context. Last Week's Orientation

For our kickoff orientation last week, we featured John Bela, an originator of Park(ing)Day over a decade ago, who will be back with us tomorrow to hear stories of Park(ing) Day implementations from our global cohort! See you tomorrow!

Watch Last Week's Orientation

PlacemakingJAX Launching in Florida

PlacemakingJAX is a new initiative being launched to scale up placemaking efforts in Jacksonville, Florida by granting ten $10,000 grants for community-led placemaking projects. PlacemakingUS is excited to join Jaxson Placemakers on Sept 13th from 5-7PM at Justice Pub at 315 E Bay Street, Jacksonville, Florida for the launch of the PlacemakingJAX initiative. Consider joining us for the launch or share with your contacts in the area!

Free RSVP

Flint Placemakers Share Learnings from Portland, OR Trip

Placemakers from Flint, Michigan recently visited Portland, Oregon through an exchange learning program hosted by PlacemakingUS. The Flintstones are back home and have arranged a "Lunch and Learn" to disseminate knowledge they gathered on the trip. You can join in on the event on Facebook Live! Note, you can also support the Flintstones by voting for their placemaking campaign they are finalists for through the Michigan Municipal League Bridge Builders program.

RSVP For Reminder

Special Thanks to all the PDX Placemakers we met with who made this trip so special including Greg Raisman, Kirk Rea, Mark Lakeman, Michael Mehaffy, Stephen Schneider, Jennifer Polver, Ellen Shoshkes, Blair Vallie, Erica Dorn, Matt Bibeau, Harrell Fletcher, Master Artist Michael Bernard Stevenson Jr.

Help Support our Work!

PlacemakingUS is now organized as a 501c(3) non-profit project of Social Environmental Entrepreneurs. Please donate and support our work!   What We're About PlacemakingUS is a national network organized to unleash community power to build living, interconnected places together. Through our “United Streets of America” program, we prioritize working with frontline communities that have been uprooted and looted by destructive urban planning, auto-oriented development, racist policies and unequal investment. Our network is fighting back by equipping communities across the country with a range of tools, experiences, funding and new relationships to regenerate their neighborhoods into complex, resilient systems transformed to face 21st century issues like climate change, isolation/polarization, economic inequity and public health.

Donate to PlacemakingUS