CEC Artslink presents Publicly Creative: A Public Art Workshop. Public art is a fast-growing discipline with many unexplored opportunities for artists and communities. This workshop is a hands-on intensive introduction to the field, outlining resources, logistics, opportunities, and examples of successful collaborations. Recognizing artistic initiative as a valuable asset and a catalyst for a dialogue and transformation, we will explore how site-specific collaborations in varied cultural, geographic and political areas can influence business, social awareness and economic development. Encouraging close inspection of the particular issues faced by a specific New York community chosen by the participants, the workshop and the resulting public art work(s) will provide a unique platform for the participants and the public to explore and appropriate the city’s landscapes.

May 13, 2011

Neighborhood Acronyms Revised

NYC neighborhood acronyms are examples of re-generation and gentrification encompassing socio-economic, cultural, political and architectural developments. Acronyms are tools that Madison Avenue creates as catchy marketing tools to improve a community's image to promote the "it" factor as new, hot and trendy.

SOHO and TRIBECA have become household names, followed by NOHO, NOLITA, LES, and DUMBO. Now we have FIDI (Financial District), NOMA (NOrth of MAnhattan-Bronx & Riverdale), NOHA (NOrth of HArlem) and SOBRO (SOuth BROnx).
My idea is to create wall drawings as an ode to something or someone that disappeared as a result of neighborhood development where something of significance to the old neighborhood had to be torn down because the shopkeeper couldn't afford the new rents, or a person disappeared as a result of displacement in the gentrified neighborhood. A couple of examples include CBGB, the old rock n'roll club, and the Record Shack in Harlem, a neighborhood staple for resident musicians.

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