Jeffrey Carpenter, a native Pittsburgher and graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, founded the Bricolage Production Company a decade ago. He took his inspiration from anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss, who used the term “bricolage” to mean “the innovative use of what’s at hand.” The Bricolage Production Company is dedicated to “making artful use of what is at hand” to “combine existing elements — physical, social, political, cultural — into new visceral, meaningful theatrical experiences for artists and audiences alike.”
An example of that can be see this weekend in B.U.S. 6, their 6th annual Bricolage Urban Scrawl 24-Hour Theatre Extravaganza. Each year, Bricolage Urban Scrawl has six playwrights take a 90-minute ride on a Pittsburgh city bus. The writers then have 12 hours to each write a 10-minute play inspired by their trip. The directors and actors get 12 hours to rehearse, memorize and stage the plays. The entire process takes place over a 24-hour period. This year it will be from Friday, February 25th at 7:30 PM to Saturday, February 26th at 8:00 PM. B.U.S. 6 playwrights include Gab Cody, Wali Jamal, Gayle Pazerski, Peter Roth, Tammy Ryan, and Dennis Schebetta; and directors include Martin Giles, Melissa Grande, Matthew Gray, Sheila McKenna, Brad Stephenson, and Marci Woodruff. There are 24 actors (click here for a full lineup). Here’s a video that further explains the concept for the uninitiated:
Unfortunately, if you haven’t already purchased tickets, you’re out of luck. They’ve sold out both nights of this, their most popular event of the season. But, you can see upcoming events here and you can help to support Bricolage’s innovative vision here.
The Shyne Awards recognize the positive achievements of young adults (ages 13 -19) and gives them the opportunity to “shyne.” It’s open to young people in Southwestern PA including Allegheny, Westmoreland, Washington, Greene, Fayette, and Butler counties. Nominations can be made from February 1st to May 1st and the awards ceremony will be held on Saturday, August 27, 2011 at the August Wilson Center in Downtown Pittsburgh. Awards will be given in the following categories:
Academics: The individual must display exemplary academic standing, and community information on how their ability to achieve assists their and will benefit the community-at-large.
Arts: This category includes various forms of the arts including music, dance, vocal and visual arts. The applicant must provide in this area supporting documents that will display and communicate their designated achievements and success.
Community Service: The individual must communicate an area(s) in which they are providing a service to an individual, group or organization. Supporting documents must communicate number of years, time and talents have been donated to a specific cause(s); goals and outcomes applicant wishes to accomplish through their service.
Entrepreneurship: Information about the business, how many years the young adult has been in business, service/product they provide and how their business benefits the consumer/community.
Service in Ministry: Information must be provided about the individual’s involvement in ministerial activities, the length of time serving, the impact and the goals the individual wishes to accomplish serving in this capacity.
Science: This category is designated for young adults who display exemplary talents in one or more of the following areas: chemistry, biology, astronomy, geology and/or physics.
Overcoming Obstacles: This category will spotlight an individual who has encountered an extreme circumstance and chose to rise above and achieve their goals. Examples are, but not limited to, a death, environment, and accident or illness
Young Adult Group: An assemblage of individuals engaged in a collective activity involving, but not limited to, music, ministry, and/or community service.
You can learn more about the award rules here and download an application to nominate a worthy young adult here.
As their website proclaims: “It’s not just an event. It’s a movement!”
Intelligent Cities is an initiative of the National Building Museum, with the support of TIME and IBM and funded by The Rockefeller Foundation. More of us than ever now live in cities. The Intelligent Cities Initiative “explores the intersection of information technology and urban design to understand where we are, where we want to be, and how to get there.” For example, they look at the relationship between space, time, and money when it comes to car ownership and find that if a city could reduce car ownership by 15,000 cars, that city would see a return of $127,275,000 to their local economy (and of course, thousands of dollars saved by the individual citydweller).
You can take a poll here to consider what you think makes a city “a city” and they invite you to share the decisions you made on where to live: your home, your community, your city, and your region. Here’s an introduction to the project by National Building Museum curator Susan Piedmont-Palladino:
The Pittsburgh Historic Review Commission is considering the historic status of the Civic Arena (you can see the criteria they must use to make their decision here). While they consider the fate of the arena, the debate rages on: What should be done with the arena? There are those who believe that the 49-year-old landmark should be saved. They include the group Reuse the Igloo, who imagine repurposing the building. This is an issue which is not unique to Pittsburgh. Other cities are also debating what to do with their historic arenas and coliseums. One such city is Portland, Oregon. There’s a proposal to take their Memorial Coliseum and recreate it as a public recreation center known as the Memorial Athletic & Recreation Center (or “MARC”). That vision can be seen in this video:
However, when it comes to Pittsburgh’s Civic Arena, the issue goes much deeper than just what to do with the area currently occupied by the arena. As Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist Brian O’Neil puts it:
The way the Hill District was treated when the arena site was cleared in the 1950s was a civic crime. About 1,300 buildings, 400 businesses and 8,000 lower Hill residents got the heave-ho. Promises of better housing were never kept, and the highway ditches and largest park-for-pay lot in Western Pennsylvania are the neighborhood amputation scars.
David Conrad goes a step further in an opinion piece also published in the P-G:
It’s important because it’s evidence in a crime scene. It’s a weapon left on a battlefield. And this sword should be made into a plough share.
We should never forget what happened on those 28 acres. A strong, nationally known working-class neighborhood was wiped away. A neighborhood that gave Pittsburgh and America a symphony of cultural giants — musicians, actors, merchants, sports heroes and civic leaders — was chopped off at the knees.
The Hill gave generations of immigrants a foothold in this country, it gave them their first home and it gave them a voice — quite literally with the Pittsburgh Courier, which was to the African-American population The New York Times of its day.
The Hill. August Wilson’s crucible for the greatest play cycle in American literature. The home of the Crawfords, the fiercest baseball team that ever graced a diamond.
He makes an impassioned plea that we should expect nothing less than excellence from not only the Penguins and Oxford Development Company, but from ourselves. That the only way to begin to ameliorate the negative decisions from generations past is to think big:
Pittsburgh and the Hill deserve a better shake. A deeper process. One that, in the end, will create something that not only makes everyone involved more money than a series of movie theaters and cheesecake factories walled in by parking garages but that also will be a thing of beauty and strength that ties the Hill back into the life of the city it was meant to be a part of. A thing that people all over the country will travel to see.
We must not shrink from this challenge. Whether or not the arena is given historic status; whether the arena is creatively repurposed as more than just an arena and parking lot or if it is completely replaced; or if a part of it is kept as an icon and the area is completely reimagined; we deserve a real vision. We must ensure that this area is best used for the community of The Hill and for the City of Pittsburgh. The best plan will be the one with the most integrity. It will reintegrate the neighborhood with the rest of the city and be worthy of our history. A tall order to be sure, but one which all Pittsburghers deserve because it’s our city afterall.
And, as we look to to our future, we may want to turn again to Portland. Vision into Action seeks to create a vision for their city’s future by involving the communities and neighborhoods which make up their city. Their objectives include:
1. Facilitating the engagement of communities and populations whose voices are under-represented in public decision-making and planning processes;
2. Helping organizations, businesses, neighborhoods, and governments to align their efforts with the community vision for 2030; and
3. Advocating for projects and policies that align with the vision for 2030 articulated by 17,000 Portland-area residents who participated in visionPDX.
In other words, a vision of how to make Pittsburgh better shouldn’t come from Grant Street, it should come from the neighborhoods themselves with city government serving as the facilitator of how to make it happen. Perhaps if we had something like this in Pittsburgh, we wouldn’t be having the fights like the one over the Civic Arena.
There are almost 2,000 acres of land in Pittsburgh’s four RAD-funded parks — half of which are dense urban forests. Up to 60% of the trees in these parks may be facing significant losses in the coming years due to challenges which include emerald ash borer, oak wilt and overbrowsing by deer. Our trees are our calling card to the image of a new, green Pittsburgh (and a visual refutation of our smokey past). Additionally, they help to clean and cool our air and stabilize our hillsides. Those interested in preserving our green places are invited to attend a free public presentation. The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and Pittsburgh Shade Tree Commission will conduct a public meeting on Thursday, February 17th to discuss the state of our urban forest, the threats to it, and a Tree Action Plan:
Preserving Pittsburgh’s Trees: Action and Recovery
Thursday, February 17, 2011, 6:30 – 8:00pm
Frick Fine Arts Building
University of Pittsburgh Campus
(Across from Schenley Plaza)
Speakers include:
Dr. Walter Carson, Associate Professor, Plant Community Ecology and Tropical and Temperate Forest Ecology, University of Pittsburgh
David Schmit, Forest Health Specialist, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Dr. William L. MacDonald, Professor, Division of Plant and Soil Sciences, West Virginia University
Lisa Ceoffe, Urban Forester and TreeVitalize Coordinator, City of Pittsburgh
Phil Gruszka, Director of Park Management and Maintenance, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy
David Jahn, City Forester, City of Pittsburgh
You can register to attend the tree symposium here.
How much does your city council cost? If you’re in Pittsburgh, not that much. Relatively speaking, Pittsburghers are getting a bargain. At least that’s one of the findings of a study by The Pew Charitable Trusts which compared a number of quantifiable measures for 15 councils in the cities of Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San Antonio, San Diego, San Jose and Washington. Pittsburgh came in with the lowest budget per council seat, the lowest number of council employees (including members), and was the fifth least expensive for budget per resident. It came in the middle of the pack as far as what percentage of a city’s budget was spent on their city council (0.46%). Council members’ salaries in Pittsburgh were the fourth cheapest as compared to the other 14 cities.
There was a mixed bag when it came to other metrics. Pittsburgh city council members have a high turnover rate. The average tenure for council members in all 15 cities was 7.9 years. While Philadelphia had the highest average years in office at 15.5, Pittsburgh’s was 3.5 — the lowest number of years for a city without term limits and the fourth lowest of all the cities. It also had the second highest share of members serving their first term.
When it comes to representation of their population, Pittsburgh’s city council is made up of 22% African American members as compared to a 28% African American city population. Most of the city councils met or exceeded their proportion of African Americans of citywide population. Only Baltimore and Boston did worse than Pittsburgh percentage-wise. Female representation as a percentage of population was worse. 52% of Pittsburghers are women, but women only make up 33% of the city council — that put Pittsburgh around the middle of the pack. Dallas came the closest with a 48% share of female population and a 47% share of representation on their council. Los Angeles came in with a shockingly low 13% of women council members (as compared to 50% of their total population). Pittsburgh only has a 3% Hispanic population and no Hispanic council members.
You can view an interactive table on the report here and a .PDF of the full report here.
In the video below, Dr. Brendan Williams of the University College Dublin School Of Geography, Planning & Environmental Policy speaks about the importance of urban planning for sustainable development. He breaks it down to two issues: the need to regenerate city centers (which have suffered from underinvestment and neglect) and the need to contain the outward spread of the city (urban sprawl). Urban sprawl can be seen as the opposite of sustainability. Its effects include a high dependence on cars (with resulting pollution and dependence on fossil fuel, and loss of time and productivity due to long commutes); high per-person infrastructure costs; high per-capita use of energy, land, and water; and a loss of rural land and biodiversity.
While Williams is in Dublin, this is not an issue local to his city, nor to his country — it is the same issue being addressed around the world. The question is: Can Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania change our economic and development strategies to meet the global challenge or will we be left behind? Williams asks us to consider what our cities will look like in 20 years. What will the consequences of our planning — or lack of planning — be to our environment in the future?
And speaking of urban sprawl, the Center for Neighborhood Technology has a new mapping tool to assess a neighborhood’s average household transportation costs. One of the reasons that people chose housing in the suburbs is because it’s often cheaper than housing in cities. However, they may fail to fully account for transportation expenses — the second highest expense for working Americans. While, typically, housing costs are considered affordable if they consume no more than 30% of income, the index factors in transportation costs into the mix and and comes up with a defined affordable range of 45% of income for both. You can go directly to their Housing + Transportation Affordability Index here.
Most of you reading this blog have heard of the LEED ratings system which certifies buildings as being “green.” Now there’s a new ratings system that will verify civil engineering projects as being sustainable. The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure is a joint project of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Council of Engineering Companies and the American Public Works Association.
The ratings system uses a Triple Bottom Line criteria. TBL (also known as “people, planet, profit”) takes into account the economic, environmental and social impacts of projects. The ratings goal is to have civil infrastructure projects “Doing the right thing” as in:
- Pathway Contribution: “Doing the right thing” with the community as the common denominator - Performance Contribution: “Doing things right” or engineering high-performing projects
This is the first ratings system of its kind for civil engineering. Now, there can be an objective comparison and evaluation of civil infrastructure projects. Perhaps it can even be used as a tool to insure that there isn’t another proposal to pay for a “Bridge to Nowhere.”
You can read more about this new infrastructure rating system here.
There’s a slew of environmental and arts grants available right now for Pittsburghers. These grants cover a broad range of opportunities for applicants. There’s something here for everyone! Community groups, non-profits, faith-based institutions, companies, entrepreneurs, small arts organizations and individual artists and designers are all encouraged to investigate the following list of grants. (Grants are listed in order of their deadlines.)
Green Building Alliance Product Innovation Grants
Deadline: February 28, 2011 This is a fantastic opportunity for companies and entrepreneurs with existing products or concepts to apply for financial assistance with the goal of creating new and innovative green building products. Established commercial firms and universities located in Pennsylvania are eligible and collaborative efforts are strongly encouraged. More information available here.
EPA Environmental Justice Small Grant Program
Deadline: March 31, 2011
The Environmental Protection Agency has 45 grants available totaling $1.2 million in funding to address local health and environmental issues. These include: 40 grants of up to $25,000 each to support projects that address a community’s local environmental issues through collaborative partnerships, and; four grants of up to $50,000 each to gather better science on the environmental and health impacts of exposure to multiple sources of pollution in communities. Information on eligibility and how to apply here and more information on the program in general is here.
ART GRANTS
The Heinz Endowments Small Arts Initiative
Date: Wednesday, February 9, 2011, 4:00-5:30 PM This is an informational session for The Heinz Endowments’ Small Arts Initiative which is dedicated to project support for professional arts organizations in southwestern PA. It takes place at the Kelly-Strayhorn Theatre, 5941 Penn Avenue in East Liberty. There will be a review of key components of their grants program and a Q&A session. Additional information and a download of their 2011 Application Guidelines is available here.
Next Episode Pittsburgh Open Call for Artist Proposals
Deadline: February 25, 2011 Next Episode Pittsburgh has put out an open call for artist proposals for their Inaugural Public Program Series. This is an opportunity for Pittsburgh-based artists to submit proposals for temporary public artworks, performances, or site-specific installations in any medium to be presented at various locations throughout Pittsburgh beginning this May. More information here.
Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council Artist Opportunity Grants
Deadline: March 1, 2011 These grants are intended to fund professional growth opportunities for artists. They help to support expenses that are related to an artist’s development. Examples of the types of items covered: expenses for mounting a show, travel and lodging to attend a workshop/residency, shipping expenses for an exhibit in another city, etc. Grants range from $250 to $1,500. Additional information and application download can be found here.
Office of Public Art RFQ for Wood Street to Mon Wharf Design Team
Deadline: March 7, 2011 at 5:00 PM The Office of Public Art, in conjunction with Point Park University and Riverlife, is seeking to commission an artist to be a part of the design team to develop an innovative project that connects Wood Street to the newly created Mon Wharf Landing in downtown Pittsburgh. The artist will be placed on a design team with La Quatra Bonci Associates which designed the Mon Wharf Landing. Artists teams (including individuals working in multiple fields) are encouraged to apply. While this is open to all artists living in the US, Pittsburgh-based artists are strongly encouraged to apply. The Request for Qualifications is available here.
PennFutureneeds you to be Black and Gold and “green” all over. PennFuture is competing against Clean Wisconsin in Enviro Bowl 2011. The challenge is to see which environmental group can raise the most donations by Noon CST on Super Bowl Sunday. The stakes are high: “The losing organization must change its Facebook page to reflect support of the winning organization’s home team during the Super Bowl, and that organization’s leader must video tape a message to the other’s supporters, while dressed in the other’s team swag.”
PennFuture’s president and CEO Jan Jarrett has put out a desperate plea:
“I cannot bear the thought of losing,” said Jarrett. “If we lose, as coach of PennFuture, I have to give up my Black and Gold, take off my Troy wig, put down my Terrible Towel and change PennFuture’s Facebook profile to – are you ready? – yucky Green, Gold & White Packers stuff FOR THE ENTIRE SUPER BOWL. Even worse, I’ll have to send a thank you video to the Clean Wisconsin supporters, dressed in Green Bay stuff. “Don’t make me do this,” Jarrett pleaded with supporters. “I want – I need – I must be wearing Black and Gold for the Super Bowl. And that means our Facebook page, too.
Can we let this happen? Can we allow PennFuture’s Facebook page to be desecrated?
No!
Don’t wait until the 4th down. Grab your Terrible Towel in one hand and click on over to PennFuture’s website with the other and make a donation today.
Pittsburgh must win both bowl games on Sunday!
Go PennFuture and Go Steelers!
EXTRA POINT:
Yesterday, Pittsburgh City Council unanimously declared the week of January 31 – February 6, 2011 PennFuture Week in the City of Pittsburgh. During that session, Councilman Bill Peduto introduced us to this assist from New Orleans native Armand St. Martin and his wife Patty Lee who send their love to the Burgh:
UPDATE: The Super Bowl may have not been so super for Pittsburgh, but PennFuture absolutely shredded Clean Wisconsin in Enviro Bowl 2011! While Clean Wisconsin raised a very respectable $4,530, PennFuture raised the spectacular sum of $7,226.
Congratulations to PennFuture and to all those who helped!
As promised, Clean Wisconsin executive director Troy Paloredsten made a video in Steelers’ gear congratulating PennFuture:
Considering that both groups raised thousands for the environment, there were no real losers (but we did enjoy the wig).
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