Each year at our annual block party, Glass Street LIVE, great effort is made to bring in new entertainment, new partners, and new experiences that will make this community celebration unique and memorable year over year. 2021 is no exception as we plan to roll out details in the next few weeks!

What is also new this year that many won’t see is what is happening behind the scenes right now and in the months leading up to the big day. Chattanooga Neighborhoods Arts Partnership (ChattaNAP or CNAP) has partnered with us this year and we are thrilled to co-create this event with them. With the event planning process shifted to an all-volunteer and resident-led steering committee, the Glass House Collective staff are proud to stay involved in an active and supportive role while the committee guides the vision on everything from marketing and logistics to volunteer recruitment and booking entertainment and activities.

COVID-19 protocols are in place and we even have a health committee (s/o to Anthony Watkins) leading the efforts on working to provide a vaccine clinic at the event.

Making residents the backbone of Glass Street LIVE started in 2019 with the turn toward a structure of shared power and shared responsibility. We did not host Glass Street LIVE in 2020 due to COVID-19. We are excited to be back at it! This committee-led structure also creates opportunities for these emerging leaders and community organizers to get hands-on experience in the process of working collectively toward a shared goal. These same skills can be put to good use in so many other aspects of community mobilizing and organizing in the neighborhood throughout the year.

If you would like to volunteer, please fill in this form.

If you would like to be a  non-profit booth or vendor, please fill in this form.

Facebook event link here.

For more info, email info@glasshousecollective.org

The 2021 Glass Street LIVE Steering Committees:

Marketing Committee – This committee helps secure media spots, gets the word out on social media, and hands out event flyers. Pastor JaMichael Jordan, Justine Jones, Tina Stewart

Entertainment Committee: This committee is responsible for securing all the musical acts for the day such as poets, dancers, rappers, musical acts, and DJ. Serving on this committee are: Deborah Bledsoe,  Erika Roberts, Ric Morris

Activities Committee: This committee is responsible for securing all the activities throughout the day, especially the Kid’s Corner: Serving on this committee are:  Audrey McClure, Lynesha Lake, Daniel Gamble, Teal Thibaud, Anthony Watkins (health)

Logistics Committee: This committee is responsible for setting the event up and taking it back down. Street closures, what goes where, and who does what. Serving on this committee are: Rosalyn Stewart, Tina Stewart, Tara Poole, Daniel Gamble

Volunteer Committee: This committee works to recruit and schedule all the event volunteers who will be working in different capacities on the day of the block party. Serving on this committee are: Alan Shropshire, Joyce Watson, Daniel Gamble, Erika

Vendor Committee: This committee works to secure vendors in our market place include food vendors, pop-ups, and non-profit booths. Serving on this committee are: Mimi Dunigan

2021 Committee includes: Ricardo Morris, Tina Stewart, Rosalyn Stewart, Mimi Dunigan, Pastor JaMichael Jordan, Audrey McClure, Deborah Bledsoe
Ricardo Nache, Lynesha Lake, Rose Prince, Justine Jones, Katherlyn Geter, Wayne Brown, Myra Cook, Levar Wilson, Joe Lautigar, Ericka Holmes, C-Grimey
Anthony Watkins, Sasse, Bishop Freddie Hambrick, Gail McKeel, Terry Williams, Daniel Gamble, Tara Poole, Erika Roberts, Lynesha Lake, and Teal Thibaud

Shout out to our 2019 Committee:  Glenda Welcher, Belinda, Darrell Martin, Carmen Davis, Reggie Campbell, David Raley, Rocksand Martin, Joel Tippins, Tinica Caperton, Janette Richie, Dr. Holmes, Carlos Hampton, Alan Shropshire, Joyce Watson, Erika Roberts, Justine Jones, Deborah Bledsoe, Gail MckKeel, Joe Latiuger, and Greg Alford

Over the past 7 years, Glass House Collective has hosted several workshops in urbanism and creative placemaking to tap into the professional and creative braintrust of planners, architects, and designers in our collective and from around the region and the world to work alongside Glass Farm residents and envision a cleaner, safer and more inviting neighborhood.

Stir It Up stands apart from our previous workshops in several ways including and especially because it was co-created by the residents of Glass Farm. With an external focus this time, the aim of Stir It Up was to help the community translate the high-level RPA Area 3 Plan into an actionable map for resident-led change around three themes: Housing Choices, Business Viability, and Quality Public Spaces. The committee of local workshop designers also identified several guiding principles that would inform all participation including equitable development, honoring/hiring local, healthy places, celebration, inclusivity, catalytic, historic preservation, cultural reflection, and accountability.

We are still processing all of the amazing ideas and input gathered in October and will be sharing an outcomes report in the coming weeks. For a quick recap of the conference and our day, please check out the Places For Good blog, and Reginald Clack’s photos.

The experience and proven multidisciplinary process have already infused our team with fresh energy and motivation.  Lynesha Lake, GHC Community Liaison, was a part of the team who created the workshop design and participated in one of the Stir It Up teams during Placemaking Week. “The energy was amazing and refreshing. It was encouraging to know others have proof that things can change,” she said.

As more Glass Farm residents continue to take on leadership roles in our community on a variety of projects, the implementation of any ideas identified in the Stir It Up workshop will also be theirs to prioritize and pursue. We look forward to sharing the report soon and collaborating with our neighbors on what they want for their community!

“Neighbor Rooted” is a collaboration between spoken word artist and SWAY creative strategist, Erika Roberts, The Pop Up Project, and local musician/producer, Brophesor X.  This is a completely original artwork and we can expect a uniquely layered performance piece featuring spoken word, original choreography and original music inspired by the Glass Street area.

Roberts is the founder of Velvet Poetry Productions and is a Chattanooga-based activist for artistic expression as well a social justice artist. She has been nominated for a 2020 Black Excellence of Chattanooga Award (BEC) in the Best In Arts category.

Roberts said she spent many hours driving through the neighborhood sometimes intentionally taking the drive in from Amnicola Highway through Boyce Station and the surrounding streets to get the feel as if approaching the area for the first time. “I think it’s interesting to drive into a place with that in mind, what does it look like when you’re driving over to Glass Street from Amnicola? Seems like it’s nowhere but then it’s somewhere,” she said.

Also bouncing around her creative brain were beats by BrophesorX, a Chattanooga-based creative, writer and producer. It was BrophesorX’s new mix, “Moksha” that he created for the project, that Erika played over and over during some of the writing sessions for “Neighbor Rooted.” Moksha is a Hindu term about liberation, the release of suffering, and enlightenment. BrophesorX is passionate about how art and holistic practices create meaningful change and used music samples by Outkast and Erykah Badu in “Moksha” to underscore the liberation message throughout.

Taking key words from Erika’s poem, Mattie Waters and Jules Downum from Chattanooga-based Pop-Up Project,  choreographed and directed a new dance featuring 5 local dancers. Pop-up Project, known for socially conscious site-specific work, is a highly acclaimed non-profit production company that creates custom performances combining movement, music, and film.

Downum, who holds a master’s in applied anthropology, said the collaboration helps shine a light on trying to make the world a better place. “We live in a world where things aren’t always great and we have limited power and resources to do anything about it,” she said.  That’s why it’s important to keep this community’s story a part of Chattanooga’s story. “We’re honoring an area that has been left out and overlooked but is important to all Chattanoogans.”

Five dancers (including two ballet-trained and 3 hip hop dancers) will perform multiple dance segments that are choreographed to move with Erika’s words and BrophesorX’ beats, all rooted in key themes of Community, Empowerment, Unite, Glass Street, Neighbors, and Roots.

Using the platform of our annual block party as a venue, it is our hope that the stories of the historic neighborhood coined Glass Farm that surrounds Glass Street can be experienced in a positive and impactful way that will let everyone see and know that we are so proud of where we live and believe better days are not only within reach but worth reaching for. The opportunity to create, celebrate and share history is one way we continue to believe in what’s possible while attracting new believers to help us get there.

The performance will be premiered at 2pm, with encore performances at 3pm and 4pm. The site-specific performance art piece created for and about Glass Street is a collaboration between The Pop Up Project, Velvet Poetry Productions, Brophesor X, Public Art Chattanooga, Good Neighbor Network, and Glass Farm Neighborhood Association, and Glass House Collective.

Glass Street LIVE! is Saturday, November 9
12pm-5pm
The intersection of Glass St. and Chamberlain Ave.

Stay In The Loop : Glass Street LIVE! Facebook Event page.

Let’s fill the streets with celebration as we come together with our neighbors! Don’t miss an afternoon of family-friendly activities celebrating local artists, homegrown cooks and business owners, and Chattanooga’s most talented rappers, poets, gospel singers, hip hop artists and dancers!

Now in its 7th year, Glass Street LIVE! is a true community event steered by resident-led committees who are doing everything from curating the music, vendors and family activities, to pushing out publicity and social media, to working with City officials on event logistics and street closures. Glass House Collective is proud to partner with and support our hard working neighbors to co-create our favorite day of the year!

Come meet your neighbors on Glass Street while checking out some of Chattanooga’s busiest non profits and neighborhood organizations like Chattanooga Girls Rock, Southeast Conservation Corps and the Glass Farm Block Leaders. Browse your favorite food and art vendors and pop-up boutiques while sharing your East Chattanooga memories at the Pop Up interactive History Museum.

Bounce over to the action-packed kid zone for live wrestling, a bounce house and more!

NEW THIS YEAR! A very special Glass Street History Performance Art experience featuring spoken word, choreography and original music will be presented thanks to a NeighborRoots Grant from Public Art Chattanooga and the City of Chattanooga! This exclusive and site-specific piece created for and about Glass Street is a collaboration between The Pop Up Project, Velvet Poetry Productions, Brophesor X and Glass House Collective.

We can’t wait to see everyone on Glass Street on November 9th!

Committee Members include:

Deborah Bledsoe, Glenda Welcher, Larry Hines, Gail McKeel, Belinda, Greg Alford, Image Noveick, Alan shropshire, Justine Jones, Tina Stewart, Darrell Martin, Chip Brown, Veronica Woods, Audrey McClure, Carmen Davis, Reggie Campbell, Lynsha Lake, Joe Lautigar, David Raley, C-Grimey, Jonathan Susman, Joyce Watson, Joel Tippins, Tinica Caperton
Janette Richie, Dr. Holmes, Carlos Hampton, and Stephanie Hurt.

The Community Organizing Training program is for residents of East Chattanooga and artists interested in social change. The eight week training program will provide a learning opportunity for participants to become a part of the next wave of community organizers who will be leading and driving change in East Chattanooga.

Participants will not only receive a stipend for their time attending all eight training sessions but they will also become part of a project team who will be awarded additional funds to tackle an issue together this summer.

Being a leader in this community means different things to different people.  Leaders arise out of neighborhood and community groups, civic associations, and faith based organizations. But those are not the only places or criteria.  What is getting in the way of you becoming a more powerful person or leader right now?

“Community organizing is both a tactic to address specific problems and issues and a longer-term engagement and empowerment strategy. When residents are not equipped to take an active role in shaping the future of their communities, they often feel like forces are acting on them instead of with them. This sentiment robs the city of the full participation of its people. On the other hand, successful community action can build skills for future leaders while changing the environment in which social decisions are made. For true progress to be made, Chattanooga needs more people at the table, and more hands in the dirt.”

DETAILS
The training is open to five residents and five  artists. A $575 stipend is available. Application deadline is Monday, May 20th. After the training, participants will continue to work together for two months on a new project they’ve identified during the training. Participants will select a community issue that’s important to them, and then work with their team of social change artists and East Chattanooga residents to develop a project to address that issue. Topics and outcomes will be decided by the participants themselves. This work will be supported by a $2,000 grant that will be put towards their idea. Example projects could be ways to calm traffic on busy streets, or creating a series of artistic posters to spread the word about the issue at hand, or a performance event to encourage enthusiasm among neighbors.

Big thanks goes to Erica Roberts, principal creative director at Velvet Poetry Productions, who is acting as lead artist of the leadership training curriculum and CALEB (Chattanooga in Action for Love, Equality and Benevolence) has developed and will deliver the training. Thanks to the program sponsors with CNE, Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, and the Footprint Foundation who have made this offering possible.

APPLY AT THIS LINK. 

You may contact Glass House Collective at (423) 402-0565 or info@glasshousecollective.org with questions.

Glass House Collective is excited to offer our space in support of Zy’Mori founder, Van Nessa Jackson, so she can continue to bring her talents and mentorship to more kids and families in East Chattanooga.

Many have already seen the Zy’Mori Studio dance students perform in the neighborhood for the past five years on the Glass Street LIVE! stage, a highlight of the annual block party. That is why it is especially sweet to welcome Van Nessa back to Glass Street as her Zy’Mori Studio moves into their new home here.

Jackson says she’s had a great time showcasing student dancers on the GSL stage and is excited to now be offering classes to the community where she and her students have been performing for 5 years. She also hopes the Zy’Mori Studio of Entertainment and Performing Art provides another open door to the arts for the community.

New classes begin March 5 for adult fitness and March 7th for girls dance. March enrollment will take place during class time. Adult fitness classes are $10 each, and girls dance classes are $25 a month for 4 weekly classes. Sliding scale, donations and payment plans are all available if needed. There is no experience necessary and no auditions.

Sometimes kids don’t think they know how to dance so the thought of auditioning can be a deal breaker when it comes to trying something new. Van Nessa says that is one reason there are no auditions for classes at the studio. “If they think they can’t dance then we will teach your child how to move and build their confidence. Believe me, they can dance and they can perform. We start by building courage within themselves. This is our message thru the arts.”

The other reasons kids will never audition for a dance class at Zy’Mori is because if they show up they’ve already passed the courage test. The Zy’Mori way is about coming at life with the self-disciplines learned in the arts. Empowering kids with the knowledge and know how to take on a challenge and persevere is an outcome Van Nessa said she hopes to see in every student. “We’re using the arts as a way for a child to discover they can build their own strength of mind, they have a place to come to, return to, for the needed encouragement along the way, and ultimately teaching a few life moves that help kids know themselves,” she said.

Learn more on the Zy’Mori Facebook Page HERE.

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Zy’Mori Studios of Entertainment & Performing Art
423-635-0960

Thursday Night Hiphop and Majorette Classes for Girls ages 4-17
5:30pm-7:30pm
$25 per month or donation. Payment plans available. 
Parent Volunteer Hours: 4-5 hours per month. 

Tuesday Night Fitness Class For Adults 
6pm-7:30pm
Group sessions are $10/class or $25 for private sessions