January 2, 2008 Meeting Announcement

When: First Wednesday of January, January 2, at 7 p.m.
Where: To Be Determined

Traffic Mimes and Other Creative Approaches to Civics

I read about Antanas Mockus, the former mayor of Bogotá, Columbia, in the last issue of the Walker's newsletter/calendar. He was featured in a piece about the Brave New Worlds exhibit. And he sounds super-cool. He approached the city's problems in lots of creative and innovative ways, including:

• Hiring mimes to help control traffic at busy intersections.
• Distributing penalty cards (like the kind used in football/soccer) to the populace, so citizens could call attention to traffic rule violators.
  
• Taking an eco-friendly shower on TV (turning off the water while soaping up), to encourage people to save water.

You can read more about him here:
Academic Turns City into a Social Experiment, by María Cristina Caballero
An excerpt:

"The distribution of knowledge is the key contemporary task," Mockus said. "Knowledge empowers people. If people know the rules, and are sensitized by art, humor, and creativity, they are much more likely to accept change."

What changes would we like to see on West Seventh, and how we can use art and humor to gently encourage those changes along?

The St. Paul Cube, by Andrew Hine

MinnPost.com published this lovely article about the St. Paul cube, created by Andrew Hine:
St. Paul preservation group offers new twist on 'cubist art', by Marisa Helms

Thanks to Ruth Dantuma of Historic Saint Paul for the link!

Holes

November mornings such as this one: chill setting in, the sunlight just wan enough to remind me that even in weather there is mediocrity. There is a charmlessness in the eclectic architectural styles that dominate these neighborhoods--what were people thinking? I admit there are some among us who find a certain fascination in some of the least imaginative dwelling structures. (My friend Tom likes to visit from over in Minneapolis and photograph the most unlikely houses--in those pictures he is able to reveal a strange narrative--kind of an emptiness, actually. If you went to the art show at the state fair, you might've seen one of his "houses." Do check out his website, www.duhbris.com--his collection of photographs from all over the world, which he updates daily.) So, yes, at least they (houses)provide cheap shelter but it's as if the dullness of this kind of November morning overwhelmed the men (sorry, it had to be that particular) who came up with the idea. I'm thinking of boxes with a door, asbestos siding, small aluminum framed windows and unadorned concrete front steps. Add to this a cyclone fence around a tiny lawn and a mean yipping dog and you get the idea. The onset of winter lays bare some rather uncomely scenery. The city has been demolishing some of the worst offenders. Now there are holes. What will we fill them with?