Connecting in the Commons
Sustaining summer in the face of a pandemic, part 1
As the pandemic and local shutdowns moved across America this spring, civic asset practitioners realized two things: first, outdoor public spaces had become more important than ever, as some of the only safe places for members of their communities to find respite, exercise and play; second, public spaces were critical for organizing and responding to people’s basic needs.
Today, we bring you stories of summer from public spaces across the country — and the people behind them — who are using their civic infrastructure flexibly and innovatively during this pandemic, building community, extending a universal welcome and supporting (safely distanced) human connection.
A renewed commitment in Chicago
“It immediately became not about us, but more about the role our sites play in service of community. From the programming side, it became about rallying behind artists we work with who wanted to say something.” — Julie Yost, Rebuild’s director of public programming in ArtNews, about how the foundation is continuing to connect people to art.
As many indoor public spaces closed due to the pandemic, Chicago’s Civic Commons team led by the Rebuild Foundation reconsidering its spaces to support community needs and to connect people to the healing power of art. In June, the team partnered with the Neighborhood Network Alliance (NNA), a local organization on Chicago’s South Side, to deliver food and supplies to residents after the closure of grocery stores and other businesses following the protests of George Floyd’s killing. The Rebuild Foundation dedicated all donations it received in June to supporting this effort, to ensure that community members, especially elderly neighbors, had the essentials.
In addition, Rebuild partnered with alt space Chicago to create a free pop-up marketplace on a vacant storefront on the block. Community members can take or donate food, supplies and other essentials to their neighbors. This is the first pop-up of its kind on Chicago’s south side.
The team is also recreating weekly classes and events online. “Soul healing” sessions with Wellness Artist Stacy Patrice are now hosted every Sunday on Instagram; while DJ Duane Powell’s formerly well-attended in-person Sunday Service gatherings at the Stony Island Arts Bank are now released as music mixes every Sunday. Dance workshops with the South Chicago Dance Theatre are hosted on Instagram the first Friday of each month.
Philadelphia’s Please Touch Museum brings the play in a new way
For years, the Please Touch Museum has brought “learning through play” to children at Philadelphia’s West Fairmount Park, a 1,400-acre park considered the “front yard” of the nearby Parkside neighborhood. Because the pandemic removed the possibility of indoor play, “everyone in the community was reeling and we realized we needed to do something,” said Barry Becker, chief of staff at the museum.
The museum decided to bring play to kids safely and directly through free “Summer Discovery Backpacks,” filled with educational games and activities (a mini pop-up playground, books, sidewalk chalk, hand sanitizer, stuffed animals, and more). With the help of donors and dozens of community volunteers, the museum worked with local partners to distribute 1,000 backpacks to four- to eight-year-olds in Parkside — double the number initially planned.
“We are trying to find our way in the new world we live in and that we need to think outside the box. What are the possibilities and how can we dream differently?” — Barry Becker, chief of staff, Please Touch Museum
The success of the Summer Discovery Backpacks has given museum staff new insight into the importance of relationships with the local community.
A renaming that is helping Lexington reclaim public space
“We know that the renaming of the space will not change the atrocities that happened in Cheapside or make it an inclusive place. It is however a much-needed step for the true healing and reconciliation that our community needs.” — DeBraun Thomas, co-founder, Take Back Cheapside.
In response to nationwide protests against racism and police brutality — and as part of ongoing efforts to create more welcoming public spaces — the city of Lexington, Kentucky is renaming a park after one of the city’s most successful Black entrepreneurs.
Formerly named Cheapside Park, the park is now known as the Henry A. Tandy Centennial Park, after a formerly enslaved Lexington resident who co-founded one of the city’s largest masonry contracting companies in the late 19th century. Tandy & Byrd’s most notable project was the construction of the Historic 1899 Courthouse, which sits immediately adjacent to the newly renamed park.
This renaming is part of a collection of efforts over the last several years to reimagine a place that over time has served many purposes — including as a slave auction block. The community group Take Back Cheapside ran a successful, two-year grassroots campaign that culminated in the removal and relocation of Confederate monuments of John Hunt Morgan and John C. Breckinridge to The Lexington Cemetery, where the men are buried. This began a year-long (RE)imagining Cheapside effort — a collaboration of city government, Take Back Cheapside and Blue Grass Community Foundation that included storytelling walks, a children’s inclusive-design charrette, community dinners and witnessing circles.
Next to the plaza and concurrent with this work, the historic courthouse has also been redeveloped to house the Lexington Visitors Center, a local farm-to-table restaurant, public viewing of the dome and flexible events space.
Programming to connect, despite physical distancing, in Akron
While in-person programming has slowed or halted during the pandemic, Akron Civic Commons partners are finding innovative ways to provide a sense of community for those along the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. The successful Ohio & Erie Canal Park Community Concert series by Alpha Phi Alpha Homes has moved forward with live performances on Saturdays in the park’s pavilion. However, instead of having the neighborhood’s residents gather in the park, speakers have been pointed toward the surrounding buildings to project music to balconies and outdoor patios for the community to enjoy from the safety of their home. In addition, the concerts are broadcast via Facebook live.
“The Civic Commons mindset we’ve embraced over the years here in Akron has prepared us to meet the challenges of COVID. Physical activation of our public spaces remains a priority (adapted for safety) and virtual programming created in response to COVID has broadened our reach exponentially.” — Howard Parr, director of the Akron Civic Theatre.
The Akron Civic Theatre, one of 12 atmospheric theatres left in the country, has shifted much of its programming to virtual as well, reaching more than 50,000 people by the end of July through their Live Virtually, a weekly concert series featuring national artists.
Some in-person programming has continued, while following proper distancing guidelines. Downtown Akron Partnership is attracting physically-distanced groups through a variety of outdoor fitness programming including Pound, yoga, DrumFIT and Zumba. Meanwhile, a youth summer camp has welcomed weekly groups of ten students at Summit Lake for canoeing and other outdoor activities.
Next up in part 2: How practitioners are leveraging public space to support civic and economic life in U.S. cities.
Reimagining the Civic Commons is a collaboration of The JPB Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, William Penn Foundation, and local partners.
