Friday, April 4, 2008

The Washington Park Neighborhood

Artist’s Statement:
The Washington Park Neighborhood

One of my primary goals when visiting the LAND service area was to take some photos of Washington Park. I wanted to explore what made this place so special the community. Even though there was snow on the ground and the park was desolate I could imagine what the acres of land must look like the rest of the year.

The photographs chosen for this photo essay were picked with the past in mind. The Washington Park Library house a great collection of historical photos pertaining to the neighborhood. These images provide a great window to the past, but are also a great resource for the present, and future. The community should be proud of the neighborhood they live in, but always embrace the present and look to the future. Out of those I chose to include a scene depicting a concert at the Blatz Bandshell. The image suggests that the park is a place to congregate, a place that enriches the lives of the community members.

Neighborhood identity is something that also stood out to me. There was a bulletin board in the LAND office that displayed the designs for the Washington Park and Walnut Hill neighborhood signs. Each give an example of what is valued in the respective community. For Washington Park it is the Bandshell, and for Walnut Hill it is the charm and character of the houses. Another form of identity that I noticed while walking the neighborhood was the artwork. Some buildings have murals painted on their sides, there was a painted stored in the HomeSource tool room, and there was an installation at the entrance to the Washington Park Library.

When shooting the images I tried to make them as simple and to straight forward as possible. When using a camera I like to explore smaller parts of the whole. I felt that there were certain things that could be interpreted and explored with very little information. For example, the photos of the art installation as well as the Blatz Bandshell provide very few clues to the larger picture. On the other hand, I shot other images that do the exact opposite, such as the
Washington Park sign and the Urban Ecology Center.

Once I saw the images in the library I started to formulate a more concrete idea of where I wanted to go with this project, and more importantly my final project. Balancing the past, present, and future intrigues me. I feel that there is much to be uncovered by exploring this neighborhood.





The Emil Blatz Temple of Music as it stands today.


The Urban Ecology Center is located at the center of Washington Park. The center provides outreach to the community through programs that are focused on local environmental issues. Students are able to get involved through the MPS science cirriculum as well as
The Washington Park Library opened its doors to the community in 2003. Within the biulding are many spaces that can be utilized by the community, such as meeting rooms and computer stations.

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