Studio Everything and Rondell Crier

September 16, 2021/in Classes & Camps, Community Events, Murals, Pop Ups, Sculptures Previous, Top 8/by Teal

Can an Artist Studio Become a Shared Public Resource and a Sustainable Method of Change?

2014

BACKGROUND:

Rondell Crier was another participant of the Creative Placemaking program at GHC in 2013. His portfolio includes an array of work in various mediums, and his work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally. He has a strong drive to invest in communities through creativity, as well as mentoring and sharing his skills, which is precisely his mission with Studio Everything on Glass Street. Rondell received funding for his program on his own and continued Studio Everything on Glass Street after his initial grant with Glass House Collective.

What Studio Everything and Rondell Crier Did:

The studio was created to be a place where the community, especially the young community, could come and release creative energy through various projects of their own choosing. Participants are encouraged to bring salvaged items and recycle them into a work of art. Rondell Crier acts as a guide for participants, offering inspiration and knowledge about the various tools he keeps in the studio. Participants often opt for long-term projects, and may continue to attend open hours each week to hone their craft and skills.

Workshops and holiday events were also held during Crier’s residency, such as Mother’s Day workshops and Halloween parties for children. Crier’s work and mentorship has directly influenced many of the youth in the area, and he has continued the work by securing grants to keep Studio Everything open.

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Learning how to use tools to build garden beds

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VISION:

Studio Everything is a place where anyone can create art out of anything and everything. It’s a place where residents and youth can receive mentorship and advice from a professional artist while gaining experience working with a variety of tools and a variety of people.

PARTNERS:

Rondell Crier

The Educational Foundation of America

OUTCOME:

workshops held throughout the year

partnership strengthened

100+

items repurposed

IN THE NEWS:

WTCI via Greater Chattanooga–”Making Community”

WUTC

BLOG:

New Glass Farm Food Pantry Provides Nourishment for Body and Soul

2$ON and Art Trap Collective Keep Growing

One Giant Sweater for Larry Hines

Urban Artformz Institute and SEVEN

September 16, 2021/in Classes & Camps, Murals, Pop Ups Previous, Top 8/by Teal

Can Graffiti and Other Street Art Forms Help a Neighborhood Understand Who They Are?

2014

BACKGROUND:

As part of GHC’s Creative Placemaking Project and our mission to support individual artists in the community, Urban Artformz Institute was created by one of three artists in-residence, the artist Seven. Seven was selected from a pool of over thirty applicants, a street artist known for his colorful murals, which often portray the diversity and beauty of humanity and the world we live in. He has a strong desire to mentor the local community, particularly the youth, through the arts.

What Urban Artformz and Seven Did:

Urban Artformz was a design studio located on the second floor of the former GHC headquarters. It offered a variety of workshops focusing on visual art (both street art and fine art), spoken word and poetry, and urban dance. It also hosted several summer workshops for youth in the community and small events such as talent shows and movie screenings. When not hosting, the space was used as a community internet cafe.

Seven not only led many of the workshops in the studio, he is also responsible for the many murals along Glass Street.

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VISION:

The institute and studio aimed to reform and inspire the community through a wide variety of artforms. Special attention was given to influencing the youth and offering them opportunities to discover their creative talents. Alongside the vision for the studio, Seven’s participation in mural projects has added to the beautification of the Glass Street area, making local investment a greater possibility and instilling pride in the community.

PARTNERS:

Eric “Seven” Finley

The Educational Foundation of America

OUTCOME:

children and youth participated in summer camps

murals added to the Glass Farms Neighborhood

classes and workshops offered

IN THE NEWS:

WUTC

City Scope

BLOG:

Establishment of Graffiti Alley (Hive Yard)

Flying Over the Rails Mural by Seven

Beats by Seven

Flying Over the Rails Mural

August 25, 2021/in Murals Previous, Top 8/by Teal

How Does a Mural Symbolize the Achievements and Future of an Entire Community?

2014

BACKGROUND:

The artist Seven is known city-wide for his murals, especially in the downtown and east Chattanooga areas. As part of his residency in 2014, he completed a number of murals, including “Flying Over the Rails” on the side of the GHC former headquarters.

NEED:

The mural is one of many that beautify the neighborhood. This one, in particular, holds a special meaning for the community with its symbolism of how the area has grown.

WHAT WE DID:

After receiving permission from the building owner, Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise, a hydraulic lift was graciously donated for a week of use from HERTZ Equipment rental, and volunteers Timothy Moore and Dequan Smith helped operate it and prepare the wall for the mural. The painting was a two-week progress, and still adorns the former GHC headquarters for passersby’s to admire.

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VISION:

Although the mural is open to interpretation, the core of the work is the Glass Street community and their ability to break through the barriers of a society that is inherently unequal.

PARTNERS:

Eric “Seven” Finley

HERTZ Equipment Rental

OUTCOME:

mural produced

partnership strengthened

community vision

IN THE NEWS:

City Scope: If Walls Could Talk

BLOG:

Establishment of Graffiti Alley (Hive Yard)

Flying Over the Rails Mural by Seven

Beats by Seven

Community Mural

March 4, 2014/in Murals Previous, Top 8/by glasshousec

Can one large community mural change the neighborhood for the better?

It can when it communicates the vision, values and history of its location. On August 16, Glass House Collective hosted a special ceremony to unveil its collaborative community mural, the largest of its kind in Chattanooga.

Professional artists Shaun LaRose and Rondell Crier led interns, students and residents over a three month time frame to create the larger than life composition, which spans the side of an old bank building at the intersection of Glass Street and North Chamberlain.

Besides adding visual interest, the mural has energized and inspired locals, who regularly stopped by during its creation to give positive feedback. Ultimately, project collaborators hope it will encourage even greater interest and investment in the Glass Street area.

The artists solicited community input to develop the theme of faith, hope, love and empowerment. The mural’s movement and fluidity represents passing those values from one generation to the next. Taking just two months to complete, the mural is a lasting symbol of how collaboration can help paint a new picture for Glass Street.

Outcome:

2 local artists completed the project, Shaun LaRose and Rondell Crier
2 artist interns, Emma Flynn and Miles Freeman
3 artist assistants to the lead artist and interns
12 students from CCS worked over the summer on prepping the wall
4 Glass Street teens worked alongside Rondell in creating the mural
55 paint brushes
250 gallons of paint

Media:

Times Free Press
Chattanoogan.com
News Channel 12
The Pulse

HERE Billboard

January 9, 2014/in Murals Previous, Top 8/by glasshousec

Can a splash of paint connect us to a place? Local designers Matt Adams and Nick Turner transformed a blank billboard on Glass Street into an eye-cathcing work of art to prove just that. Ultimately, the goal for the project was to demonstrate how creativity in the public realm drives collaboration and fosters a sense of place. Adams and Turner worked with volunteers to design and fabricate a large-scale stencil for the billboard, at which attendees of the Glass Street LIVE block party threw over 100 water balloons and cups filled with paint. The result was a splashy, vibrant sign that couldn’t be more clear: Glass Street is here.

Outcome:
Engaged over 35 individuals to reclaim a part of Glass Street.

Media:
Youtube Video can be found here.

Trolley Yarn Art

January 9, 2014/in Murals Previous/by glasshousec

Can yarn bombing build community? Chattanooga-based artist Olga de Klein uses the art of yarn bombing to create connections between people and place. “Trolley” is a 30-foot wide, 15-foot tall mixed-media mural made of yarn and paint on plywood. Sections of yarn knit by residents and supporters of Glass Street visually represent how individuals, when stitched together, can become something greater than before.

The mural also celebrates the historic East Chattanooga Belt Line Trolley which connected the Glass Farm District to the businesses and attractions downtown in the early 1900s. The trolley is not only a point of connection for places – it connects people. De Klein’s mural is designed to do the same – inviting people to interact with the installation and ultimately one another.

The temporary installation is located at 2442 Glass Street.

Outcomes:
14 volunteers engaged in the project
17,151 yards of yarn were used, which translates into about 9.7 miles
1 image of this mural reached more than 2,500 on facebook
More than 100 first-time visitors attracted to Glass Street

Media:

Featured on http://www.facebook.com/LionBrandYarns