October, 2004
STREETVIBES
Miami University Design Program Held in Over-the-Rhine Photos by Jimmy Heath Last month in Cincinnati, Miami University’s Center for Community Engagement in Over-the-Rhine and Architecture for Humanity (AFH) hosted a design charrette to link design advocacy with social movements addressing homelessness, poverty, and civil rights. The charrette was held at the MU Center for Community Engagement at Buddy’s Place, 1300 Vine Street. The program was an opportunity to galvanize creative processes in a city that is a flash point for rethinking a reinvigorated civil rights movement. Over-the-Rhine and Cincinnati constitute important
sites for learning. Participating in the charrette offered the occasion to link art and architecture to social change: to place aesthetic Elizabeth Linville work within movements for social justice and civil rights. Leaders of national and international Writers! importance - Kweisi Mfume, Harry Belafonte, Submit your Poetry to Rev. Al Sharpton, Dennis STREETVIBES Kucinich, Manning Marable, Robin D. G. Streetvibes@juno.com Kelley, Barbara Ehrenreich, Martin Luther Bonnie Neumeier addresses architects and students during intro session at Buddy’s Place in Over-the-Rhine King III, Ron Daniels, Walter Fauntroy, Cynthia the-Rhine People’s Movement, have all traveled to the area to McKinney, Damu Smith, Eric examine the political and social and other groups. The Mann and Lian Hurst Mann Charrette concluded with situation in Over-the-Rhine. The Cincinnati Freedom Summer charrette promised to provide a creative synergy around charrettes, artistic installations, and design/build opportunities among Architecture for Humanity, artists, activists, neighborhood institutions, and Miami University and the University of Cincinnati. Participants had the opportunity to gain knowledge of the history of civil rights in the area and the issues facing Cincinnati today through talks and workshops with the Cincinnati Black United Front, Cincinnati Progressive Action, the Over-
Event organizer Tom Dutton speaks to assembled crowd
completed works of design to be shared with the public. Charrette teams consisted of local citizens with memories of the local movement, local artists, students from Miami University and University of Cincinnati, local architects, visiting artists, and visiting members of Architecture for Humanity from around the country. Each team was co-led by one local citizen and a visiting artist-designer. Participants received a packet of information about Over-theRhine, the ongoing movement,
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Drop Inn Center Report Washington Park is the public space which is at the heart of the southwest corner of our neighborhood, Over-theRhine. In August, the Cincinnati Park Board, which owns and maintains Washington Park received news that they were receiving a cut for the current year (2004) of $216,000. As a result, they had to eliminate 40 positions of workers who cleaned City Parks. The impact on Washington Park is devastating. Before, we had two positions just focused on the park. Now, the Park Board is only able to pick up trash twice a week. Through the month of
August, Washington Park was slowly becoming more piled with trash. The gazebo in the center of the park was piling up with benches and furniture. This week we got to the point where we couldn’t take it any longer. Together with the Park Board, about a dozen Drop Inn Center residents and workers volunteered to clean the park yesterday morning, September 14th. Pictures of the event are on our groups’ website: http:// photos.groups.yahoo.com/ group/dropinncenterupdate/lst . How can city leaders afford to fly people in from Manhattan to study the park, but fail to provide the workers to pick up trash there? Quality of life begins with the basics.
photo by Jimmy Heath
City Budget Cutback Causes Washington Park Trash to Mount
Washington Park, Over-the-Rhine’s largest public greenspace Please call Cincinnati council/pages/-4126-/ . The City Council and urge them to time to act is now. The restore funding for our park forecasted cut to the Park workers. Here is their website: Board for 2005 is another http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/ $700,000.
Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless