Art Options
March 22, 2021 at 3:01 p.m.
Art Options
By Todd Tracy
The first idea covered in the newsletter was the possibility of expanding the inventory of murals in the community. Several are in place and all of them are appreciated for their creativity and the beauty they bring to our community. OEVA did a quick survey of the available walls, met with several building owners, and even consulted with a well-known muralist. Contests, sponsorships, and even grants were considered as ways to attract artists and inspire the building owners to join in. The idea remains a work in progress, we will keep you posted.
Another OEVA idea was inspired by Mr. John Munn’s presentation of his Pop-Up Music Areas (PUMA) idea at a Town Hall meeting which is held every third Monday of each month, at 3:30 pm. at The Open Studio located at 380 Old Englewood Road. The meeting time may change as the season progresses. John’s idea is based on volunteer musicians being available to the community to enhance an event or just add some fun to an evening stroll down Dearborn Street. Watch the local social media for more details.
The inspired idea expands John’s musical concept by adding local artisans, in fields other than music, to be available as well. Let us back up for a moment. Did you know that OEVA is building a database of artists based on our President’s vision to expand art in the community? If you are interested in learning more, volunteering, or joining, please visit OEVA’s web site.
The database is not being created to compete with our fellow art associations, nor limit this “pop-up artists” idea to any specific memberships or affiliation. OEVA understands that Englewood is blessed with a host of dedicated art organizations and independent artists. Every person, every group, would be free to follow up on this idea, individually or collectively, using their memberships. The database OEVA is building is simply a modern tool to provide value to our local arts community. Promoting the arts is not a competition, nor is this idea a membership drive. The goal, like John’s, is to simply add life to the street and give all our local artists an opportunity to be enjoyed.
The core element of both ideas is to pair business patrons with artists willing to volunteer their time and share their talents with the public. All the practical details would be worked out between the artists and the patron. There would be no official sponsorships, no fees, and no organized event that might trigger a permitting requirement. Patrons could collaborate with fellow patrons or artists with artists, to create the feeling of an event if they choose to. The level of promotion for the pairing would be the responsibility of the artists and the patron, and of course, participants should double check with the County and their insurance carriers, just to be sure.
Now for the fun part. Did you know that there is an alley on both the north and south side of Dearborn Street? The north alley is limited, but the connectivity to the Cedar Street parking lot and the walking arts district, known as the Residential Transition Overlay District (RCTOD), enhances the location. The south alley connects Dearborn Street, through the Art Garden, to the waterfront park on Cherokee Street.
The Board of OEVA recently walked those alleys and concluded that, with a lot of community, business, and owners support, both alleys would be fun extensions of our downtown where the public could enjoy music and art. How cool would it be to expand the Dearborn Street experience with a hip and happening arty alley walk?
Close your eyes, imagine next season, hundreds of people milling around in these art alleys. Restaurants will be busy, stores packed, fallow alley space will be fresh and full of life, visitors will stroll down a trending alley listening to soft music and interacting one-on-one with our local artists.
All it is going to take is the first visionary with the guts to be a patron and flow visitors from the street to their improved alley space through their business to change everything. Who is up to the challenge?