Living Stories Project

VOICES, Inc. presents: A “Living Stories” event: I (heart) Downtown Tucson

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Past Living Stories Projects:

Downtown Geographical Expeditions!

I am excited to announce re:VISION project #2, presented by VOICES, Inc:the living stories project

“Downtown Geographical Expeditions”
Saturday, May 10, 10 am – 4 pm and/or Saturday, May 31, 10 am – 4pm
(Sign up for one or both!)

Been downtown lately? What do you see? Dust? Renovation? Construction? Vacancy? Change? What do you envision for Downtown Tucson’s future? What are your downtown stories, memories, experiences and hopes? How might you help contribute to Downtown’s re-emergence?

Join veteran VOICES artists Kimi Eisele and Josh Schachter on two, day-long journeys to explore, document, discuss, re-map, and re-imagine Downtown Tucson through writing, photography, and movement (yes, dance! but don’t fret, we define “dance” broadly–it’s easy!). Expeditions will offer participants the opportunity to experience, see, critique, and celebrate the city center in new ways. Activities will include walking tours, mapping, photography, writing, movement, emphasizing participants’ personal stories, memories and experiences of the city, past, present, and future. Stories and experiences will be gathered and shared through “re:VISION,” an artist-led initiative aiming to re-invigorate the dialogue about Downtown Tucson’s future using art practice, intervention, performance, and other creative means.

Workshops are suitable for people of all ages and abilities. No prior experience necessary. Writers, photographers, dancers, visual artists, thinkers, performers, planners and anyone interested in sharing stories, discussing, and creatively re-imagining Downtown Tucson are encouraged to join us!

Guest artists Kimi and Josh are the VOICES’ founding writing and photography directors ran the 110 Degrees After School Magazine Project, for five years. Both have gone on to conduct artist residencies in schools and cultural institutions in Tucson and across the country. Kimi has taught workshops and directed performances combining writing, the spoken word, and dance. Josh has taught photography and digital storytelling to youth and adults.

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LIVING STORIES OVERVIEW AND REGISTRATION:
WHAT: An all day workshop exploring and documenting Downtown Tucson through writing, photography, and movement.

WHEN: Saturday, May 10, 10 am to 4 pm
and/or Saturday, May 31, 10 am to 4 pm

WHO: All (14 years and up).
No experience required.

WHERE: VOICES headquarters, 48 E. Pennington and various downtown locations. Wear comfortable shoes, clothes and bring a hat and water. Bring a bag lunch.

SUGGESTED DONATION: $25 (please consider sponsoring a low-income youth to participate).

QUESTIONS: Rachel Villarreal, VOICES Projects Director, rachel@voicesinc.org or 622-7458 x209 or Donnamarie Miranda, VOICES Administrative Assistant, donnamarie@voicesinc.org or 622-7458 x204

You may register for the workshop by mail, email, or phone. Please direct registration to Rachel Villarreal, VOICES, 48 E. Pennington St., Tucson, AZ 85701,
or rachel@voicesinc.org, or 622-7458 x209. Please include the following information:

Name
Mailing address and contact information
Briefly tell us why you are taking this workshop
Check made out to VOICES for $25 (please reference “Living Stories”)

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More Downtown Geographical Expeditions

Here are more images from the last Downtown Geographic Expedition. We created memory maps of how we each see downtown Tucson. You can click on the maps to see larger versions.
Josh’s memory map

Julie’s memory map
Jill’s memory map

Kimi’s memory map

The first Downtown Geographical Expedition, led by Kimi Eisele and Josh Schachter, was an exploration of downtown using a variety of mediums and concepts – memory maps, photography using polaroid film and digital cameras, radical geography, post-it art, and walking. Here are few highlights. I’ll post the memory maps and the polaroids shortly. All of the photos (except the one below) were taken by Josh Schachter.50 Steps
We did a photo exercise in which we started at the library and took a photo at every 50 steps. The exercise challenged us to see downtown in new ways. Here are 2 of the images I shot. To see all of my 50 steps pics, click here.

Pennington Street Garage
We ventured to the top of the Pennington Street Garage and commented on what we saw below. We envisioned the abundance of rooftop space being used for performances, gatherings, gardens. The bus station – already filled with mature mesquite trees and other vegetation – could be turned into a multi-use space – a garden of local foods, a cafe serving food made from the garden’s harvest, and a gathering space or community center. So many possibilities…

Post-It Notes: re:visioning the Thrifty Lot
The Thrifty Lot – sold by the city to a developer for $100 – has been empty for four years. We covered the fence with post-its imagining what this space could be used for. Among the ideas were a playground, ice cream parlor, locally-owned businesses, and a rainwater harvesting demonstration site.

Scattering of Seed Balls – Re-Greening Downtown
As we walked around downtown, we scattered balls of clay and dirt containing seeds of native plants and even some watermelon! Jill created the balls using seeds from Native Plants.

We checked out the chess event at Hotel Congress
Another Downtown Geographical Expedition will be held on Saturday, May 31st. See the previous post for sign-up information.