ON THE LINE: MESSAGES FROM TOLEDO

PHOTO CONTEST. Leading up to the event, Midstory held an Instagram photo contest under the theme of “A City in Transit,” receiving over 150 entries. This culminated in a gallery of 10 winners’ images mounted on canvas along with the stories behind the photos.

ADAPTIVE REUSE. While the bridge and concourse are no longer in active use for transportation, Midstory aimed to use the spaces in a way that pays homage to their original function while transforming the spaces as an inspiration for creative reuse.

AN INTERACTIVE AUDIO EXHIBIT. One of the preserved original features of the train station is its phone booths, no longer housing phone lines but remaining just the same. Midstory brought these booths back to life. In this interactive exhibit, Midstory’s interns f rom all over the country and even the world recorded “ voicemails” to home f rom Toledo. They reflected on their experience of this post-industrial, blooming city—the ephemeral experiences of a summer spent in a place in the midst of change. Attendees could pick up vintage phones to listen to these calls home, meanwhile reading the backgrounds of each young person on a didactic panel mounted inside each booth. This exhibit will continue its life in digital form, with the recordings and panels being turned into an online, interactive media piece.

“Hi Mama, just calling from out here in Toledo...”

ABOVE. Midstory interns give live presentations of their work aimed toward the revitalization of our region.

INTERN SURVEY RESULTS: - IMPRESSION OF TOLEDO IMPROVED BY 75% - 56% INCREASE IN LIKELIHOOD TO SEARCH FOR JOBS IN TOLEDO - 100% RECOMMENDATION OF MIDSTORY’S PROGRAM STUDENT WORK

EXHIBITIONS & PRESENTATIONS. All of Midstory’s 2019 summer interns and High School ThinkLab students worked on research & multimedia projects over the summer, which ultimately culminated in their presentation at the gala x expo. Student work was exhibited on easels in one exhibition, and students presented their projects live throughout the night in a dark-room theater. All of their projects were part of initiatives aimed toward city revitalization and uplift.

THE IMPACT. Through engaging with critical issues in the Toledo region, our students felt a sense of agency and commitment to the region.

GLOBAL REACH. When our students came to Toledo f rom all over the nation, they increased the reach of our Toledo- and Midwest-centric content by more than 300% in addition to diversifying our reach to cities all over the world.