On Thursday May 31st, we were privileged to join the celebration and unveiling of Life Energy– a collaborative community art beautification project coordinated by local arts non-profit, Mark Making. In partnership with Public Art Chattanooga, Chattanooga Department of Transportation, and Orchard Knob Middle School, Brainerd, Howard, and Hixon High Schools, Mark Making facilitated workshops in which 133 students from East Chattanooga competed to have their designs painted on six traffic cabinets around the neighborhood. The project challenged the students to not only explore how art can beautify the neighborhood but also integrate the knowledge of electrical circuitry into those designs, all while further understanding the power of citizen involvement in the community.

The six winning designers, Sarah Bargerstock, Daisha Draper and Kensha Moore, Sabrina Eldridge, Cody Hutchinson, Jade Sharp, and Xavier Wood, were congratulated by Mayor Andy Burke as their art was officially dedicated as part of the on-going effort to strengthen the community through intentional acts of advocacy and citizen participation. The celebration continued with refreshments at Mark Marking studio.

Jade Sharp, one of the local student winners addressed the crowd of her friends, neighbors, and reporters directly after Katelyn Kirnie and Frances McDonald. Jade reminded us that: “Every community has issues. Making art can also make changes. That’s what I hope to do as a professional artist someday.” Well said Jade, and we agree that each of these students is off to a strong start positively impacting their city and peers.

Keep your eye out for these beautiful student contributions to the greater East Chattanooga neighborhoods!

The fact that the installation was set up away from a central, more developed city plaza encouraged the colorful discs to serve as a temporary stage, playground, and dance floor where all were welcome. Kids from Hardy Elementary in the East Chattanooga neighborhood where The Pool was first installed, as part of the East Chatt Highlight Festival, had an inside track to directly selecting the programmed color patterns. They got to ask questions of Julie Miller, Jen Lewin’s Creative Manager (Jen sustained a foot injury that, unfortunately, caused her to miss the trip to Chattanooga), and test out the pucks functions before they were installed out on site at 1900 Roanoke Ave., just 3 blocks down the street from their school.

Julie’s eyes were wide during the opening night of the festival. “I’ve never seen anything like this.” She told me. “I’ve been traveling with this installation for years, but never do we find this kind of mix. I thought I’d be used to it in New York, but it’s so sad and surprising how everyone can so easily wall themselves off.  This is a kind of approach that’s completely new and exciting to me.”

The 40,000 LED bulbs within the 106 pucks of the installation create a bright, enchanted atmosphere as attendees danced with friends, old and new. Following Lululemon ambassador, Becky Byrns’ yoga movements all together that first night of the festival it was hard to feel self-conscious. Whether or not the person on the disc next to you was a total stranger, the common sense or wonder was powerful and unifying.

Dawn Hjelseth, Director of Development and East Chattanooga Empower Outreach Coordinator (an energy conservation and savings education program run through green|spaces), wanted to take on the challenge of setting up the sculpture, right off the bat, at the site with the least amenities (no lighting or power that wasn’t transported in), and at a neighborhood site unfamiliar to many Chattanooga residents. “We agree with what Glass House Collective consistently advocates for: there are many types of families who call these neighborhoods home, and the opportunity to engage with one another through beauty and art and music should be available to everyone.”

We applaud the whole Empower team for their sustained energy in seeing this installation successfully shared across three neighborhood sites over the course of a week. Despite some rough weather-delays, the colorful lights were enjoyed by an estimated 700 attendees to the launch site here in East Chattanooga. We are very proud to have partnered with Empower, Public Art Chattanooga, and Lyndhurst Foundation to bring Lewin’s installation to our city’s neighborhoods.

For a complete list of sponsors, click HERE.

At the center of the event was “The Pool,” an interactive art installation by Jen Lewin, an artist based in Brooklyn, New York. Her 106 “pucks” are programmed to light up in a swirl of colors when festival attendees step, run, or dance across them.

GHC director, Teal Thibaud and Empower director, Dawn Hjelseth began plotting over a year ago about how to bring the light and energy-centric sculpture to Chattanooga, and rather than the central downtown area, they wanted to see the sculpture in the midst of neighborhoods, where folks could easily play and mingle together who may not otherwise do so. The 1900 block of Roanoke Ave. (just down the road, along the same stretch as Glass Street), in East Chattanooga was “The Pool’s” first stop, and as Dawn describes, “definitely the most challenging for setting up, due to the completely deserted nature of the site.”

Everything needed to create the East Chatt Highlight Festival had to be brought in with trucks from the outside, a feat made possible through collaboration and sponsorship. The City of Chattanooga owns the land the festival took place on, and were agreeable to help prep the area by mowing and unlocking the gates. Dozens of fire anthills dotted the chosen corner, so volunteers and staff spent time Wed. and Thurs. marking hills with pink flags and sprinkling poison to avoid any mishaps for innocent wanderers when the festival opened Friday evening. Following the press preview Thursday, everyone was beginning to feel pumped, seeing the lights come on and react to our steps. Several neighborhood kids wandered past, and we beckoned them in to test out the installation, and an off-duty CARTA driver stopped her car on the way home to come investigate. All were excited to come back for the main event.

The Lyrical Lights portion of the Festival took place as a Friday kick-off, and was a rousing success, with DJ Tony Dubs keeping the crowd dancing, spoken word, performances by Marley Fox, 2$ON, KG, and others, with yoga on “The Pool” led by Lululemon ambassador, Becky Byrns. Rondell Crier of Studio Everything facilitated free painting on a giant wooden “H” for “Highlight,” and other local artists like Briah Gober had work on display for enjoyment and/or purchase.

At the time, none of us realized Friday would provide our only dry weather for enjoying “The Pool” for the duration of the festival, but everyone truly did make the most of it! 4 Bridges Arts Festival attendees from downtown, eager to check out “The Pool” and perhaps explore a part of East Chattanooga new to them, came and mixed with neighbors and families from nearby, all dancing and sharing the experience together.

For Saturday, the 3rd Annual Gospel on Glass kicked off the continuation of the festival with a special free afternoon concert bringing together a range of phenomenally talented artists sharing their gifts in spite of  intermittent showers. The evening portion of the day, meant to extend until 10:00PM had to be cut short due to a heavy downpour, but not before several attendees had a chance to play some on “The Pool,” and some friends stuck around to help secure the tents to withstand the drenching and wind during the night.

Sunday afternoon launched somewhat later than planned as well, because of heavy rain, but in the spirit of teamwork volunteers helped shovel mulch into muddy areas, straighten tents, repair and change out banners, and even move the ever-popular bounce-house closer in beside the colorful “Pool” area for a cozier set-up. DJ LV and DJ Tryezz set up camp under a protective tent and kept us all dancing even while damp.

LV shared during the afternoon set up that it was surreal spinning out on the old Boone Heights site. He grew up there, and hadn’t been back since, although he was sporting a “Straight Outta Boone Heights” t-shirt in anticipation of a coming reunion with other friends who have mixed-emotions about the area, and share curiosity about what may eventually get built here. “For now, it’s just good to meet people and share my music.”

New friendships, brilliant artwork, powerful music, and camaraderie in the face of challenging weather all helped the East Chatt Highlight Festival accomplish it’s original intention: to connect neighbors with the power of art, shining a light on the good happening in the East Chattanooga neighborhoods.  Click HERE for our official event video on our YouTube channel.

The artist arrangements are being made in collaboration with Public Art Chattanooga, and director Katelyn Kirnie says, “We are very excited to launch ‘The Pool’ in the Glass Street neighborhood, and for all the participating neighbors to have access to an interactive tech-integrated artwork which is sure to activate the former Harriet Tubman site and bring the community together.”

Our 3rd annual Gospel on Glass, funded by Tennessee Arts Commission is scheduled for Saturday, April 22 and will be held at the same location with the installation, to provide a live music component near and dear to the hearts of our neighbors. Plans are well underway for organizing favorite performers from Chattanooga’s gospel community for Saturday, while we continue to dream up a more freestyle hip-hop evening of programming for Friday’s kick-off. It will be exciting to see what comes together as local artists and musicians collaborate on expressions that make the most of the colorful lighting context of “The Pool.”

Since 2012 alone, The Pool has traveled to over 30 major installation sites worldwide, clocking millions of user steps, but has never been open to the public in the Southeast. Prior installations have been in metro areas including downtown Denver, SXSW, Google Headquarters; and it will be coming from Hong Kong before arriving in Chattanooga. The artist has selected this project to be a “Global Showcase”, a designation that is expected to bring international media attention to the installation and host neighborhood partners.

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Watch for continued program updates here on our blog and on our Facebook page as we move closer to this exciting weekend: April 21-23!

Read more in Sean Phipps’ preview article on Nooga.com