Change

So… I haven’t blogged in a very long time. Much of that has to do with a change in my life. This summer I moved to Maryland and therefore need to change this blog! Though Pittsburgh will always hold a place near to my heart (it will always be my home) I’ve now started a new job in a new city.

I am now living in Montgomery County, Maryland and working as a museum educator at a small community museum. Over the past 6 months working there I’ve learned so much and am really looking forward to sharing my work and how sustainability fits into this new phase of my life.

For now though, I wish you all a happy holiday season.

-Stephanie

Spring Edition: 3 Organizations Helping to Sustain Pittsburgh

Spring is here and the weather in Pittsburgh has been nothing but perfect, I thought I would share some of my favorite outdoor organizations!

Venture Outdoors http://www.ventureoutdoors.org

Venture Outdoors promotes outdoors recreation for all people, from children to the outdoor enthusiast and everyone in-between. Their mission promote a healthy lifestyle, build community, and on top of that, they’re trying to transform Pittsburgh into a city that is based around the outdoors. From kayaking to beer hikes (that’s right BEER hikes!) check out their online calendar for dates, times, and locations and also read their blog for photos and stories.

Pennsylvania: Buy Fresh, Buy Local http://www.buylocalpa.org

Nothing says Spring like the return of Farmers Markets and garden fresh food. Pennsylvania: Buy Fresh, Buy Local’s goal is to make it easy for people to find markets, farms, restaurants, and grocery stores that are dedicated to buying and selling locally grown foods, helping us support our fellow neighbors. Check our their website for seasonal recipes and their blog for interesting studies and projects supporting sustainable agriculture.

Golden Triangle Bike Rentals http://bikepittsburgh.com/

As biking is becoming increasingly popular in Pittsburgh, our bike trails have expanded and reach all over the city. What better way to view Pittsburgh than on a bike! Golden Triangle Bike rents bikes by the hour or for the day and provides helpful information and maps to help you plan your day around the city. Check out their website for locations, times, and special deals.

Pop City Media: What Pittsburgh Needs: Says You

A really interesting article written by Elaine Labalme of Pop City Media. This is a follow up article after she received feedback from Pittsburghers about what changes we would like to see to enhance our city.

What Pittsburgh Needs: Says You

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Reflection and Inspiration

To all the Pittsburghers who came in wagons over the mountains,
who worked long hours in hot mills,
who scrubbed laundry and floors to keep their families together,
who worked for clean air and greener buildings,
who strove to make their place a better place.

I found this dedication in the book Pittsburgh: 1758-2008, published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh as I ended the first section of my groundwork research this week. As with end of any project, I began to look back and think about what I could have done differently.

For my Cultural Sustainability groundwork project I wondered if what I had chose to look at really mattered to anyone but me. After researching I began to realize how much truly inspiring work people are doing using community oriented educational programs, what I refer to in my paper as place-based education. I am not alone in the hope that we can begin to shift our educational system away from standardized testing and the limits of the school walls — but teach children the values of their community and appreciation for the things that make each of them unique.

What inspired me to look further into types of educational reform is my love for my hometown of Pittsburgh. While I am a traveler and I love to experience different ways of life, I am always happy to know I am coming home to Pittsburgh. What frightens me though is the harsh reality that many of my peers leave the city for better jobs and different lifestyles. Though I can understand the appeal, I can’t imagine leaving Pittsburgh for good. So instead of losing the city I love, I am choosing to fight for it so that the generations after me understand the history and importance of their hometown and feel a similar responsibility to keep it vital.

Sometimes I doubt I will ever be able to accomplish this goal, but when that time comes I know I will be able to find the inspiration to keep going. The dedication in that book reminded me that through all of my work, what I am actually doing is trying to make my Pittsburgh a better city for everyone, and honor all of the people who moved here and labored hard, and those who continue to do so, creating a better place for me.

2nd Edition: Three Organizations Helping to Sustain Pittsburgh

The Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council
Empowering the people who give us art: http://pittsburghartscouncil.org

The Great Pittsburgh Arts Council is a relatively new organization, formed by the merging of two previous arts organizations in 2005. Their mission is to make “art central to the lives of individuals by expanding the reach, influence, and effectiveness of the regions diverse cultural community”. The Council implements a variety of activities from art advocacy to grants to residencies. Through their work, the overall goal is to contribute to the vitality of Pittsburgh through arts and culture, using these areas to create growth in the city and sustain the groups and artists that provide quality artwork to the region.

Father Ryan Arts Center
of Focus on Renewal:
http://fatherryanartscenter.org

When a lawsuit over housing discrimination was settled in McKees Rocks, the community and Focus on Renewal (F.O.R.) came together to decide how to spend the $800,000 they were rewarded. The result was the Father Ryan Arts Center, created for community members to have a place to gather, share, and grow together. The Center now holds a variety of art educations programs for all ages including yoga, pottery, choir, and musical theater. They have managed to sustain themselves through a social enterprise catering company and cafe. The center is active in the surrounding school districts, collaborating with other organizations to promote the enhancement of culture in the region and maintain local traditions. The Father Ryan Arts Center is a true community center– harnessing the talents of its members and passing on their knowledge.

Artspace 105
http://www.steelvalleyarts.org

Part of the Steel Valley Arts Council, Artspace 105 provides a venue for visual artist to display their work in a community setting. SVAC is also dedicated to arts education as a way to increase confidence and improve academic performance. Currently they run a “History through Art” program using the local history of the industrial communities of Homestead, Munhall, West Homestead, and Whitaker to inspire youth art projects.



Cultural Sustainability Groundwork Project

In my cultural sustainability groundwork project, I am proposing ways we can use culture & arts education to connect students with their communities from a young age so they will gain the respect and responsibility which will ultimately aid in sustaining their community. Every child must attend school; therefore the educational system is a powerful tool in shaping children into citizens of their community. This proposal also involves the members of the community who will need to invest back in the children, whether it is through sharing their wisdom, skills, or time, so that their relationships can grow and prosper past the confines of the school.

Though I plan for my work to provide a model to be used anywhere, I would like to start my work using the city of Pittsburgh as a main setting. Pittsburgh is a city that was severely hurt during the downfall of the steel industry in the 1970’s-1980’s crippling many of the neighborhoods and causing a large drop in population as the residents lost thousands of jobs causing them to move elsewhere. Since the decline in the steel industry, Pittsburgh has begun to bring itself back from economic downfall and has weathered the current recession better than most cities in America. Due to the current revitalization of the city, I believe now is the ideal time to revamp our educational system to expand students knowledge about the history and importance of the city, but also increase community within neighborhoods and the city in large so that the work done through revitalization will carry on from generation to generation.

To accomplish such a project I will first need to research the history of Pittsburgh so I can better understand the dynamic of the neighborhoods and people who lived here in the past, presently, and in the future. I will need to actively work at this because as a member of the greater community I have my own biases and perceptions that I must overcome to have a better understand of the city as a whole. Second, I will expand my background on educational structures and research ways people are trying to evolve traditional school settings through community collaborations, diversification, environmental programs, the arts, etc. Third, I plan to seek organizations that already run innovative programs. This research is multifaceted in that I can use organizations with strong youth programs as examples and organizations that could develop better programs to come up with new ideas. It is important for me to not assume that no organizations currently exist that are bridging the gap between schools and the community. I hope through my research to provide a resource and suggestions of how through working together we can accomplish this great goal and have more power to change the structure where necessary. Finally, I would like to find communities who implement strong community programming within schools to use as a positive example of its importance and possibility.

This project, centered in Pittsburgh, is particularly important to me as I would like to see all the efforts to revitalize the city be successful which I do not believe will be possible without rebuilding community and including our children. The downfall of the steel industry caused a population decline, but even 30 years later there is still a decline in Pittsburgh’s population. From 2000 to 2006 the greater Pittsburgh area saw a decline of 60,000 residents (“Pittsburgh 2nd in Population Decline”). What may be more important than our loss of population is our disproportion; the largest part of the population is over 45, 65, and 85 while the lowest proportion is under 5 years old, and 18-34 years of age (Elizabeth Smith). What those numbers mean to me is that the young adults born and raised in Pittsburgh are leaving the city which means once the 45+ population becomes the 65+ population, who will be here in the city to keep it thriving? I have seen friends leave in search of better jobs and different lifestyles, but I am committed to make the changes within my hometown so we can retain our youth and not face another downfall. Though an increase in jobs is vital to helping our city thrive, once those jobs come, the people coming to the city will move into the best neighborhoods with the best schools. It is my hope that by doing the work now to increase community and create strong educational programs through the arts that we can sustain the city and also draw in young families looking for a place to belong.

Looking at this project through the lens of cultural sustainability, by changing the way we approach education and increasing community involvement we are empowering the greater community to work together — creating mentorships, partnerships, and a greater network of people and communities. Using community and grassroots organizations that already exist, we are able to pull from the resources around us and build from the excellent programs that are working – but also leave room to create growth. We can work together to keep our traditions and culture thriving, while also passing them onto our youth and increasing their pride and responsibility all of which will shape and sustain Pittsburgh.

Bibliography
“Pittsburgh 2nd in Population Decline.” KDKA (April 5 2007).     http://kdka.com/local/Pittsburgh.2nd.In.2.388417.html. (accessed 31 January 2010).
Smith, Elizabeth. “Top 5 Declining U.S. Markets”. NuWire Investor. (October 17 2007). http://www.nuwireinvestor.com/articles/top-5 declining-us-markets-51299.aspx. (accessed 31 January 2010).

Sustainability Everywhere!

Since starting my grad work in Cultural Sustainability I’ve noticed the buzz work “sustain” everywhere lately. I truly believe this word — and more importantly the ideas behind it — are catching on in society. Today I was especially surprised to see this word pop up at church in the Prayers of Intercession:

sustain your church…

sustain the world you made…

sustain the nations of the world…

sustain those who are poor, homeless, or hungry…

sustain this congregation….

sustain those who grieve as you sustain all the saints who now sit at your table.

Celebrate, January 31, 2010. August Fortress, Minneapolis. 2009.

  

Three Organizations Helping to Sustain Pittsburghers

As mentioned in my previous post, it is my intention to use this blog to inform readers of organizations that are carrying out the mission of sustainability. Below is a brief description of each organization, please follow the link to find our more information. I have permanently added these links on the right side of the page under “pittsburgh links” for easy access in the future.

Storehouse for Teachers http://www.storehouseforteachers.org

This organization is based in Southwestern PA and provides free supplies to teachers in low-income school districts. The storehouse asks for teachers who take materials for their class to have the children handwrite thank-you notes to the donors. Donations are made from a variety of organization from local churches to corporate organizations located in the region such as Eat n’ Park and American Eagle Outfitters. It is the organization’s vision to create “a community transformed by teachers equipped and motivated to give hope and better education to students in low-wealth families by providing the tools necessary for their educational success”. Please contact this organization if you would like to volunteer, donate, or receive supplies.

Hazelwood Harvest http://hazelwoodharvest.org

Hazelwood Harvest is a community initiative which not only provides food to the community but also depends on the youth of the community to maintain the garden through a series of summer programs. Since the organization started in 2008 it now has gardens in 4 lots, chickens which provide eggs, and collaborates with “Burgh Bees” which has started bee colonies to produce honey.  This organization hopes to create an agriculture youth center and create a social enterprise to sustain the community of Hazelwood.

Manchester Craftsman Guild http://www.manchesterguild.org

The Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild was created in Pittsburgh by Bill Strickland in 1968 in the North Side at a time when the city was racially and economically divided. The organization has since grown and works to educate youth in the arts through mentorships. It has a strong connection with jazz and actively promotes it to help bridge intercultural understanding. It strives to not only better the lives of the children involved but the people who come to the events. MCG also includes adult education classes, some of which fulfill Act 48 credits for teachers in the Pittsburgh Public School district. The Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild not only teaches art, but expects its students to be conscious of how their work influences others and expects them to conduct themselves intentionally according to their belief and focus.

Cultural Sustainability?

As my last semester of college came to an end, I immediately knew I would continue on with my education. What I didn’t know was what I wanted to continue on studying. My family would have liked to see me in a teaching program (seeing as I failed to do that for my undergrad) while I had big aspersions of studying art history (anyone reading this please note: most colleges like you to have a minor in arts history before you get your masters– good to know 4 years too late!). I finally decided it was best that I wait and while I found interesting programs, nothing really felt “right” to me.

I put my plans of returning to school on the back burner for two years until I finally heard of a new program, a Master of Arts in Cultural Sustainability. A catchy title, but what was it? It’s been over six months since finding the program, applying, and starting classes, I am only beginning to understand.

So we come back to the question, what is cultural sustainability? After an intensive week of residency at Goucher College I am only now beginning to figure that out. I think the best way for me to explain cultural sustainability is to explain what I learned during my residency and how it relates to my experiences and the direction I want to go in. (For a more traditional definition of the term please read my “About” section in this blog.)

Going into my residency I truly had no idea what to expect (thankfully none of my classmates had any idea either which was a calming reality). As we began to discuss what  we were doing in our fields and why we chose this program it became evident that we had a diverse range of jobs, missions, and interests, but maybe the thing bringing us together was our search for more. We want to be more than archivists, researchers, teachers. We feel the need to strengthen the bond of communities, be accountable for our actions, and show respect towards others.

One of our first class activities during our residency was to begin to comprehend cultural sustainability by compiling a list of ideas we thought defined it. This was a useful exercise and a great place to start if anyone out there is trying to wrap their heads around a complex idea. Sometimes it’s easier to use one word before you can expand your work.

Here is the list we created:

– Human Ecology

-Connections and Processes

-Respect and Understanding

-Community Networking

-Local

-Leadership and Stewardship

-Ethics and Responsibility

-Preservation and Protection

-Diversity and Tolerance

-Freedom

-Communication

You can see from this list we are all idealistic individuals, but maybe that is what everyone needs right now — a reminder of  the hope and possibilities that exist in the world. I realized during my residency that I signed up for more than a Masters program, I signed up for a new way of seeing the world.In my new world view, I can see people who choose to live above greed and money. People who look beyond race and class to learn what each person has to offer to society. I saw this world view in everyone I met over my week at Goucher.

On a trip to Philadelphia we met Debora Kodish who is the director of the Philadelphia Folklore Project with the mission to

“build critical folk cultural knowledge, sustain vital and diverse living cultural heritage in communities in our region, and create equitable processes and practices for nurturing local grassroots arts and humanities”.

There is no monetary gain in running such an organization, but the good it does for Philadelphia and the various communities living there out weighs any cost. Beth Barbush, program director of Art on Purpose, took the time to share with us the work she does with her organization in Baltimore. Art on Purpose uses the creative and performing arts to spread advocacy and social justice for the under-represented communities of Baltimore. The work done through Art on Purpose helps empower communities to speak up about the issues affecting their way of life and teaches them how to express that through the arts.

So once again I return to the question: what IS cultural sustainability? I discovered that (much like the most important questions of life), it seems there is no cookie-cutter answer. My hope is that we can discover the answer together. It is my intention with this blog to share organizations (such as the two aforementioned), my fellow students’ work in the field, and related academic material that expands our shared understanding of cultural sustainability. Let the journey begin!