By Andrew Beam
TROY — It’s going to be a busy few months for the Sanctuary for Independent Media as they aim to create a community in an area seen as one of the most neglected blocks in the city by bringing in art, food and music.
With the help of several grants, totaling around $250,000, the non-profit is looking to make several changes to their area, including constructing a staging area in Freedom Square while also unveiling the product of a yearlong Found Art in North Troy project.
“It’s about bringing art into a community, into a street of not an elite and separated thing from life but actually art that, at its essence, is about community development,” said Branda Miller, the arts and education coordinator at the Sanctuary. “It’s a participatory art design that gives voice. That’s the essence and vision of the Sanctuary.”
The grants come from the National Endowment of the Arts, which gave $50,000 to the project, along with a matching grant from the city, which was the result of a settlement between the city and the Sanctuary from a lawsuit regarding selective enforcement.
With the help of several grants, totaling around $250,000, the non-profit is looking to make several changes to their area, including constructing a staging area in Freedom Square while also unveiling the product of a yearlong Found Art in North Troy project.
“It’s about bringing art into a community, into a street of not an elite and separated thing from life but actually art that, at its essence, is about community development,” said Branda Miller, the arts and education coordinator at the Sanctuary. “It’s a participatory art design that gives voice. That’s the essence and vision of the Sanctuary.”
The grants come from the National Endowment of the Arts, which gave $50,000 to the project, along with a matching grant from the city, which was the result of a settlement between the city and the Sanctuary from a lawsuit regarding selective enforcement.
There is also a $100,000 Art and Economic grant from New York State Council on the Arts, which is part of the Capital District Regional Economic Development Council, and a $13,000 grant from the Alfred Z. Solomon Charitable Trust.
The bulk of the money will go toward artist fees and other initiatives, Sanctuary Executive Director Steve Pierce said, while the grant from Alfred Z. Solomon will help fund the construction of the stage.
Behind the stage, a mosaic will be created by contributions from students from various schools around the city, which Miller said fit into the idea of participatory art. Isaiah Zagar, a Philadelphia-based mosaic artist, will work with student volunteers in creating the mosaic on a concrete wall; Pierce said the work to create the wall has been put out to bid.
A bin full of plates can be seen outside of the front door of the Sanctuary for people to break and use in creating the mosaic when Zagar visits on June 1 and 2. There are also plains for artist Marcus Kwame Anderson to paint murals on the sides of various buildings on the block and even in the middle of the street in an attempt to slow down traffic, Miller said. He may even paint a mural on the side of the new Jamaican restaurant moving into the block, something both Miller and Pierce never imagined would happen.
The owner of the restaurant, Vincent Douglas, had been looking at Schenectady for some time before visiting Troy. Once he saw how much simpler it was to do business in the Collar City he decided to move it. Anderson will be meeting with Douglas later next week to discuss the possibility of a mural.
All of this activity and interest has been generated by the work done by both members of the Sanctuary and volunteers within the community, including members of Troy Bike Rescue, Collard City Growers, AME Zion Missing Link Street Ministry and Transition Troy.
The bulk of the money will go toward artist fees and other initiatives, Sanctuary Executive Director Steve Pierce said, while the grant from Alfred Z. Solomon will help fund the construction of the stage.
Behind the stage, a mosaic will be created by contributions from students from various schools around the city, which Miller said fit into the idea of participatory art. Isaiah Zagar, a Philadelphia-based mosaic artist, will work with student volunteers in creating the mosaic on a concrete wall; Pierce said the work to create the wall has been put out to bid.
A bin full of plates can be seen outside of the front door of the Sanctuary for people to break and use in creating the mosaic when Zagar visits on June 1 and 2. There are also plains for artist Marcus Kwame Anderson to paint murals on the sides of various buildings on the block and even in the middle of the street in an attempt to slow down traffic, Miller said. He may even paint a mural on the side of the new Jamaican restaurant moving into the block, something both Miller and Pierce never imagined would happen.
The owner of the restaurant, Vincent Douglas, had been looking at Schenectady for some time before visiting Troy. Once he saw how much simpler it was to do business in the Collar City he decided to move it. Anderson will be meeting with Douglas later next week to discuss the possibility of a mural.
All of this activity and interest has been generated by the work done by both members of the Sanctuary and volunteers within the community, including members of Troy Bike Rescue, Collard City Growers, AME Zion Missing Link Street Ministry and Transition Troy.
“It’s a lot of people pooling their resources to try and make something happen here,” Pierce said. “We’re talking about something that, on the cosmic scheme of things, is very inexpensive. The expenditure of public money is relatively small but the impact is relatively big. And people feel like they’re a part of it as opposed to something that is happening to them.”
Volunteers also helped clear brush in a vacant lot the Sanctuary purchased to put in a perennial garden where members of the community can help grown their own food. The Sanctuary will even hold classes on teaching members how to cook, including a workshop on April 9 called ‘The Story of Beans” which will teach people how to cook dry beans from scratch.
For Pastor Willie Bacote of the AME Zion Missing Link Street Ministry Church, it’s been great to see all of the work happening in the area.
“It’s a joy just to know what’s going to exist here,” Bacote said. “I’ve enjoyed every day I’ve been here. We’re finally going to see all this work come to fruition.”
Miller said the year-long project is all about empowerment and making the community feel like it is a part of the transformation. Both Pierce and Miller said Mayor Lou Rosamilia’s administration has been very responsive and encouraging about the work being done on their block.
“We hope it can be an area for experimentation for alternatives,” Miller said. “The traditional responses for economic problems haven’t done much. We just hope the powers that be are more responsive to more unorthodox alternatives.”
Volunteers also helped clear brush in a vacant lot the Sanctuary purchased to put in a perennial garden where members of the community can help grown their own food. The Sanctuary will even hold classes on teaching members how to cook, including a workshop on April 9 called ‘The Story of Beans” which will teach people how to cook dry beans from scratch.
For Pastor Willie Bacote of the AME Zion Missing Link Street Ministry Church, it’s been great to see all of the work happening in the area.
“It’s a joy just to know what’s going to exist here,” Bacote said. “I’ve enjoyed every day I’ve been here. We’re finally going to see all this work come to fruition.”
Miller said the year-long project is all about empowerment and making the community feel like it is a part of the transformation. Both Pierce and Miller said Mayor Lou Rosamilia’s administration has been very responsive and encouraging about the work being done on their block.
“We hope it can be an area for experimentation for alternatives,” Miller said. “The traditional responses for economic problems haven’t done much. We just hope the powers that be are more responsive to more unorthodox alternatives.”
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