Center For Neighborhoods

Center For Neighborhoods and the PAINT program are pleased to announce our partnership with the Phoenix Hill Neighborhood Association on their upcoming project “Creativity Rising”.

Background & Funding Partners
Funding provided by the Kentucky Arts Council and Metro Councilman David Tandy

Grantee
Phoenix Hill Neighborhood Association

Artist-Partner
Aron Conaway, Curator

In-Kind Support
In-kind support for project documentation, technical assistance, and marketing is provided by Center For Neighborhoods (with the support of Metro United Way) and The Green Building in partnership with filmmaker Stephen Kertis.

About "Creativity Rising"
Creativity Rising – a creative interaction with public art in the Phoenix Hill Neighborhood. This project aims to draw a closer relationship between the Phoenix Hill Neighborhood’s arts district and area residents by integrating the two.

The neighborhood association and curator are commissioning 12 artists to create works for this project. The overall goal is to increase the neighborhood’s visibility and strengthen connections between the gallery district and other “pocket communities” within the Phoenix Hill neighborhood. A unifying community celebration is taking place in September.

12 artists are being commissioned in a variety of mediums to create high-quality, site-specific works of public art across the Phoenix Hill Neighborhood. All 12 pieces will be installed outside, in the elements, on the sides of buildings or in open spaces. The work will stand for an indefinite period of time. At the end of one year, the neighborhood association and curator will access the condition of the work and whether or not it should be retired.

Project Timeline

July 22 – Artist Orientation Meeting
August 1 - Site selection
September 19 - Neighborhood Festival, show plans for art projects
October 1-31 - Installation of work on-site
November 1 - Public art scavenger hunt in Phoenix Hill

Commissioned Artists

Kirby Coleman
Andy Cook
Denise Furnish
Sean Garrison
Russel Hulsey
Gwen Kelly
Thaniel Ion Lee
Thea Lura
Skylar Smith
Todd Smith
Brook White
Mary Yates

Description of the Community
The Phoenix Hill neighborhood is a diverse community currently going through major changes. In the 2000 census, Phoenix Hill had the highest percentage of single-parent families (62.1%), the lowest median household income ($8,800), the highest poverty rate (61.5%), and the lowest owner occupancy rate (5.6%). It is one of the few racially diverse neighborhoods in the city. The neighborhood is home to many small businesses, industries, homeless shelters, medical complexes, subsidized housing, art galleries, entertainment venues, churches, an elementary school, and social service agencies. Since the 2000 census, the PHNA has seen many changes, including the demolition of a 6-city block public housing complex (Clarksdale). A new development (Liberty Green) is being created in its place with federal HOPE VI funds to create mixed-income housing. This development is creating a wave of condo developments, bringing higher income residents into our traditionally poor, working-class neighborhood.

Within the larger neighborhood there are many different pocket communities. These include an arts community; Liberty Green, a new mixed-income housing community; higher income residents moving into new condos; long-time working class residents; Dosker Manor and the Cain Center - housing for elderly/disabled; the medical community, and a homeless community. A major thoroughfare, Market Street, is home to artists, galleries, and the Trolley Hop. Over the years, many artists have called Phoenix Hill their home, from the Cloister Artist Colony to Ed Hamilton’s Studio. The challenge and goals of this project is to bring these diverse communities together in the name of art.

Community Partners for the Art Project and Celebration Event:

Kentucky Arts Council “Arts Builds Community” grant to support the art project.
Councilman David Tandy providing matching funds and support for the event.
Center for Neighborhoods will assist with documentation, technical assistance and marketing of the project, with the help of Metro United Way.
The Green Building and filmmaker Stephen Kertis will provide documentation and videography.
New Directions Housing Corporation will provide space for the event and marketing assistance.
East Downtown Business Association will assist with marketing and providing volunteers for the event.
Shelby McDowell & The Lounge will provide a sound system.
Jefferson Street Baptist Community at Liberty will provide alternative, “urban” music through its Urban Goatwalker Coffeehouse connections.

Benefits and Impact
The artists participating in the public art project will benefit by receiving a commission and developing a more authentic and personal relationship to their community. This will expand the gallery district “pocket” community, weaving the artists into the fabric of the neighborhood. Their artwork will be celebrated and displayed, thus connecting the artists and galleries to the residents of Phoenix Hill through a shared arts-based experience.

The PHNA will increase their visibility and enhance their identity. They will develop collaborative and inclusive relationships with the “pocket communities” within their boundaries. The celebration and public art project will send a clear message that the arts and the artists within Phoenix Hill are valued and cherished for the diversity and creativity they bring to the community!

Though Phoenix Hill has a pocket arts community, the art doesn't reach the rest of the neighborhood in a significant way. Many of the traditional residents have not experienced art, as it’s been inaccessible because of a cultural divide. In the history of the neighborhood and the arts district, there has never been an intentional outreach toward neighborhood residents to integrate with the arts in a significant or meaningful way. This project will develop during a time of great transition in the neighborhood, allowing the arts to bring people of all ages, races, socioeconomic strata, and abilities together for the first time, which will begin unifying the community and bridge cultural gaps.

People of diverse backgrounds will meet in a fun and creative atmosphere. A long-term benefit is that the PHNA will meet neighbors and businesses to begin developing new relationships that have the potential to inspire greater involvement by more people. The PHNA continually tries to aesthetically improve and “beautify” through landscaping, park improvements, and signs and banners. All of this will be complimented by this project’s locally-produced fine art. This will symbolize the presence of the artist whose talents are often hidden away in their studios. In a neighborhood struggling to be aesthetically pleasing, this project will beautify the community with high quality public art.

The participating artists will develop a better understanding of working on community projects and will be likely to engage the community in the future. The celebration and presence of multiple works of art will expose people to new artwork, new ideas, and new ways of thinking. The public art project will take the art and artists outside the gallery district, spreading creativity outward into the entire community to break down barriers. The community will develop a clearer understanding of what the artworks represent and why they are present in the neighborhood. The celebration will offer an opportunity for people who do not normally identify as artists to engage in art making, thus further strengthening their personal appreciation and ownership of the arts.

Contact Information
Hallie Jones
Director of Marketing and Development
502-589-0343
halliej@centerforneighborhoods.org

610 S. Fourth Street, Suite 701, Louisville, KY 40202 | Phone: 502-589-0343 | Fax: 502-589-0616 | info@centerforneighborhoods.org