Urban Art as a Form of Urban Ecology in the West Ward of Easton: Spring’11-Fall’11
Client: West Ward Neighborhood Partnership (a program of the Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley)
This project is part of an ongoing and continuous process to revitalize the West Ward of Easton, PA. Through the Wells Fargo Regional Foundation and the CACLV, the Technology Clinic is working to make the West Ward a safer, healthier, and happier place. This project hopes to encourage a greater sense of pride within the community and increase participation among West Ward Citizens.
Identification of Objectives:
In trying to make the West Ward “the greenest little neighborhood in Pennsylvania,” it has become clear there was a need to focus on a specific aspect of the West Ward that would influence as many people as possible. Our main approach to this project will be to sponsor and run urban arts projects in the West Ward and to engage the local community to physically create the pieces of art to build a sense of ownership between the residents and the community.
Theories of Development
Urban ecology is a subfield of ecology that focuses upon the interactions of organisms in urban settings, specifically those of the community at large, and nature.
Urban art as a form of urban ecology focuses specifically on members of a community coming together to transform their public spaces into vital places that are both aesthetically pleasing and create a sense of community pride.
Objectives: The following are the main objectives this project is intended to accomplish:
- Increase a sense of community between residents of the West Ward
- Provide additional opportunities for residents to experience art and how it impacts their community
- Be economically sustainable and have a positive economic impact in the West Ward
- Increase resident investment in their neighborhoods
Work with already existing art opportunities and make them more accessible to the residents in the West Ward
Results:
The flower installation, located next to the 8th street staircase on Northampton Street, was an excellent place to recreate a seasonal design (a pumpkin for the fall), which gathered a lot of community attention and was very well received by residents in the West Ward and the City of Easton as a whole. The mural festival, in the EACC gymnasium, brought local student organizations together through the creation of Easton-themed tyvek murals. Finally, the chalk festival, located directly in front of the WWNP, further connected local groups as well as utilized the local urban sidewalk for the purpose of art.
Recommendations:
The three projects, varying in success, offered different artistic opportunities for the children of Easton. Therefore, the Technology Clinic recommends that the flower installation should become a three season patterned flower design near the 8th street stairs. Additionally, the mural and chalk festivals have the capability to positively affect the community but resources would be needed in order to assure that they are recreated in the future
Students: Anne Bond’13, Szu-Ying Chen’13, Andrew Chun’12, Sam Griffith’13, Hamish MacPhail’13
Faculty Facilitators: Dan Bauer & Lawrence Malinconico