A survey for you and a survey for you!
Probably the most annoying and possibly the most important question artists often ask themselves is, “who is my viewer?” For artists sharing their work in very public settings this question takes a new role as the public that ends up living with your work should be considered in some way. While Collabortory approaches commissioning public art in a different way this question plays a significant role as we propose/create artwork that is needed and wanted in the Edge District. So this may seem like a fairly straight forward question….right?
SURE….. BUT how do we as a group Creatively approach a topic that usually falls in the territory of a needs assessment? I have played with the idea of analyzing how one can use the objectives of giving a survey without giving a survey. But to avoid a internal conversation of semantics I am reminded of my initial purpose for naming our project, Survey 1: the EDGE District.
Beyond the boring systematic collection of data the word “survey” also refers to observation, contemplation, gazing, examination, consideration, scrutinizing, and studying. I know no better way to describe how an artist interacts with their surroundings.
So…this week my contemplation brought me to the notion/use of Public Spaces and an examination of what public spaces are currently available (or not) in the Edge.
Public space usually means social space that often results in street markets, shopping precincts, community centres, parks, playgrounds, and neighborhood spaces in residential areas). It is space that is generally accessible to the general public and “act as a self-organizing public service, a shared resource in which experience and value are created”.
It doesn't take long for anyone walking around the Edge to feel like they have stepped into an urban ghost town. Yes there are some businesses, restaurants and residents but it also feels like there is an equal (if not more) amount of empty, lost, forgotten or hidden places. Traditional expectations of how public space should function do not exist in the Edge District.
Here is the break down:
There are several green spaces but only one has the potential of being called a park. It is currently for sale and is located on Union Avenue across from the Commercial Appeal. I am not sure if this space was meant to be park like or just land uncovered from the demolition of a building. There are no benches or tables but there is a rock wall and a concrete pathway leading to the large parking lot east of what was Kudzu’s. I have never seen anyone other homeless men use this space. The next best green space has the potential of being a park had its location and size not been the result of poorly planned street intersections….this area is closer to a glorified median rather then a park and is located across from Trolley Stop on Madison Avenue.There are no benches, tables, play equipment or other recreational objects included in this space. I am calling the almost parks and and green medians in the area: Cultivated green space
There several areas that used to occupy a building but now are green spaces or nature is currently working to reclaim the concrete. The largest and most notable green space is between Monroe Avenue and Floyd Alley just east of 4th Street. The other green space that the closest to resembling a pocket park is just East of Evelyn and Olive’s on Madison Avenue. It is quaint, manicured, and behind a barbed wire fence. I am calling this space and others like it: Uncultivated Green Space.
There are three places that fall closer to the traditional description of public spaces I mentioned above but they too are gated. One is located at the apartment building on Union Avenue and 4th Street (equipped with a gazebo, setting, grill and landscaping) and the other is on Madison Avenue between Ambassador Management and Beers Van Gogh Center of Excellence. This site has very green space but has a grill, picnic table, shade structure, and benches and is the only place I have routinely seen people spending time outdoors in the Edge District. The last site is almost completely unseen from the streets and lies behind the walls of the contemporary condos just west of High Cotton Brewery on Monroe Avenue. I am not sure what amenities are available to residents at this site.
Based on my continued examination of the the Edge District there are TWO places that fall in the category of hidden yet functional public spaces in the area. The first is along Madison Avenue and Marshall Avenue. It contains seating, shade trees, planters, and walkway. It is mostly used by the homeless and a renegade gardener(s). I love this site but you are never quite sure what you may find in the nooks and crannies of this site. The other site is known as the The Spot (aka graffiti alley) and is located between three streets (Monroe extended, Marshall and Madison). This site is a hidden gem for graffiti writers to hone their craft in a site that sanctions the activity. Alley parties and music videos have been filmed in this alley and certainly relates to the quote I mentioned at the beginning of this post, Public space “act[s] as a self-organizing public service, a shared resource in which experience and value are created”
With so much blank, un-defined space in the Edge District I am brought back to "Who is my/our viewer?" With so much discussion of redevelopment in the Edge and the enticement of funding to an area that desperately needs help I keep thinking about the conflict of the needs of the existing residents/business owners and the places of opportunity in the future development and how/where art should/could be situated in the area.
Future development plans will occur but purely focusing on creating artwork for future people, future buildings and future personal investment in a community is currently not tangible.
We have to show the EDGE district and developers what the possibilities are when you ask a group of artists to respond to the needs and desires of a growing community. It is likely that business owners in the district want to see their property values increase and see more people in neighborhood but most importantly, they want to feel connected, invested, and proud of that community before it changes.