What holds
a neighborhood together? Some may say it
is the widespread economic success of its inhabitants, the amount of grass that
there is to play in, or maybe proximity to public schools and offices. While those all may have some influences –
none of them bring the neighborhoods collective action, the thing that makes a
community, into the mix. But what
facilitates this collective action in the neighborhood? In some instances nothing needs to happen –
the personality of the neighbors itself is the catalyst that turns the
neighborhood into a community. In other
instances, an individual or a smaller group needs to step up and personally be
that catalyst.
There is a
place in Hartranft called Fotterall Square.
It is between 11th and 12th and York and
Cumberland. In this park is a series of
sculptures created in 1967 – they all represent people and animals and are
almost grotesque in their features and proportions. They are a great piece of Philadelphia public
art, but 50 years later what do they mean to the current neighborhood with a
totally new and different demographic?
What needs
to be done here is a participatory art project to reunite the neighborhood,
which now has vacancy of over 40%, and to give it a sense of place and pride
using projects similar to organizations like Public Workshop.
