30 Oct Applications open for Golden Blocks Project: Public art in Laney Walker/Bethlehem. Deadline Dec. 3
Applications open for Golden Blocks Project: Public Art in Laney Walker/Bethlehem
Public Art Collaboration by Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History, City of Augusta, GA and Greater Augusta Arts Council, applications open now
CALL TO ARTISTS (visual, performance, word-craft)
Cash Stipend Awarded: $2,000
Date Call Released: November 1, 2018
Application Deadline: December 3, 2018
The Golden Blocks Project will partner 4 artists with Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History staff to creatively bring the knowledge housed within the Museum into public spaces in the Laney Walker and Bethlehem areas.
The selected artists may utilize visual art, performance, and/or word-craft to create their work. Any interested artist is encouraged to visit the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History to understand its mission and resources, and to familiarize themselves with the surrounding area.
This project is made possible by a collaboration between the Greater Augusta Arts Council, the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History, the City of Augusta Department of Housing & Community Development, and the advising artists Sala Adenike Allen, Karen Gordon, Baruti Tucker, and Aminah Walton.
OVERVIEW
Museum staff, local artists, Arts Council staff, and Housing & Community Development staff will work together to envision creative projects to strengthen the Laney Walker and Bethlehem communities through work executed in public space.
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About the Project
Artists who have an interest in the crossroads of art, history, and social change are encouraged to submit an application for the upcoming “Golden Blocks Project,” a project spearheaded by the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History and the Greater Augusta Arts Council. This project will partner 4 artists with the staff of the Museum to bring the knowledge housed within the walls of the museum building into public spaces in the Laney Walker and Bethlehem areas. The application to participate opens November 1 and will be posted to AugustaArts.com.
Named the “Golden Blocks Project,” in reference to the historic nickname of the neighborhoods around Laney Walker Boulevard, this endeavor will create new public art that references the historical and cultural significance of these areas.
During the time of segregation, the area nicknamed the Golden Blocks was the heart of Augusta’s black business community. Federal “Red Line” policies prevented citizens from receiving bank mortgages within certain areas that were predominantly non-white populations, and businesses elsewhere in the city were allowed to discriminate against black patrons due to Jim Crow era laws. In the Laney Walker and Bethlehem neighborhoods, black-owned banks, insurance companies, theaters and other businesses worked to offset this discrimination and thrived, creating a strong sense of community.
The Golden Blocks Project will be a collaborative effort to pay homage to this community between local artists, the Museum, the Arts Council, and the department of Housing & Community Development of the City of Augusta. Advising this process are Augusta-based artists Sala Adenike Allen, Karen Gordon, Baruti Tucker, and Aminah Walton.
“The Lucy Craft Laney Museum is excited to partner with the Greater Augusta Arts Council and local artists to highlight the history and culture of the Laney-Walker/Bethlehem communities through the Golden Blocks Project.” Corey Rogers, Historian at the Lucy Craft Laney Museum said, “It is our sincere hope that the works of art created through this initiative will spotlight many of the outstanding African American traditions and institutions that spoke to a ‘Golden’ era in Augusta’s African American community. This project will give voice and remembrance to many Augustans whose stories have been overlooked up until now.”
Accepted mediums can include performing arts, theatrical work, spoken word, music, visual arts, and more. Artists interested in applying should plan to visit the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History to familiarize themselves with the organization and the surrounding area. The application to participate will be available to the public on November 1. Artists will be required to submit samples of their work and letters of intent that specify why they would like to engage in this collaborative work. For any questions regarding the project, contact Project Manager Pax Bobrow at [email protected].