Brooklyn Fundraiser For Braddock Project

This was the week, I finally got around to taking a tour of the "Points of Interest" tour of collaborative murals and other projects done by local and international artists and the kids in the Braddock and North Braddock area. I will try to post on that later since me and my freind saw almost all the remaining works by great artists like Swoon, Lady Pink, Maya Hayuk and Mary Tremont.

The whole thing, brought me around to thinking about Braddock again. As you might know, Swoon and a group of other artists have been involved in forming something called Braddock Active arts which I think will be centered around a church in North Braddock. I still am not sure where this place is yet, which reflects both the free form, open collaborative nature of the project, it's early stage of life, and just how out of the loop I am. Coursing through this little known and neglected area are little groups of artists, working on the Braddock Farm, rehabbing a small number of homes and involving themselves in a range of floating creative projects.

So anyway, one of them seems to be called -- The Transformazium, and they are held a series of events to support the project last week in Brooklyn, one of which was an auction of art by a long list of internationally known artists like Swoon, Barry McGee, Paper Rad, Lady Pink and Kiki Smith as well as a long list of locally known folks like Mary Tremont, Josh Tonies and Thad Kellstadt. Larger Poster -- Here

Braddock Active Arts

Polina Soloveichik


I'm NYC, which I always get to by train. One treat was looking out the window and seeing part of a wonderful mural by Polina Soloveichick from outside the window.It was done as part of a project by Braddock Active Arts involving artists from all over making works and interventions throughout Braddock and North Braddock.

Braddock Active Arts is the project put together by artists like Swoon, and the Toy Shop Collective working in locations chosen by kids in the community.

"Points of Interest is a public art project instigated by Just Seeds member Swoon & her cohorts in Braddock Active Arts in Braddock, Pa (a steel town just outside of Pittsburgh). Just Seeds artists Swoon & Mary Tremonte, as well as 10 others, are making site-specific out-stallations at sites selected by Braddock youth. Public events over the next week include a Swoon lecture at Carnegie Mellon University and Shake Your Money Maker, an all-ages danceparty. Read on for event details. Who: BraddockActiveArts, a collective of artists and fledgling farmers are contributing to the latest population boom in Braddock, PA. We have moved to Braddock from Brooklyn, NY and Tallahassee, FL with a commitment to using artistic practice as an accessible tool for confronting the challenges of the post-industrial urban center. BraddockActiveArts aims to provide living models of possibility and transformation in order to catalyze sustainable growth and revitalization. We envision a community in which all residents are considered artists, empowered to change their own environments, and able to translate that empowerment into tangible social and economic benefits. What: Points of Interest began in January as a way to actively introduce ourselves to our new community as well as create meaningful opportunities to listen, meet and build diverse relationships. In response to the memories of the past and the realities of today, with deep faith in our collective internal ability to create growth for the future, we have invited twelve artists to create public art in Braddock and North Braddock. They are coming from Pittsburgh, New York, Chicago, Portland, and as far away as Russia. The project will continue as we talk with neighbors about the impact the sculptures, murals, and installations have on their lives. When: Nearly twenty people will be in Braddock from April 6 -13 to build and document Points of Interest. Where: Points of Interest will be located on corners, walls, underpasses, and lots throughout Braddock and North Braddock."