Woody Restoration Arts Incubator Project Phase 1
I am looking restore my father's building that was built in 1912 in order to create an arts incubation space for artists, youth and the African-American community within the underserved Lee-Harvard neighborhood.
Leader
Jimmie Woody
Location
13800 Harvard Avenue Cleveland , OH 44105
About the project
MY STORY
Hello my name is Jimmie Woody, an actor, director, producer, film maker and teaching artist living in Cleveland Ohio. I came back home after graduating from Columbia University following the diagnosis of my father's terminal illness. This led me to take over his responsibilities of managing his property on east 138th and Harvard. The building was purchased by my father in 1961 when the neighborhood was predominantly Slovenian. He ran a corner store that served the neighborhood and its communities for almost 40 years until his untimely passing of colon cancer.
CONTINUING THE LEGACY
Since his passing, I have tried to keep the building alive by providing arts based activities such as 'The Labyrinth', an artist networking event. It is my dream to keep events like this alive in black communities that are under-served and lacking resources to create healthy vibrant neighborhoods. For over 20 years, I've been committed to serving both the youth and adult population throughout Northeast Ohio by working as a teaching artist through various arts organizations. This has inspired me to commit to bringing these services to the community that I grew up in that is in dire need of arts and culture. I want to move forward with restoring this building that was built in 1912 in order to create an arts incubation space for artists, youth in an underserved African-American community.
The Steps
Once we raise the funding for digital equipment, staffing and for early programming like filmmaking, acting for the camera and digital storytelling workshops, we will create an event to celebrate the African-American historic Lee-Haravard Neighborhood. The team will host a virtual LAByrinth artist networking fundraiser to raise money for the Restoration Project (Fall 2020).
Step 1 I need to raise funds to demolish the house on the lot to create a green space on the property and secure structural damage to the foundation. During this step I would also, like to conduct participatory design workshops with local partners and community members, and produce architectural drawings in collaboration with a local architect and an internationally recognized sustainable architecture firm. We'll use new green technologies like modularity, solar/wind energy and upcycling to build a working prototype for promoting community-built Black innovative learning spaces. In the legacy of the ‘Stoney Island Arts Bank’, we want to publish our building plans to promote the creation of more spaces like ours (Fall 2020).
Step 2 I need to raise money for the permits, fees, building materials, heating, plumbing, electrical and energy efficient windows.
Step 3 I need to raise the funding for digital arts equipment, for early programming like filmmaking and digital storytelling workshops, and to begin staffing.
3(a) Build a collaboration with the Harvard Community Service Center(HCSC) an instistution that has been a part of ther Lee-Harvard community for over 40 years. Their mission is to improve the quality of life and social functioning of residents in the Lee-Harvard/Ward 1. Our team has worked with youth at Charles Elliott elementary school with the Seedfolks Project and we will look to collaborate with seniors at the HCSC (Spring 2021).
3(b) Create a Digital Oral Story Project of the Lee-Harvard Neighborhood/Ward 1- Get elders within in Ward 1 through HCSC to compose and record their autobiographical story in collaboration with individual youth in which to edit an original digital story using newly aquired editing software (Summer 2021).
3(c) Coordinate an event in person or virtually to showcase the digital stories at through the Woody Restoration Arts IncubatorProject called the 'The LAB' (Fall 2021).
Programs 'The LAB' is based on Woody’s vast experience in working various arts education programming, working as an instructor on the college level and plus teaching Film at the Cleveland High School for Digital Arts. He’s fostered several programs he’s looking to implement such as: The Actor’s Lab, The Film & Photography Lab, Digital Storytelling, The Audio Book Lab, Open Mic through Distance Learning & The Seedfolks Project (inspired by Paul Fleischman's Newberry-Award Winning book ‘Seedfolks’. These are just some of the workshops modeled to teach critical thinking and civic engagement through art-making.
Why we‘re doing it
We endeavor to provide a place where the community can engage in positive leisure, cultural and educational experiences that continue to uplift our underserved Lee-Harvard community and our neighbors.
'The LAB' will be a platform for art, cultural development, and neighborhood transformation. Our projects support underutilized artists and strengthen a declining community by providing arts programming, creating new cultural amenities, and developing affordable studios.
We'll use new green technologies like modularity, solar/wind energy and upcycling to build a working prototype for promoting community-built Black innovative learning spaces. In the legacy of the ‘Stoney Island Arts Bank’, we want to publish our building plans to promote the creation of more spaces like ours.
Our mission is to demonstrate the impact of innovative, ambitious and entrepreneurial arts and cultural initiatives. Our work is informed by three core values: Black People Matter, Black Spaces Matter and Black Arts Matter.