Rust Wire has some amazing photos taken this year by Frank Lanza, showing some pretty serious informal fireworks on Cleveland's West Side.
On the one hand, it really looks like they shouldn't be doing this and on the other it looks like the most awesome kind of all American good time possible.
Showing posts with label Rust Wire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rust Wire. Show all posts
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Rust Wire's Big Urban Photography Project @ Brewhouse Friday, April 15
The volunteer run online mag, Rust Wire has put together a group show of photos taken by people across the so called "Rust Belt".
More info on Rust Wire.
Brew House Website
The Brew House
2100 Mary Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15203
Opening
Friday, April 15 · 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Gallery does not have regular hours but is open by appt.
I think the semi plan here is to do a number of shows around the region as the project evolves and grows.
Rust Wire is proud to present The Big Urban Photography Project art show, featuring photographic interpretations of Rust Belt cities as seen through the eyes of their young residents. The show is the result of a multi-year collaborative media project that called on the region’s best documentary and fine arts photographers.
Over two years, we asked for open submissions of photography highlighting the unique blend of despair and hope in a number of cities. Dozens of amateur and professional photographers submitted images of Detroit, Youngstown, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Chicago, Grand Rapids, Toledo, Cincinnati, Buffalo and others. The art show will allow us to share hold up the best work as a tribute to the region.
The Brew House, 2100 Mary Street in Pittsburgh’s South Side, will host the
exhibit.
More info on Rust Wire.
Brew House Website
The Brew House
2100 Mary Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15203
Opening
Friday, April 15 · 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Gallery does not have regular hours but is open by appt.
I think the semi plan here is to do a number of shows around the region as the project evolves and grows.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Cleveland Admires Pittsburgh's Growing Bike Culture
Given the childish rivalry, it might be bad to say Cleveland's new version of POP City has a story looking enviously at Pittsburgh's increasingly pro cycling culture.
It's kind of funny in a way, because Pittsburgh actually has a pretty challenging geography that while attracting avid cyclists, doesn't make it easy to ride here.
Fight the good fight Cleveland, as the article shows, none of the progress made here has been easy.
Hat Tip to Rust Wire.
"A critical mass of bicyclists -- activists or not -- is one ingredient that Pittsburgh needs to become the kind of hip place that attracts talented young workers now and in the future," the Post-Gazette posited almost prophetically in 2003, at a time when even many in the cycling community considered the city a dangerous place to ride.
Fast forward to present day and you'll find a vastly different bike culture has taken flight. Pittsburgh recently won the honor of being named a Bronze-level "Bicycle Friendly Community" by the League of American Bicyclists, putting them on par with regional leaders like Columbus and Indianapolis. With support of its mayor, Pittsburgh is aiming even higher, hoping to join cities like Denver, Austin and Minneapolis in the Silver class."
It's kind of funny in a way, because Pittsburgh actually has a pretty challenging geography that while attracting avid cyclists, doesn't make it easy to ride here.
Fight the good fight Cleveland, as the article shows, none of the progress made here has been easy.
Hat Tip to Rust Wire.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Jane's Walk Will Happen Saturday, May 1st : Details To Come
Good news, odds are very high that some kind of Jane's Walk will happen in Pittsburgh because at least one other very serious person is willing to work to put this together. Likely, I will be guiding or co-guiding at least part of it.
Stay tuned here for more info and also look for updates here.
Interested in helping--guiding? Email me diggingpitt@gmail.com
From what i can tell so far, fewer cities in the U.S. are doing this than last year, but a good number of these are hosting multiple walks, or rides or other related events.
Also, I think a lot of things will likely pop up in new cities and be listed in the next few days.
Still, no word on progress in Cleveland, but we know people were very interested in the idea on Rust Wire. Momentum and real progress will come for much more activity next year.
Stay tuned here for more info and also look for updates here.
Interested in helping--guiding? Email me diggingpitt@gmail.com
From what i can tell so far, fewer cities in the U.S. are doing this than last year, but a good number of these are hosting multiple walks, or rides or other related events.
Also, I think a lot of things will likely pop up in new cities and be listed in the next few days.
Still, no word on progress in Cleveland, but we know people were very interested in the idea on Rust Wire. Momentum and real progress will come for much more activity next year.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
The Fight To Cross A Bridge In Cleveland
Photo from Rust Wire
I've seriously thought about expanding the blog's name and mission yet again to include the maligned city of Cleveland, and all the area in between. Like it or not, Cleveland is the nearest neighboring planet of size and improvements in both places will be good for all.
A fight is developing, for the simple right of pedestrians and bikes to cross a major highway bridge there. You know, it sucks when people who live in the city inconvenience those who are just passing through. Perhaps the whole city should be labled an obstruction to highway traffic, like the South Bronx was.
"Residents in Tremont, one of Cleveland’s fastest growing neighborhoods, were cut off from downtown when ODOT closed an onramp last year that connected the area to downtown with virtually a straight line.
The bridge is going to be replaced anyway, beginning in 2011. So why not include such a path? It seems rare nowadays that the common sense, the public interest, and federal agency’s directives are on the same page. The Federal Highway Administration’s officially adopted policy for new transportation infrastructure, you would think, makes it easy for ODOT to give the path a green light:"
Dennis Kucinich, today took the issue to the house floor and the story was picked up by the Streetsblog network, which is emerging as an important grapevine for pro urban activists.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Blog Not Dead But Needs Help
Hello, sorry for not posting, I've been pretty busy and distracted, partly by dialogs and interactions on other more active blogs like Urbanophile, and to a much lesser extent Rust Wire and others.
I guess, I also get down comparing the blog with what I hoped it would be--some kind of active forum to see and talk about the city and it's creative communities from a variety of perspectives and view points, both from inside the region and outside.
"Art, Urban Design, Transit, Chaos and all that. A blog about really making Pittsburgh into one of the country's most creative and livable cities."
I still want that and I know there are enough smart involved people here blogging to get together and do something like that. I think we can see a string of days or posts on here that give a glimpse of the potential.
I'm still looking for people who think they can add a few posts a month and comments are always welcome. (I mean comments beyond-- Great blog, if you need auto repairs go to Joe Sixpack)
I guess, I also get down comparing the blog with what I hoped it would be--some kind of active forum to see and talk about the city and it's creative communities from a variety of perspectives and view points, both from inside the region and outside.
"Art, Urban Design, Transit, Chaos and all that. A blog about really making Pittsburgh into one of the country's most creative and livable cities."
I still want that and I know there are enough smart involved people here blogging to get together and do something like that. I think we can see a string of days or posts on here that give a glimpse of the potential.
I'm still looking for people who think they can add a few posts a month and comments are always welcome. (I mean comments beyond-- Great blog, if you need auto repairs go to Joe Sixpack)
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Social Media And Economic Development
Jim Russell @ Burgh Diaspora talks about economic development professionals finally warming up to the use of social media and provides this link.
"Social media–in the form of tools such as LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and blogs–are starting to transform how we live our lives. When it comes to the world of economic development, social media usage is growing, but not yet as a consistent part of the practitioner's tool kit.
A recent survey sponsored by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) and Development Counsellors International (DCI) took a deeper look at the state of social media among economic developers. The survey asked more than 300 IEDC members about their use of social media and its role in their organizational strategies and communications efforts.
The survey results clearly indicate that social media is still a "new thing" for economic developers. While 57 percent of respondents use social media in their organization's communications efforts, most of this use has only begun in the past year. In fact, of those using social media, only 37 percent of respondents have used social media for longer than one year. As DCI President and Chief Creative Officer Andy Levine noted, "Economic development groups are just getting their feet wet with social media. We're in the very early days of this work."
Skipping ahead:
"Finally, Levine expects to see a lot of innovations in the use of social media. For example, he envisions that communities could create "digital ambassadors" to discuss the benefits of living and working in a certain region or community. These ambassadors, people who have many Facebook followers or LinkedIn connections, would serve as a very credible advocate for local economic development efforts. He expects to see lots of experimentation and new approaches over the next several years."
Of course, the basic premise is absurd. Almost every city already has dozens, if not hundreds and thousands of bloggers, Tweeters and such eager to hype their favorite city street,urban park, event, band, gallery, house tour, or private business.
The trick is often to just unleash them or at least not actively stand in their way with no photography policies and other barriers as many still do.
The viral success of an event like Artprize owed largely using this energy to market the event and the city.
Not surprisingly places like Youngstown with meager resources are leading the charge towards innovation and openness.
"Social media–in the form of tools such as LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and blogs–are starting to transform how we live our lives. When it comes to the world of economic development, social media usage is growing, but not yet as a consistent part of the practitioner's tool kit.
A recent survey sponsored by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) and Development Counsellors International (DCI) took a deeper look at the state of social media among economic developers. The survey asked more than 300 IEDC members about their use of social media and its role in their organizational strategies and communications efforts.
The survey results clearly indicate that social media is still a "new thing" for economic developers. While 57 percent of respondents use social media in their organization's communications efforts, most of this use has only begun in the past year. In fact, of those using social media, only 37 percent of respondents have used social media for longer than one year. As DCI President and Chief Creative Officer Andy Levine noted, "Economic development groups are just getting their feet wet with social media. We're in the very early days of this work."
Skipping ahead:
"Finally, Levine expects to see a lot of innovations in the use of social media. For example, he envisions that communities could create "digital ambassadors" to discuss the benefits of living and working in a certain region or community. These ambassadors, people who have many Facebook followers or LinkedIn connections, would serve as a very credible advocate for local economic development efforts. He expects to see lots of experimentation and new approaches over the next several years."
Of course, the basic premise is absurd. Almost every city already has dozens, if not hundreds and thousands of bloggers, Tweeters and such eager to hype their favorite city street,urban park, event, band, gallery, house tour, or private business.
The trick is often to just unleash them or at least not actively stand in their way with no photography policies and other barriers as many still do.
The viral success of an event like Artprize owed largely using this energy to market the event and the city.
Not surprisingly places like Youngstown with meager resources are leading the charge towards innovation and openness.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Corruption And The Rust Belt
Rust Wire asks what role corruption plays in depressing local economies. It refers to this 2007 piece by Transparency International.
"According to economist Sanjeev Gupta, national corruption lowers economic growth and per-capital income, despite the argument that a certain amount of corruption can “grease the wheels” of the economy by circumventing bureaucratic regulations.
“Corruption increases the cost of investment for entrepreneurs who need to devote their scarce time and resources to fulfilling government regulations and bribing officials,” Gupta writes. “This cost can be high for small and medium-sized enterprises.”
“Second, corruption acts as a barrier to foreign investment and results in the flight of capital out of a country. The use of public funds to acquire assets abroad shrinks the economy’s savings pool that could otherwise be used for investment. This has repercussions for future generations, particularly in resource-based economies.”"
While, the role of corruption, the lack of clear rules and transparent institutions is almost universally considered a big drag on developing countries, Few have the guts to say it might be one of the biggest factors depressing the "rust belt" and even fewer try to do much about it.
Yet another big public scandal in Cleveland repeats a common theme in places like Ohio and Michigan.
"Damiani, a close ally of County Auditor Frank Russo, orchestrated the arrangement in which his law firm had near-total control over V.A.S. Enterprises, the commercial real estate appraisal firm that got more than $21 million in contracts with the auditor's office over a decade, according to federal prosecutors. V.A.S. did only $9 million in work, according to an audit released last week.
One of Russo's top aides has admitted taking $154,000 in bribes and helping to funnel $1.2 million in kickbacks to Russo from the Damiani-connected firms. In return V.A.S was awarded contracts to perform commercial audits, according to charges and plea agreements."
The Transparency International story suggests that the costs of opaque and corrupt government may fall hardest on small business people who lack inside connections, or political power. Small business job loss is much harder to guess at than big business, but it's very, very bad.
Clearly, at least by what's currently known we are not in Cleveland's league, but let's just say that transparency isn't big here.
"According to economist Sanjeev Gupta, national corruption lowers economic growth and per-capital income, despite the argument that a certain amount of corruption can “grease the wheels” of the economy by circumventing bureaucratic regulations.
“Corruption increases the cost of investment for entrepreneurs who need to devote their scarce time and resources to fulfilling government regulations and bribing officials,” Gupta writes. “This cost can be high for small and medium-sized enterprises.”
“Second, corruption acts as a barrier to foreign investment and results in the flight of capital out of a country. The use of public funds to acquire assets abroad shrinks the economy’s savings pool that could otherwise be used for investment. This has repercussions for future generations, particularly in resource-based economies.”"
While, the role of corruption, the lack of clear rules and transparent institutions is almost universally considered a big drag on developing countries, Few have the guts to say it might be one of the biggest factors depressing the "rust belt" and even fewer try to do much about it.
Yet another big public scandal in Cleveland repeats a common theme in places like Ohio and Michigan.
"Damiani, a close ally of County Auditor Frank Russo, orchestrated the arrangement in which his law firm had near-total control over V.A.S. Enterprises, the commercial real estate appraisal firm that got more than $21 million in contracts with the auditor's office over a decade, according to federal prosecutors. V.A.S. did only $9 million in work, according to an audit released last week.
One of Russo's top aides has admitted taking $154,000 in bribes and helping to funnel $1.2 million in kickbacks to Russo from the Damiani-connected firms. In return V.A.S was awarded contracts to perform commercial audits, according to charges and plea agreements."
The Transparency International story suggests that the costs of opaque and corrupt government may fall hardest on small business people who lack inside connections, or political power. Small business job loss is much harder to guess at than big business, but it's very, very bad.
Clearly, at least by what's currently known we are not in Cleveland's league, but let's just say that transparency isn't big here.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Exiting Gordon Matta Clark Show In Saint Louis
Half assed post- may elaborate or correct.
I never experienced Gordon Matta Clark's work first hand, but just the guy is really a head opener in terms of the way he used simple methods to let people reimagine social boundaries and space. Swoon called him one of her greatest inspirations.
Gordon Matta-Clark
Conical Intersect (detail)
1975
27-29, rue Beaubourg, Paris
courtesy of David Zwirner, NY and the Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark
"Gordon Matta-Clark (1943-1978) used neglected structures slated for demolition as his raw material. He carved out sections of buildings with a power saw in order to reveal their hidden construction, to provide new ways of perceiving space, and to create metaphors for the human condition. When wrecking balls knocked down his sculpted buildings, little remained. He took photographs and films of his interventions and kept a few of the building segments. The placement of Matta-Clark’s work in the building by Tadao Ando offers the means to recall the artist’s lost interventions. Ando's and Matta-Clark's structures break the visual and symbolic boundaries normally associated with the architectural “box” by allowing light to penetrate spaces in unexpected ways. Moreover, the exhibition programming builds upon Matta-Clark’s desire to give abandoned objects and buildings new meaning by connecting the artist’s social activism to present-day St. Louis.
The Pulitzer, in collaboration with Washington University’s George Warren Brown School of Social Work, is organizing exhibition programming that will build upon Matta-Clark’s desire to imbue abandoned objects, buildings, and parcels of land with new meaning. The Pulitzer hopes to help carry Matta-Clark’s legacy into the 21st century and to inspire a new generation of social activism through creative acts."
"A new interactive arts program in St. Louis poses those questions, and calls on citizens to create the portrait through media and personal expression.
Later this month, the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts will launch Urban Alchemy/Gordon Matta-Clark, named for and continuing the legacy of a local urban activist who inspired community engagement through art."
Anyway, The Pulitzer Foundation is using the show as a springboard for community projects. Could be great or the usual bogus fake engagement we often get.
I found out about this on Rust Wire.
I never experienced Gordon Matta Clark's work first hand, but just the guy is really a head opener in terms of the way he used simple methods to let people reimagine social boundaries and space. Swoon called him one of her greatest inspirations.
Gordon Matta-Clark
Conical Intersect (detail)
1975
27-29, rue Beaubourg, Paris
courtesy of David Zwirner, NY and the Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark
Gordon Matta Clark: Conical Intersect (1975, 16mm Film, Farbe, auf DVD überspielt, Farbe, ohne Ton 17'12") from nothinglefttoadjust on Vimeo.
"Gordon Matta-Clark (1943-1978) used neglected structures slated for demolition as his raw material. He carved out sections of buildings with a power saw in order to reveal their hidden construction, to provide new ways of perceiving space, and to create metaphors for the human condition. When wrecking balls knocked down his sculpted buildings, little remained. He took photographs and films of his interventions and kept a few of the building segments. The placement of Matta-Clark’s work in the building by Tadao Ando offers the means to recall the artist’s lost interventions. Ando's and Matta-Clark's structures break the visual and symbolic boundaries normally associated with the architectural “box” by allowing light to penetrate spaces in unexpected ways. Moreover, the exhibition programming builds upon Matta-Clark’s desire to give abandoned objects and buildings new meaning by connecting the artist’s social activism to present-day St. Louis.
The Pulitzer, in collaboration with Washington University’s George Warren Brown School of Social Work, is organizing exhibition programming that will build upon Matta-Clark’s desire to imbue abandoned objects, buildings, and parcels of land with new meaning. The Pulitzer hopes to help carry Matta-Clark’s legacy into the 21st century and to inspire a new generation of social activism through creative acts."
"A new interactive arts program in St. Louis poses those questions, and calls on citizens to create the portrait through media and personal expression.
Later this month, the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts will launch Urban Alchemy/Gordon Matta-Clark, named for and continuing the legacy of a local urban activist who inspired community engagement through art."
Anyway, The Pulitzer Foundation is using the show as a springboard for community projects. Could be great or the usual bogus fake engagement we often get.
I found out about this on Rust Wire.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Big Urban Photography Project @ Rust Wire
Hopefully more printed and online projects will develop to fill the emerging gaps in news coverage, and community linkages opening up as traditional newspapers struggle and fold. One new blog with ambitions to connect the Rust Belt is called Rust Wire which seems to be cooking up some kind of online photography project.
"Rustwire is recruiting photographers across the Midwest to take part in a photo project attempting to capture the unique essence of individual Rust Belt cities.
We want shots of Cleveland, when the fog rolls in from the lake and blankets downtown. We want the vacant storefront in the old Polish neighborhood in Buffalo. We want children playing in the streets in St. Louis. We want street construction projects, old warehouses, snowstorms and street festivals.
We need photographers with an interest in urban landscapes and knowledge and love for their cities. Email us at rustbeltnews@gmail.com to participate."
"Rustwire is recruiting photographers across the Midwest to take part in a photo project attempting to capture the unique essence of individual Rust Belt cities.
We want shots of Cleveland, when the fog rolls in from the lake and blankets downtown. We want the vacant storefront in the old Polish neighborhood in Buffalo. We want children playing in the streets in St. Louis. We want street construction projects, old warehouses, snowstorms and street festivals.
We need photographers with an interest in urban landscapes and knowledge and love for their cities. Email us at rustbeltnews@gmail.com to participate."
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