The following is the second in a series of articles regarding the Historic Tappen Park Community Partnership and their project, “Illuminate Stapleton”, winner of the NYC Neighborhood Challenge Innovation grant competition from Staten Island. The project as described in the NYC.gov website, will produce a series of light based art activities and installations along a one mile corridor between Stapleton and Tompkinsville. The project will help define the neighborhood and bring together a wider network of local businesses, residents, artists, and community organizations to help strengthen the commercial sector.
The culmination of these installations and exhibits will take place October 9-11, during the Illuminate Stapleton Art & Light Festival taking place through the entire Stapleton 10304 neighborhood.
Plans for Stapleton`s first “Illuminate Stapleton Festival” are now in full swing and sure to be a hit this Autumn! To be held during the Columbus Day Weekend, organizers have allocated the generous monetary award granted to them to include music, cultural programming, and an art show with dozens of local artists exhibiting their creations in Tappen Park. As a first time recipient of the NYC Neighborhood Challenge representing Staten Island, Ms. Kamillah Hanks, President of the organization, has described the project as “…connecting to the waterfront – a perfect marriage between the old and the new.” The Partnership has also included arts based installations created by the following participating community artists:
- Scott Bolger – video installation which includes elements such as vintage footage and stills.
- Stephen Trotto – A “wheel of time” installation.
- Lisa Dahl – creating a Victorian house, Stapleton’s trademark housing style.
- Mathew Jastremski – will create and encourage play and discovery by simply using a projector and video camera.
- Mitchell Lovell – the use of home videos to tell the neighborhood’s story.
- SB Kosinski – communicating the dreams of local women.
- Lina Montoya – “Stapleton” light based sculpture with a special surprise feature.
The stage organizers are Projectivity Movement, a collective of musicians, artists, teachers, activists, visionaries, and other community members led by Christian Penn, who have come together to create various opportunities for the public to showcase music and art, in addition to offering resources and education in these fields.
FYI, this grant is offered by the NYC Department of Small Business Services along with the New York City Economic Development Corporation and the the New York City Business Assistance Corporation. Monetary awards are granted to winners from each borough of the City of New York that supports innovative and catalytic projects which solve small business challenges, generate community and economic impacts and receive local recognition upon implementation. The competition seeks to make multiple investments in organizations that spark new ideas and approaches to common neighborhood and commercial corridor issues..
