All Posts Tagged With: "Arts and Culture"

Now on view in the courtyard of PS1 Contemporary Art Museum in Queens, NY is Public Farm 1. The winners of the ninth annual MoMA/P.S.1 Young Architects Program were Amale Andraos and Dan Wood of WORK Architecture Company. The design is something PS1 has named "a flying carpet farmer’s market."

Viewing this piece myself I was reminded of James Wines’ SITE projects for the BEST stores done during the early 80’s, which questioned the role of architecture and ecology in a suburban setting. Although I would have loved to see Public Farm 1 in front of a Walmart this project focused more on the role of ecology and self-sufficency in an urban setting. To highlight this idea I was fortunate enough to see the garden with one of the biggest bank buildings in the U.S. as its backdrop. The courtyard also housed a number of live chickens, the roof of which collected rainwater and a solar PV system which powers fans, lights, your cell phone and that’s not all.

In the 1990s, Baltimore was "The City That Reads." This optimistic statement, found mostly on bus stops and benches, was replaced about ten years later by "The Greatest City In America." Big talk, yet Baltimore’s greatness lies arguably in its quirkiness, a truly fine example of what is The Book Thing of Baltimore . Its mission is "to put unwanted books into the hands of those who want them." How do they do it? The books are free! Donations from libraries, publishers, reviewers, authors, illustrators, and everyday people have given The Book Thing a collection of some 200,000 books on average. Aside from volunteers, who are always welcome to show up unannounced during store hours, The Book Thing is managed by Russell Wattenberg, a 29-year-old Brooklyn native and former bartender who used to hear schoolteachers complain that students didn’t have enough books. When Wattenberg started buying them books with tip money, people started to take notice and donated their own books. At some point it became apparent that the operation, which started in his basement, needed to expand. The store hands out about 10,000 books a week to a wide range of customers, from university professors to homeless people. The Book Thing accepts all books, regardless of age or subject matter. Wattenberg believes that if there’s a book, there’s someone who wants it. The Book Thing is open 9 am to 6 pm Saturdays and Sundays. Donations can be made any day of the week via two drop off bins that sit outside.

Nana Projects is a non-profit parade school that offers advanced training in organizing and the artistic development of community-based events. They’re based out of the Molly Ross & Co. studio in Baltimore. They feature numerous lanterneers and visual alchemists devoted to art for the purpose of drawing people together and strengthening community identity through shared cultural experience. Check out their parade school, workshops or stop by to see their art located in the old Baltimore Electric Light Company Building.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nwkgbm-2P8k[/youtube]

Megaphone Project is a non-profit organization that “produces low-cost documentaries that amplify voices for social and economic justice in Maryland.” They specialize in making “short, inexpensive, issue-based productions for advocates to show to community members, decision makers, and opinion leaders as part of organized campaigns for change.” Their productions have “helped advocate for reform in the criminal justice system, public housing, predatory lending, real estate development, public transit, and day labor.”