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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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Wednesday Encouragement: Tomorrow Ain’t Promised Today
09.30.09 // Posted in Art, On The Interweb, Regional
Some beautiful woodtype to freshen up your week, and remind you to enjoy you’re Wednesday.
Check out more work by NeuArmy of Philadelphia here.
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I do love to wear beanies, or tuques, as our Canadian neighbors say it. These hats may or may not be in my top ten reasons to be smitten with fall.
I also love non-profits. So this was a good find: krochet kids
Three crocheting surfers from Spokane, Washington started this organization after a trip to Uganda. Now, working alongside ten Ugandan nationals, they are helping provide these women with economic developement and hope by giving them the tools to crochet beanies themselves and sell them in the U.S.! (paraphrased from krochetkids.org)
I’m feeling a slight pull to the Waldo hat…so see if you can find me in the crowd this fall.
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As an equal opportunity Philadelphia sports diehard, who happens to have a particular affinity for the Phillies and Eagles, this website is a gold mine.
Quite honestly, I’m considering revamping my entire wardrobe.
To check out the rest of this great collection and buy your favorites,
Go to birdland.bigcartel.comThanks Scott (@stmjr) for the tip.
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Stephen Powers, also known as ESPO, recently completed an incredible project in the City of Brotherly Love. Powers, now 41, is an artist living in NYC. He was born and raised in Philly, where he made a name for himself through graffiti.
This concept has been brewing for years. It came to life in 2008 when Powers partnered with the Philadelphia’s Mural Arts Program, and they received a $261,000 grant to carry out his idea. Local and international artists were invited to work alongside Mr. Powers. He even held a sign school and shop to provide training for youth, and free signage was also provided for local businesses.
In order to view the 50 walls- you need to ride the El. This map shows which walls can be seen on the eastbound ride, and also the west. It is a scavenger hunt, and you really need to be alert. You might find yourself jumping from seat to seat, and possibly even hopping off the El to check out a wall.
1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18|19|20|21|22|23|24|25|26|27|28|29|30|31|32|33|34|35|36|37|38|39|40|buffy the vampire slayer sexy
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I highly suggest you take a ride on the El if you are in town, and see a part of the city that is not familiar to most tourists.
If you cannot make a trip to Philadelphia, check out the documentary, or pick up one of the books when they become available.
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Hot House is Pittsburgh’s best, biggest party.
At least that’s what I had heard from P-burgh friends for the past three years. This was my first Hot House and I had some concerns that my expectations were too high.
They weren’t.
Pittsburghers love to party for a cause and 3,000 showed up for this particular cause: the Sprout Fund, a nonprofit organization supporting innovative ideas and grassroots community projects in Pittsburgh.
My evening started with a short bus ride to Bakery Square, which will be a developed area that will include residential, retail and office locations in coming months. But for now, it’s unfinished space that the Sprout Fund party planners got their hands on.
I entered in the parking garage and made my way to the unfinished floors resembling warehouses. Event volunteers had transformed this unfinished urban space into an absolutely chic party. They made amazing use of the high, exposed ceilings. The décor included soft bulb lighting, transparent white drapes and large ferns made from newspaper.
First I checked out the non-profit booths two floors up. My favorite was a photovoice project “Living Together is an Art,” which was sponsored by the Sprout Fund. It displayed photos taken by individuals living with disabilities in the Pittsburgh region and included their perspectives on social capital, community accessibility and health care.
I made my way back down to the main floor where the large dance floor was packed with people loving the house music. Looking around I realized why I love Pittsburgh. I saw many men wearing fitted suit pants with trendy vests, a few dressed in drag and a handful with cargo shorts and a polo. Anything goes at Hot House.
The after party was Vipers Soul Club—two DJs spinning soul, classic Motown, and R&B—at the Shadowlounge in East Liberty.
Apparently people wanted to keep the dance party going, and they did.
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Fair-trade and Pennsylvania. A lovely combination.
Seems like Forbes might agree.Back in 1946 Mennonite volunteer Edna Ruth Byler decided the women who had been trained in the MCC’s embroidery classes in Puerto Rico weren’t being paid enough for their handiwork. So she started bringing their pieces back to Pennsylvania to sell out of the trunk of her car–an effort that is often cited as the start of the “fair trade” movement.
Forbes.com
Read this excellent article here.
And then shop here.
Wrapped up in her job: Manager Darlene DeLaPaz in a $58 Indian tablecloth.Photo by Chris Crisman for Forbes.com
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In my Baltimore neighborhood I spotted 3 enormous, abstracted black and white photographs on a raised plank in my neighbor’s yard. Looking closer I discovered a mini, man-made forest constructed out of recycled material as well. Who lives here and what is this place all about?
The house is called “Mirkwood Estates” and inside live 4 artists who collaborate on public art projects. The small plot of yard around the house is called the “Tinges Common” and is a dedicated space for vegetable gardening and public art installation. There was a lot of work involved in receiving permission and grants to renovate the plot because it had been an abandoned right-of-way passage for a newly built supermarket next to the house. When permission was finally granted to renovate it into an art space, the team named it in memory of the street (Tinges Lane) that was demolished during construction of the supermarket. The people who live here and make it happen are Jimmy Joe Roche, Pete Cullen, Colin Benjamin and Graham Coreil-Allen.
The group hosts gallery art, domestic happenings, experimental sound performances, and spoken word readings in the last week of each month in the dining room and living room of their house. For Lancaster hips who might be visiting Baltimore, the next Mirkwood Performance Space will be Thursday, August 27th at 7pm… and yes, there will be fresh veggies served up from the garden as refreshments. The photographs and man-made forest will stay up in the Tinges Common through the end of the month. Check out more here…
(images via Mirkwood Estates website)
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Today is about having a good time. mewithoutYou is one of my favorite bands, and they’re always having a good time. I can’t help by smile watching these guys tell this story. mewithoutYou is based in Philadelphia and travels through our city quite often.
