POPUPHOOD from Eva Kolenko on Vimeo.
Having lived in Fort Green, Brooklyn; Kansas City; Harlem (Sugar Hill); Philly (and possibly Baltimore very soon) I've seen first hand how a number of crumbling neighborhoods with so much history have come to life with the creative vision of just a few people who care.
There are tons of social and political issues that arise when we talk about "revitalizing" neighborhoods, trust me I know (I have very strong views on this) — but that's a whole other post.
Actually, no, I will say I really really don't like how the people who have been living in some of these neighborhoods for years are looked down upon, mistreated, and even abused. I've seen hardworking families being pushed out of their homes and stomped on for situations they did not have any control over.
Once years ago, I attended a block party in a changing Philadelphia neighborhood where older residents stood on one side of the street while the artsy newcomers stood on the other; one side feeling left out and uninvited while the other side not caring either way.
If revitalization is only for the benfit of certain groups of people then it simply becomes a band-aid to a deeper problem that will (and have) hurt us all. This needs to stop.
I digress.
I have to say though, I love city-living and I think that all neighborhoods have the capacity to be safe, sustainable and strong communities for it's residents. City-living is fabulous!
With that said I love the concept behind PopupHood. PopupHood works with landlords of empty spaces and artists to attract locals to areas that were once desolate, all in the hopes of retailers staying longer than the 6 month required period. It's an innovative concept and seems to have a lot legs. I feel many neighbords (e-hem, Baltimore) could benefit from something like this, or maybe it can inspire one to think of a similar program.
We desperately have to get our cities back to being productive communities if we really want to get education and our economy back on track.
Take a look and learn more here.
This mixtape project features a deliciously rich collection of contemporary African musicians curated by Society Hae. Download the mixtape for free here.
Also, check out how this recent installation of The AFRIKA21 Mixtape will support 3 organizations looking to use technology and the arts to invigorate communities throughout Africa. Click here for more info.
Public radio show Studio 360 has a series where design teams are commissioned to address unique design challenges. Recently they reached out to Brooklyn-based design firm, Hyperakt, to re-brand the concept of teaching.
See more imagery, a video, and some audio right here.
Embroidery artist, Jillian Tamaki, was commissioned by book publisher Penguin to illustrate a series of covers of three classic novels: Black Beauty, The Secret Garden, and Emma.
Images via Jillian Tamaki
Not only do I love her detailed embroidery style, I'm really drawn to the beautiful colors she uses in Emma and The Secret Garden.
See more of Jillian's work here and a video interview here (scroll down to the bottom of the page).
I'm loving that the Studio Museum of Harlem's publication, Studio, is available to read online. Check out the latest six issues here.