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I Think The Mayor Is Wrong. I am probably wrong too.
Tonight while laying in bed a headline came across my twitter feed from @lancasteronline. The post said ‘Mayor calls for anti-sticker ordinance.’ It immediately caught my attention.
My name is Tim Hoover. I’m a 26 year old. An owner of a design firm and gallery, and part of the, dare-I-say-it, ‘creative class.’ I am also a founder of WeAreLancaster.com. I am not a writer. I am the demographic that so many of our city leaders want to target. I’ve shaken hands with Rick Gray on several occasions, and he seems to be a genuinely nice guy. He has even cracked a joke at me outside of market, and it was funny. He wouldn’t know me, but I know him. I don’t dig too deep into politics, but I like the guy. I see him walking the streets, and I like that. He’s out there. The city is bustling, the streets are clean, and there’s a good vibe in our town. I am wiling to say Mr. Gray is doing something right.
To many, Rick Gray’s call for an anti-sticker ordinance is dismissible and unimportant. To me, it feels like the beginning of an end. I speak only from my own perspective, which is all I know. But, I am part of a generation who grew up in the suburbs, where everything is perfect, or is made to look perfect. The suburbs feel inauthentic. Cities are attractive because of their authenticity. They are honest. There is undeniable diversity: of cultures, and of thought. Not everything is perfect in cities, and not everything is perfect in life. I find the most beauty in imperfections. The old rusty fire escape, viewable in Square One’s courtyard, is my favorite object in the whole city. That fire escape has a story to tell. Good stories have conflict and imperfections. This is the authenticity I am interested in. The unpolished voices are the ones I am most eager to hear.
Many think the Lancaster Arts community is thriving. I agree to an extent. But it will die if my generation does not carry it into the future. A sticker that encourages me to ‘Embrace The Beauty’ is more meaningful to me then a watercolor painting of a barn. It is the power of those little surprises that turn my days around and make me smile. They are made not because of a market, but because the creator believed it was important. I would rather see a flyer for a poor kids band, then an ad for a rich person’s clothing store. I fear that spending time and energy curbing stickers in the city will create a bigger divide between the creators in our city, and the creators in our city who have enough money to display ’stickers’ in their shop windows. We created We Are Lancaster to be a voice for members of the creative class who didn’t have the money to share their abilities in store fronts or glossy magazines. We have failed at keeping this blog going. But we have not lost hope.
I often go to NYC, Baltimore, Philly, or DC and I look for the stickers. I check out the bulletin boards as well as the telephone poles. I want to know what is really happening in the city, not what the city wants me to think about it. I want to form my own opinion of the character of a place. I want to know the people, not the institutions. I walk on the beautiful new streetscapes everyday in Lancaster, and I am thankful that we have them. But why does this need to be an either/or scenario. Why can’t a city have beautiful brick walkways, and wonderful little stamps of personality. A sticker costs a dollar. Renting a gallery could be $1500 a month.
I think we should all make stickers (although I would never publicly encourage you to stick them to anything). I’m not encouraging disrespect or vandalism. It is completely stupid to put a sticker on top of the Lancaster City maps that are displayed around town. It feels different to see a sticker on a trashcan. I don’t think I am alone in this. But I’d like to hear your thoughts. This little headline that came across my twitter post at midnight frustrated me enough that I got out of bed to write a response. It makes me, a twenty-something artist and designer, who loves Lancaster, want to move to a place where art is for everyone. Maybe there is a reason that there aren’t similar ordinances in the rest of Pennsylvania. I hope there are 5 fines given for political propaganda, for every 1 that is given to a young artist trying to be heard.
I am growing up, and my idealism is shifting. I understand economies and I understand tourism. To me, finding beauty in imperfections has led me to a much richer life.
I applaud the organization that Lancaster Arts provides, and the creation of a Public Arts Manager is a wonderful step in the right direction. I want to see Lancaster thrive, but I think their needs to be two players: those willing to sit on boards and plan art, as well as those who are willing to express themselves wherever they can. Nowadays, everyone has a business card, but not everyone carries them in their wallets.
I’d love to hear thoughts. I am probably wrong, but I’m interested in dialogue. Feel free to leave a comment below…
Here is the link to the article: http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/253214
With love for the imperfections of this beautiful little city,
Tim Hoover
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After a bit of a delay (our apologies), we’re happy to present the last installment of the King & Queen Street chapter of Archive Lancaster. Kelly Lapp and Jed Burkholder walked the final blocks of West King Street (600-Columbia Avenue). Here are the images they brought back:
The rest of Kelly and Jed’s shoot can be viewed here.
More information on Kelly Lapp Photography can be found at kellylappphotography.com.Keep your eyes open for the continuation of the Archive Lancaster Project in 2010.
Happy Holidays from all of us at WeAreLancaster.com.
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Lauren Fisher walked the 500-800 blocks of East King Street and came back with these beautiful images. Enjoy the city through her eyes.
Please take the time to check out Lauren’s website, www.LaurenFisher.com
The rest of her lovely shoot can be viewed here.
As always, the entire Archive can be viewed here. -
Lancaster’s very own, emerging artist, Christian Herr gets a mini-interview with the folks at Fecal Face. Congrats Christian. Check out the article here.
“Fecal Face is a content-rich, comprehensive, multidisciplinary art and culture website supporting the art scene in San Francisco and beyond since 2000. The site greets between 11,000-13,000 visitors a day, occupying a unique niche online and in the “real world,” by chronicling and shaping the contemporary arts scene in the SF Bay Area and beyond.” Below are some of his recent paintings.
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We’ve been hearing a lot of chatter about the Creative Works of Lancaster and they are planning something for First Friday November 6. The CWL’s website reads. “The Creative Works of Lancaster fuels and sustains the city’s cultural renaissance with a cutting-edge destination designed to nurture and promote opportunities for creative expression and collaboration.” Sounds exciting.
Learn more on the CWL facebook page and website. Look for the ‘X’ downtown tomorrow night.
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We are proud to welcome Susan Louie, a recent NYC transplant to Lancaster, to the Archive Lancaster project. Susan is a fashion designer with a penchant for experiencing exotic cultures, international cuisines, and world music. Here are the 300-500 blocks of North Queen Street through her eyes.
The rest of Susan’s images can be viewed here.
All the images taken so far in the project can be viewed here.
