Each artist’s finished piece was completed and transported the same week as Usher’s September visit, for their planned installation in a large double-sided sign frame located near the junction of Dodson Ave. and Glass St.. The whole project was made possible by a generous CFGC grant, combined with supplemental funding from TAC.

These powerful works of art, which are both currently installed on an old sign structure in East Chattanooga on Glass Street, each convey a distinct, yet complimentary message of emotional response to challenges facing local youth, threatening what could otherwise be a life of talent and artistic benefit to our communities. As both 2$ON and Charlie conveyed in conversation with Usher, an expressive outlet of creativity during youth has proved to be a lifesaver for both artists: a reality Usher could relate to on a personal level, and wanted to bring awareness to during his visit to Chattanooga.

The formerly vacant sign frame provided the ideal space for a pop-up exhibition in the middle of the neighborhood, going up just before the crowds came out to join in the Glass Street LIVE block party celebration. Area resident Niko (Orlandus Stamper), helped install the artwork, and the property owner Toni Gaines was very supportive of the project.

Part of what makes this exhibition extra meaningful for GHC is its representation of mentorship between 2$ON and Rondell Crier, director of Studio Everything. When asked about the excitement of meeting Usher, 2$ON kept a balanced perspective: “I’m just really about meeting people into the art they make, and it was cool that he (Usher) came back here. Honestly, though, I’m just as inspired by the people I know personally who are making things too, and investing time in me, like Rondell.” The young artist has come a long way, to the exciting stage of showing in his first solo gallery exhibit, Extraterrestrial at UTC’s Apothecary space.

As Rondell expressed so beautifully in his congratulatory post on Facebook:

“All congrats goes to 2$ON! He walked into the studio two years ago determined to pursue creativity in many ways. This is evidence that when you make yourself and your resources available others can put them to use in very positive and meaningful ways.

Share Your Resources!
Invest in People!
Develop Humanity!”

When our artists are acknowledged as leaders, the whole community shines. Thank you 2$ON and Charlie, for contributing great work right here on Glass Street. If you haven’t already, be sure to drive by and take a look! And thank you again to the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga for generous funding toward this project.

Last week we joined our community in giving thanks, even in the midst of challenges and loss. As we gathered with family to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, the Glass House Collective team was grateful for some specifics, and want to share our list as we gear up for tomorrow’s #chagives campaign. Here is a list of the top 5 things the Glass House Collective is thankful for this year:

1. Our Kids. To celebrate the creativity going on here on Glass Street, Usher Raymond chose Studio Everything as a site to film part of his edition of State Farm’s Neighborhood Sessions. We were so excited to tune in together to watch as the TV special aired Wednesday, November 23 on TNT! The kids who work with Rondell Crier at the studio were so excited when he came for the surprise visit! The special highlighted Usher and State Farm’s efforts to revive music and arts education in Chattanooga.

2. Our Neighborhood. The more we get to know our neighbors, and listen to real input from them about priorities, the more we have to be thankful for! Glass Street is just one thoroughfare in the midst of East Chattanooga, but during big events like Glass Street LIVE or at regular Good Neighbor Network meetings, we keep catching the signal that this is a community ready for life to surge! We’re also thankful to appreciate brand new views of this place via aerial footage captured by Kelly Lacey during Glass street LIVE, as well as new access to Sherman Reservation on fresh cut trails by our friends at the SECC!

3. Our Partners. We firmly believe in our success depending on fostering solid partnerships, which is why we’ve recently devoted time away from our regular work day to team up with Habitat for Humanity’s volunteer crews as they focus in on the Glass Farms neighborhood for their Neighborhood Revitalization program. We also hear the excitement from local kids talking about the business learning happening on Wednesday evenings over at ArchWay. Recent guests touring to learn more about how to partner with us asked many questions about both ArchWay and Studio Everything, as they explored how best to lend their resources to our work.

4. Our Inspiration. We’re thankful for work with inspiring artists right here on Glass Street, like Rondell Crier, our Studio Everything partner paving the way for mentor-relationships with budding artistic craftsmen like 2$ON and Christian and Amari. We also thrive on the infusion of life from seeing the work of outside artists and urban designers paving the way forward in the arena of community engaged design. Friends like Public Workshop’s founder Alex Gilliam who came from Philly to design and build with kids at the Avondale Rec Center, and artists like Wayne White and Mimi Pond who have been working for months to create the awe-inspiring Wayne-O-Rama. The relationships these and many other artists foster here at GHC make ripples that continue to energize our specific work in this specific place.

5. Our Community. The list of organizations participating in the #chagives campaign this Giving Tuesday is a great reminder that we get to participate and do our work within a caring and responsive community, taking care of one another when painful tragedies hit home. It was great to celebrate and feast alongside partners at Causeway as a part of their citywide One Table feast. We also shared info and resources about how to best support those in our city hit with loss last week with the Woodmore Elementary bus accident and the Art120 building fire.

Happy Thanksgiving from Glass House Collective!

Additional Note:

Please remember to reach out tomorrow! Many are hurting after unimaginable loss, following the Woodmore Elementary Bus tragedy last Monday 11/21. According to the Times Free Press lines to donate blood were out the door at all area locations, directly following the accident. In the midst of grief, we’re thankful for a community that cares and responds. Here’s United Way’s list of the best ways to continue offering help and support.

Although she let us know this was her 3rd parade experience, a puppet parade marching down Glass Street was thoroughly new and exciting for Kadesha, age 11, who has spent all of her childhood here in East Chattanooga. She attends school at Hardy Elementary, and found the puppet-building activity to be a strong motivator to finish her other chores and homework, allowing her time to spend adding details to her cardboard queen.

“I already knew how to do paper maché from the art classes we used to do over at the Glass House building, before it was ArchWay,” Kadesha relates, “but I hadn’t painted before, so that was a chance to get better, and adding the painted accessories ended up being my favorite part.” For a video of Kadesha showing off her puppet in progress, click HERE.

“From the start, Kadesha had the determination to make her puppet into royalty,” recalls Colleen LaLiberte, one of the artists leading the workshops. And Kadesha’s mother, Kendra Cook also remembered the emphasis Kadesha placed on getting the crown right, with golden paint and jewels. Kendra also expressed deep appreciation for what the program offered her daughter.

“I thought the whole thing was awesome. It really gave Kadesha a purpose, and she was totally into it. The puppets were something for her to focus on aside from the usual distractions. Kadesha was proud of what she was making, and told me all about it every day.  I felt good too, knowing Kadesha was in a safe environment, getting healthy interaction with other kids who were all slightly older.”

During the weeks leading up to our block party, Glass Street LIVE, a range of local community members gathered on Monday and Thursday evenings from 5:30-7:40 at 2510 North Chamberlain inside Mark Making to team up with Michael McCamish and Colleen LaLiberte constructing puppets from recycled cardboard and other discarded materials. Their artistry is in affiliation with the Shaking Ray Levi Society, and funded by Tennessee Arts Commission. These giant scale puppets were animated by local residents as part of the parade with Wayne White during the block party event Sept. 24.

Everyone who got to show off their work during the big parade expressed the sweeping sense of joy and excitement, which was enhanced by the pride of carrying the results of one’s own artwork down the street while everybody watched. As for Kadesha, she was proud and excited, but also very focused.

“I was nervous about dropping my puppet, because it was heavy!” she recalls with wide eyes. “But I was really glad I could carry my own puppet, and be in the parade. I would do that again, and maybe some other kids who didn’t know what we were making before could come try it this time, after they saw how fun it was.”

Special Thanks to: Tennessee Arts Commission, their generous support made the puppet creation possible.

We certainly did enjoy a hyperactive month with a surprise visit from Usher and filming at Studio Everything, a collaboration with Wayne-O-Rama and GHC visit from the artist Wayne White, our own executive director, Teal Thibaud was selected for the Chief Executive Program up at Harvard’s campus, we hosted an incredible neighborhood celebration: Glass Street LIVE, widely reviewed in local press and attended by nearby neighbors and many friends who experienced our beautiful streets for the very first time! We were proud to spotlight our National Parks Service that same weekend, with its Centennial Celebration press conference up at Sherman Reservation.

Then with barely a breather, Thibaud and GHC co-founder Katherine Currin traveled up to NYC for the opening of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum’s exhibit: “By the People: Designing a Better America,” an exhibition of 60 collaborative designs from throughout the United States that featured Glass House Collective’s How-To Guide, as an example of scaleable design process. What a bonus to find GHC discussed in the accompanying NY Times article!

While our director was away, Nikki Lewis, GHC Community Engagement Coordinator, finalized the arrangements for the National Night Out Event held October 4 at East Chattanooga Rec. Center, bringing together 7 area neighborhood associations and praised as a fun-filled positive event for everyone involved!

We’ve been hard at work putting our grant funding from Education Foundation of America (EFA) to great use, so a big thank you to EFA for the opportunity to pour our energy and hearts into engagement with our wonderful community here.

Don’t miss out on the overflow of innovative ideas and community building! We are always welcoming new partners, artists, neighbors and friends to join us in our work on Glass Street. Click on the “Get Involved” tab here on our website and enter your e-mail at the top of this page to sign up for our newsletter!

It came as a huge and humbling honor for the GHC co-founders to see their How To Guide document along with a photo display and stools from Zachary Reynolds of Woodwise Urban Designs exhibited along with a stunning array of designers and community development and place-making initiatives from across the country.

By the People: Designing a Better America, is the third exhibition in Cooper Hewitt’s series on socially responsible design, and will be on display from Sept. 30 through Feb. 26, 2017. “The first exhibition in the series to focus on conditions in the U.S. and its bordering countries, ‘By the People’ explores the challenges faced by urban, suburban and rural communities. Organized by Cynthia E. Smith, Cooper Hewitt’s curator of socially responsible design, the exhibition features 60 design projects from every region across the U.S.”

Read more and see images on the museum’s exhibit website here!

Find the exhibit’s official press release here!

Shout out to our fellow Chattanooga representation in the NYC exhibit, as the Chattanooga Public Library’s 4th Floor was featured in a different section of the same exhibit!

Overall we had hundreds of delighted kids and adults alike from all around Chattanooga cheering for the parade, exploring Sherman Reservation with the National Parks rangers, dancing to the music, and both watching the mural artists paint and even getting involved themselves, covering a CPD squad car with layers of bright water paints! We even had a few surprise hits like the Comfort pop-up skate park!

Thank you to every participating group represented last Saturday!

CNE
A Step Ahead Foundation Chattanooga
Hardy Elementary PTA
Father to the Fatherless
Habitat for Humanity
28th Legislative District
Boyce Station Neighborhood Association
Dodson Ave CHC
CARTA
Outdoor Chattanooga
Moms Clean Air Force
Grow Hope Urban Farm
EPB
I.M.P.A.C.T.
Cherokee Sierra Club Group
Southeast Conservation Corps
UT & TSU Hamilton County Extension
Tennessee River Gorge Trust
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
Youth & Family Development
Touch My Life Ministry
Hamilton County Coalition
Track 29 and Revelry Room
UnifiEd
Zia Chapter #1081
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
AIM Center
Hope for the Inner City
Rock the Vote
GreenSpaces
Moms Demand Action for Gun Censorship in America
Chattanooga Hamilton County Health Dept, Community Outreach
April Gunter’s Pink Zebra
Alecia Vera Artwork
Twin Heart Creations
Cousins Mobile Boutique
Dorothy Taylor’s Peanut Brittle
Spread the Grub
BlueCare TN Insurance
The Tenesha Irvin Show

Whether it was cheering and dancing with the parade, perusing market wares on offer from our local farmers and resident vendors of homemade goods, getting an up close look at puppets made by collaborations between the artists and local kids, or contributing ideas or poetry in pop-up installations in the local shops, or just enjoying great BBQ seated at the tables among friends old and new, this was a day all about the community here on Glass Street.

GHC Community Coordinator, Nikki Lewis described on her Instagram, the impact of the Glass Street LIVE event on the local kids who participated in the Puppet Parade: “They were the stars!!! Their smiles, their laughter– they deserve it! I couldn’t hold back the tears, and even now as I write this I cry tears of joy.”

At the end of the day, as the GHC team brought in the last of the tables and equipment, we heard from one of our neighborhood kids, Markees Stubbs, who burst through the door to announce: “Best day of my life!” Glass Street LIVE was a fun, larger than life extravaganza where everyone could mix and meet one another, it was a day for residents to celebrate and show off the life filling the streets of this special neighborhood.

DETAILS:

We’re excited that Glass Street LIVE coincides with both Wayne-O-Rama, the year long Chattanooga artist residency of Emmy award winning Wayne White, as well as the National Parks Service’s Centennial, allowing us the special opportunity to showcase Sherman Reservation, a 50 acre national park atop Glass Street, along the ridge. Along with free shuttle service throughout the day, provided by CARTA, visitors will be able to explore the new access trail that safely connects Glass Street to the park, where rangers will be offering Civil War historical tours at one-hour intervals: 1PM, 2PM, and 3PM.

After laying the groundwork, the Blitz event was able to come off as a successful cooperative event where 10 local homeowners were served in one day. Daniel could then follow-up with those neighbors during the following week to set priorities through June, and ongoing needs.

Often Habitat Chattanooga’s work in their home repair operations (NRI) focus on a longer scope of action with one family at a time. But this unique event allowed the volunteers to reach a higher quantity of residences. The Beautification Blitz also served as an introduction to the neighborhood for volunteers, kicking off Habitat’s focus of impact in the Glass Farms Neighborhood, setting new boundaries for the focus of their work.

In spite of some rainy weather local Abundant Life Church arranged a hearty Fish Fry from local business, Glass St. Breakfast and Lunch House, as a way to nourish the busy volunteers and facilitate social camaraderie over good food.

For Glass House Collective, this partnership is a natural branch growing from early “next big thing” community feedback, setting goals for residential improvement. At least one of the families we worked for was a homeowner not contacted before, but they responded positively and now looped into activities as a direct result of the Blitz.

In reaching out to residents, nothing is more critical to our work at Glass House Collective than partnering with residents, churches and business owners invested in the health and vitality of this neighborhood. The Block Leaders provide a visible catalyst of active input and care about what’s working and pinpointing the particular challenges neighbors view as most pressing. Right from the start the Block Leaders identified four key priorities: physical revitalization, safety, social fellowship, and community networking.

While 13 initial leaders is a solid start, more involvement is needed to cover all 29 blocks. As local resident and Block Leader Janette Richie pointed out, some of the subsequent gatherings have seen a number of leaders drift in and out of participation. She is looking forward to an upcoming Unity Walk, scheduled for August 6 in partnership with the Good Neighbor Network, and sees it as a chance to recruit more Block Leaders and reiterate the need for regular involvement. She’s hoping to inspire new Block Leaders to step up in time for the next training session coming up in September. “It’s not a lot of time commitment, but it does so much to help keep everyone informed,” Richie said. “If we talk about attracting important business here to Glass Street, like a proper grocery store, we have to lead out and engage everybody in the exciting conversations.”

If you have an interest in becoming a Block Leader, or to learn more about the program, e-mail the group’s official organizer, Dr. Everlena Holmes at emholmes@epbfi.com or call 423-622-0974.