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A Workspace that Works Over-Time Friday, July 31, 2009
Today, our team of arts fellows finishes the installation of HelloWorld.show();, an exhibition of source code. For the better part of this week, the studio has been flipped on its head, as any gallery should be in that period between This Show and That Show. It’s beautiful, productive chaos.
But as it turns out, we also use our gallery as a workspace, event venue, and home base for Stand. So the chaos is infinite and constant. Everything’s moving around, and often, we’re the ones picking it up and hauling it somewhere new.
It goes without saying then, that the LeadHere fellows play an invaluable roll in CreateHere’s programs, beyond the full-time job of development work. We hang shows, we move chairs, we empty conference rooms, and we paint walls. “All hands on deck” is status quo. And in return, our just deserts: flexible hours and a cool, very cool work environment.
So we’ve got brawn, but our space is defined more by the things we don’t have, namely walls, dividers, cubicles, permanent seating, bad joojoo. Instead, a constant supply of art, an army of coffee mugs, dogs, kids, fellows, newspapers, yellow t-shirts, and every generation of every Apple product imaginable. Occasionally, a PC, too.
Some of us have less temporary desks. Mine’s covered in beer bottles from Hops and Opera (they double as flutes), a nice card from photographer Mary Barnett, a Michelin guide to France, and a Southern Living recipe book from 1982. There’s a pile of camcorder tapes, more than a couple media kits, and clippings from all the CreateHere mentions in the paper from the past six months. The design table is immaculate and modern and sparse, and economy fellow Trey Meyer has plastered his half of the magnetic filing cabinet with articles and insights. All these things, too, will at some point move, caught up in the tidal wave of Flexibility, that little word that is central to each and every fellow’s job description.
This is all to say, we welcome chaos, we welcome new shows, we welcome community use of our space. Join us tonight for a preview of HelloWorld.show(); from 5 to 7 pm, and come back often. I guarantee, we’ll have rearranged.
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Harv Wileman on MakeWork 2009 Thursday, July 30, 2009
Since January I have been a fellow at CreateHere working primarily on the MakeWork arts grants. Since the online application went live at the beginning of that month to the first set of disbursement checks for the grantees being delivered in June, it’s been a wild, rewarding ride. When I started, one artist had submitted an application. By the end of the process, 107 more joined that group, resulting in $300,000 worth of grants, awarded to 34 individuals.
The best part of the process–in some ways even better than notifying awardees of their successful applications–was meeting with the applicants before their submissions to talk about their ideas for their grants. It was so refreshing to hear artists passionate about their work and enthusiastic about what a cash grant could do toward making their visions for a project or, indeed, for their career, a reality. I spoke with writers preparing their memoirs, visual artists who needed web sites, and screenwriters needing to travel to push their screenplays. Not all of these artists were funded and not all of them even ended up submitting applications, but the thrill of interfacing with working artists getting on with their creative endeavors in Chattanooga was inspirational and revelational. There is so much talent here, so much industry, so much hope.
As the bulk of the MakeWork process comes to a close, it is time for me to move on from my LeadHere fellowship. As I look back, I will always treasure the optimism, passion, and talent that I found dealing with the creatives living in our area. It has inspired me as an artist and as an arts administrator, and I hope that MakeWork is a program that will continue to support the arts in Chattanooga in perpetuity.
By Harv Wileman, Arts Fellow
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HelloWorld.show(); // A Primer Tuesday, July 28, 2009
So, we at CreateHere have had some questions. Lucky for you fine citizens we also have answers.
“So what’s the deal with this code show?”, I’m often asked. Well, for the uninitiated we thought a little explanation may be in order. A “Hello World” program, traditionally, serves to illustrate the most basic role of a programming language. These words serve as a minimal beta test for the functionality of a dialect, one imperceptibly bound to a structure many fail to understand.
Within the confines of this concept, HelloWorld.show(); intends to take these introductory words and exploit the complexity of this voyage into such an esoteric language and recontextualize it; forcing it to conform to universally recognized and visually digestible forms.Traditionally, “Hello World” programs are like a sanity test, a means for programmers to verify that all of the basics are in place; an editor, an interpreter, and a means to insure information is virtually tangible and usable. At CreateHere we’ve been questioning our sanity for months now and have to come to one conclusion, mainly that creativity comes in many forms and maybe we’ve been overlooking one of the most modern modes of expression in the 21st century. Well, we’re fixing this problem and hope that you fine people will come and experience what we believe to be a mighty fine exploration into the unknown.
HelloWorld.show(); opens this week, with a preview on Friday, July 31, and an opening reception on Friday, August 7.
By Thomas Perry, Arts Fellow
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Last Fridays on Main: July 31
Can you believe July is almost over? Looking for a way to top off the end of a great month? The Last Fridays on Main Southside hop is this Friday, July 31 from 5 to 7 pm. Join us on Main Street for an afternoon of action.
WATCH: At 5:30 pm, Angela Sweet and a troop of dancers will perform among the new Main Street sculptures. Jukebox Junction Theater at the Choo-Choo will also be offering free children’s tickets and 2-for-1 adult tickets to Last Friday attendees.DO Peggy Petrey’s Art X-tractor will be back by popular demand at Ignis Glass. Visitors can pick three objects from a shelf on the Art X-tractor box and slip them into a mail slot, where Peggy will create one-of-a-kind art pieces in under 3 minutes.
EAT Tienda Jalisco will be open to satisfy your taco and papusa cravings.
DRINK The Victorian Lounge at the Choo-Choo will have drink specials during the Last Friday to make your hour happy.
SHOP Ignis Glass, Area 61, and Gallery 1401 will be open later hours to view local handmade furnishings and art.
PREVIEW CreateHere is pleased to host HelloWorld.show();, an invitational exhibition of source code, which opens to the public on Friday. Featuring nine computer programmers and visual artists who hail from across the country, this exhibition breaks new ground by exhibiting computer source code and visual art created via the machine. Also, Miki Boni will have her studio open to view her latest creations.
LISTEN Rick Davis of Cute Dog Music will be playing at Studio 2/Gallery 2.By Elana Gulas, Senior Fellow, Culture
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Hamilton Place, meet Stand. And vice versa.
After months of canvasing in the hot summer sun downtown, I’ll admit it was a bit of a relief to sit in the air conditioning of Hamilton Place Mall. Armed with a stack of free Chick-fil-A sandwiches, Great American Cookie Company cookies, and Barnie’s Coffee, I thought I was in a for a sweet deal. I had visions of mall patrons flocking to myself hungry for freebies and eager to share their thoughts on Chattanooga.
After about thirty minutes it is safe to say that fantasy was crushed.
The early morning “mall walkers” blazed by before I could even squeak out “WouldyoumindansweringfourquestionsforthefutureofChattanooga?” However, 15 years growing up in the suburbs of East Brainerd lead me to have confidence in Hamilton Place as meeting point for a whole variety of people… I would just have to wait on those that aren’t awake at 9:30 on a Tuesday. The infamous words of Kevin Costner “If you have free stuff, they will come” repeated like a mantra gave me hope for the next 30 minutes, gave me hope until I witnessed a most glorious sight.
Families. Families coming in droves. Moms, toddlers, teens and dads all coming together to fill out the survey. The variety of answers seemed endless and each family member brought a different perspective. Family engaging as a unit and talking about the future of their region, a region that looks different to every sibling but enjoyed together. I saw families from East Brainerd, Dalton, Ringgold, and downtown (just to name a few) sat down on the front benches of Hamilton Place Mall and discussed issues that matter to each person. A few days of canvasing brought in 286 surveys, but more importantly gave more than a few families the chance to share their vision for the future. So keep your eyes open for the bright yellow in and around Hamilton Place and talk to your family about the future of Chattanooga.
Visit Stand’s website to take the survey, or learn more about the visioning effort.
By Taylor Thul, Stand Field Organizer
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