When Sociologists Come to Richmond, for the Southern Sociological Society Meetings in April this year, they are unwittingly conferencing in the midst of urban change. Since the 1970s small cities like Richmond have invested a lot of time and money into cultivating a sense of place. Projects to revitalize the downtown business district, to unite racially segregated neighborhoods, and to draw in consumers and tourists have thrived and failed in turn. Richmond development in this era evidence a struggle between development philosophies that has lead a patchwork of ‘mega-projects’ and locally focused small-scale projects of new urbanism. At the Southern Sociological Society Meetings to be held at the Marriott in April, they will live, work and play in the liminal space between Jackson Ward and Downtown, between New Urbanist designs and mega-projects, between wealth and hardship.
As sociologists, they will be interested in issues of urban change, social inequalities of race, class and gender, and in the local economy. At the same time, as conference goers, they are the target audience for Richmond's projects of place. As a sociologist and consumer, as an analyst of place-making and a lover of authentic locality, I created a guide to Richmond for Sociologists reproduced here:
Richmond Marriott | 500 East Broad Street
The Richmond Marriott, built in 1984 as part of a Broad Street revitalization project, is a mega-project that was designed to draw convention goers to the city of Richmond. At the time, these structures were seen as a way that Richmond, the old Capital of the South, could compete with ex-urban Atlanta, the new Capital of the South by basing much of its inner city development on amenities for convention attendees.
Sixth Street Marketplace | 550 East Marshall Street
The intersection of 6th and Broad Streets was historically an open-air marketplace. The Sixth Street Marketplace, a covered mall that housed local businesses, was a built in 1985 as the commercial component to the convention area and as a well-touted catalyst of downtown renewal and racial reconciliation. With its financing and construction, the marketplace was the first public-private partnership to dot the downtown landscape. There is much local debate about its demise – whether it was the fault of city bureaucracy or private mismanagement. The marketplace was demolished in 2003 and just this year the remaining food court was closed.
Nanci Raygun (Formerly) | 929 West Grace Street
This building, currently under renovation to become a bagel shop, has historically been the center of Richmond’s homegrown punk and hardcore scene. Originally opened as a convenience store that made its own whiskey in the 1970s, it later became a record store, restaurant and finally full-fledged club. Most recently, going by the name of Nanci Raygun, it hosted all-ages hardcore shows, hip-hop producer battles, and metal shows. The music scene lives on in nearby house shows and makeshift venues (in warehouses, vintage shops and sushi restaurants) as well as in the Shockoe Bottom neighborhood at Alley Katz and Toad’s Place.
Hyperlink Café | 814 West Grace Street
The music scene also lives on down the street at Hyperlink Café, a business interested in fostering creativity and community through smart entrepreneurship. This business is part of a growing movement to foster the cultural economy of the city, acting as café, Internet hub, upscale bar, and gritty music venue. The vibe is postmodern cosmopolitanism, as the café merges indie rock, hip-hop, hardcore, and world music in one venue. It comes complete with an oxygen bar -- unlike other venues in this tobacco-friendly town, there is no smoking here.
Ipanema Café | 917 West Grace Street
This basement café exudes warmth through the scratchy sounds of records that play over small speakers and the cozy bohemian scene of art students, punks, and hipsters. One of several vegan and vegetarian restaurants in the area (Harrison Street Café and Panda Veg are two others), it is also host to an emerging indie, folk-punk scene of edgy acoustic guitarists.
Gallery 5| 200 West Marshall Street
Gallery 5 is an experiment in community arts and arts entrepreneurship. Loosely partnered with RVa Magazine, Gallery 5 hosts art shows, books musical events and promotes them on-line and through print media. They create multi-media events with art, music and performance that complement each other. Gallery 5 is not only hooked in across the arts scene, they are also firmly rooted in local history, as they are the stewards of the Police and Fire Museum, the building in which they reside.
Richmond Center Stage| 600 East Grace Street
Richmond Center Stage is a private foundation, working in partnership with the city of Richmond to develop the downtown around the performing arts. Under construction are three venues and an education center. One of the three venues, the Carpenter Center was originally built as a movie house in a cultural boom that brought several theatres and opera houses to Richmond in the 1920s.
Ghostprint Gallery | 220 West Broad Street
This new gallery opened in November of 2007, combining an art gallery with a tattoo parlor in an effort to redefine the boundaries of high art. The April show is entitled Everything Has a Deeper Meaning – a show of Anna Kaarina Nenonen that ‘represents female sexuality in an ironic and provocative manner.’
The Black History and Culture Museum | 00 Clay Street
Purchased in 1922 by bank CEO Maggie Walker, the museum building was previously the Black branch of the Richmond City Library. According to its website, the museum currently aims toward becoming the state resource for Black history in Virginia. Its exhibits tell the story of Jackson Ward and in doing so tell the story of African-American history in Richmond and in the nation. Its exhibits document the insurance companies, banks, and other business supported through community organizations as well as the cultural life of Two Street – an important Southern tour stop on the Jazz and vaudeville circuit. In April, it will exhibit the research of James E. Wright Jr. on The Gift of Black Inventors.
The Hippodrome | 530 North Second Street
This theatre, hosting musical performance, theatre and film, was the centerpiece of the music scene of Two Street during the World War II era. It hosted musicians Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and James Brown among others. It thrived until a fire forced its closure in 1945, and then reopened as a movie theatre. It is currently closed, though many plans have been laid to reopen the venue for music.
The Leigh Street Armory | 122 West Leigh Street
This Armory, soon to be converted into apartments under historic restoration standards, is the oldest armory in Virginia. It served African-American troops from the Spanish-American War through World War II and has also served as a building for several African-American schools in the years prior to Brown v. Board of Education. The building, in serious disrepair, has been threatened by the wrecking ball, but in recent years local citizens gained federal support to maintain the building.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
$tackboy Entertainment
Stackboy Ent., an organization of seven young MCs, lyricists and producers, entertained a crowd of over fifty at the Outback Lodge in Charlottesville back in November 2007.
Stackboy Ent is on stage with DJ XSV, the crowd is pushing up to the stage, hands in the air, and the whole building is buzzing with sound and good vibes. Throughout the night, Stackboys make their way through the crowd, pushed ahead by friends and fans, as DJ Millz films the event. They take the stage to the cheers of the audience, where young men stand at the center in hoodies and jeans and women dance on the side in casual dress. Many people are already convinced of the talent of these young men, yet still others in the crowd, new to the experience, look on skeptically. Their skepticism doesn't last long; the crowd pushes closer. Men bob their heads and shoulders and women sway their hips to the heavy beats. The climax of the night comes with HB's Get Money - "Who wants money?" they ask, as they shower the crowd with greenbacks. The energy held through P. Giovanni's In Da'Ville, as the entire room put two up and two down to represent Virginia.
This is the third show of Outback Lodge's attempt to revive the hip-hop scene by offering the only major venue space for local artists. This effort, combined with a new sound system and new stage downstairs is aimed at offering an alternative venue in town that supports the edgier side of music. Intentional or not, this new mission also seems to have broken down the racial and genre barriers between the upstairs and downstairs clubs that used to exist - punk, metal, hip-hop, goth and indie rock all share both stages.
This is the first major show for Stack Boyz and there are some performance jitters - mostly related to sound and technology breakdowns. It is the also the first time Stackboyz have worked with DJ XSV and at times they seem to work at cross purposes. Yet, the beats, designed by P. Giovanni, Nix, and DJ Millz were well crafted. The MCs' vocal performances, and ability to work with the situation and with the crowd made this a strong show. HB was particularly charismatic, with flows that were smooth and well-executed. Domino's minimalist sounds and dead-pan delivery forge a new path for Virginia hip-hop, which is often caught between the sounds of NY and ATL. Bandana Money, the youngest member of the group, proved that he is one of the hottest up and coming acts, showing confidence in his fiery delivery.
The buzz of this live show only partially reveals the on-line attention that is given to their mix tapes. Despite the few opportunities for live performance in town, the artists of Stack Boy Ent. are remaking Charlottesville's hip-hop scene as each member contributes his own unique talents and strengths to the group.
Stackboy Ent. has big plans in mind. Stackboy Ent., lead by manager DJ Millz, is working to bring new life to the Charlottesville scene, supporting each other and up and coming acts. They aim to lead a scene that would be visible beyond Charlottesville's borders and a community that would support young kids coming up in their city. As they achieve financial success, they plan to reinvest in their community through creating a venue. This will be particularly important, as the Outback Lodge, like other venues before it, has lost the ability to host hip-hop shows.
Stackboy Ent is on stage with DJ XSV, the crowd is pushing up to the stage, hands in the air, and the whole building is buzzing with sound and good vibes. Throughout the night, Stackboys make their way through the crowd, pushed ahead by friends and fans, as DJ Millz films the event. They take the stage to the cheers of the audience, where young men stand at the center in hoodies and jeans and women dance on the side in casual dress. Many people are already convinced of the talent of these young men, yet still others in the crowd, new to the experience, look on skeptically. Their skepticism doesn't last long; the crowd pushes closer. Men bob their heads and shoulders and women sway their hips to the heavy beats. The climax of the night comes with HB's Get Money - "Who wants money?" they ask, as they shower the crowd with greenbacks. The energy held through P. Giovanni's In Da'Ville, as the entire room put two up and two down to represent Virginia.
This is the third show of Outback Lodge's attempt to revive the hip-hop scene by offering the only major venue space for local artists. This effort, combined with a new sound system and new stage downstairs is aimed at offering an alternative venue in town that supports the edgier side of music. Intentional or not, this new mission also seems to have broken down the racial and genre barriers between the upstairs and downstairs clubs that used to exist - punk, metal, hip-hop, goth and indie rock all share both stages.
This is the first major show for Stack Boyz and there are some performance jitters - mostly related to sound and technology breakdowns. It is the also the first time Stackboyz have worked with DJ XSV and at times they seem to work at cross purposes. Yet, the beats, designed by P. Giovanni, Nix, and DJ Millz were well crafted. The MCs' vocal performances, and ability to work with the situation and with the crowd made this a strong show. HB was particularly charismatic, with flows that were smooth and well-executed. Domino's minimalist sounds and dead-pan delivery forge a new path for Virginia hip-hop, which is often caught between the sounds of NY and ATL. Bandana Money, the youngest member of the group, proved that he is one of the hottest up and coming acts, showing confidence in his fiery delivery.
The buzz of this live show only partially reveals the on-line attention that is given to their mix tapes. Despite the few opportunities for live performance in town, the artists of Stack Boy Ent. are remaking Charlottesville's hip-hop scene as each member contributes his own unique talents and strengths to the group.
Stackboy Ent. has big plans in mind. Stackboy Ent., lead by manager DJ Millz, is working to bring new life to the Charlottesville scene, supporting each other and up and coming acts. They aim to lead a scene that would be visible beyond Charlottesville's borders and a community that would support young kids coming up in their city. As they achieve financial success, they plan to reinvest in their community through creating a venue. This will be particularly important, as the Outback Lodge, like other venues before it, has lost the ability to host hip-hop shows.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
C-Fest Surround Sound
C-Fest Surround Sound
February 16th
Surround Sound is the third show in a series of that showcases Charlottesville musicians at Satellite Ballroom. The first FreakFest, featured fringe rock, and the second Noble Savages, featured Rock, Hip-Hop and Pop. Surround sound features experimental, ambient and jazz music.
This line up posed a mind bending challenge for sound engineers - tape music and video, live jazz bands, ear-bleeding shoegaze and can-hear-a-pin-drop improv. Despite the gulf between the genres of music, there was something for everyone and musicians found themselves connecting with others who were interested in experimenting with genre and instrumentation.
As bands and performers played on two stages, the crowd shifted its attention. A wide ring of space remained between the bands and the crowd as several professional photographers and video documentarists captured the evening. Particular accolades were reserved for Thrum, who played a drony set with surprisingly upbeat hooks. The Graboids, a shoe-gaze band and one of my local favorites, seemed too loud to entice the crowd who had come expecting something more gentle. They played through their CD Infinite Delay and the first song, with its meditative introduction and explosive middle reminded me of their earlier situation-climax-resolution song forms, which remains their most convincing dialogue. Judith Shatin, a composer and faculty member at the University of Virginia, composed a piece that referenced themes of weaving and women's self-actualization. The night was brought to a festive close by the Matthew Willner Band.
February 16th
Surround Sound is the third show in a series of that showcases Charlottesville musicians at Satellite Ballroom. The first FreakFest, featured fringe rock, and the second Noble Savages, featured Rock, Hip-Hop and Pop. Surround sound features experimental, ambient and jazz music.
This line up posed a mind bending challenge for sound engineers - tape music and video, live jazz bands, ear-bleeding shoegaze and can-hear-a-pin-drop improv. Despite the gulf between the genres of music, there was something for everyone and musicians found themselves connecting with others who were interested in experimenting with genre and instrumentation.
As bands and performers played on two stages, the crowd shifted its attention. A wide ring of space remained between the bands and the crowd as several professional photographers and video documentarists captured the evening. Particular accolades were reserved for Thrum, who played a drony set with surprisingly upbeat hooks. The Graboids, a shoe-gaze band and one of my local favorites, seemed too loud to entice the crowd who had come expecting something more gentle. They played through their CD Infinite Delay and the first song, with its meditative introduction and explosive middle reminded me of their earlier situation-climax-resolution song forms, which remains their most convincing dialogue. Judith Shatin, a composer and faculty member at the University of Virginia, composed a piece that referenced themes of weaving and women's self-actualization. The night was brought to a festive close by the Matthew Willner Band.
Ambient PancakesJanuary 26th, 2008
(letterpress flyer created by John Bylander @ Virginia Art of the Book Center)
Ambient Pancakes was an all night sleep over of ambient music and noise that culminated in vegan pancakes. It was the closing event of Audio January, a month long series of performances, workshops and installations at the Bridge Performing Arts Initiative in Charlottesville, VA.
The night included performances by Monolith Zero (8pm RVA), Marty McCavitt (9pm RVA), Zach Mason (10pm MD), Myo (10pm BLT) aka Dang (11pm BLT ), Caustic Castle and Eric Eaton (12am RVA ), Jonathan Zorn (2am CVL ), SARS (3am RVA), Pinko Communoids (4am CVL), Kevin Parks and Jonathan Zorn (5am CVL), (6am Tokyo/Oakland) Cutest Puppy in the World (7am DC)
The audience included fellow performers and the curious bundled cozily in sleeping bags and coats in the simple building with concrete floors that used to house a convenience store. The sonic landscape began with waves of sound punctuated by outbursts of harsher noise created by Monolith Zero. McCavitt gave a brilliant and jubilant performance on prepared keyboard that included a rattling, crackling version of Old McDonald Had A Farm. Zach Mason was perhaps the first performance of the night to settle us down into ambient sounds as he transformed subtle landscapes of sound into an ethereal organ-like chorale. aka Dang offered densely textured loops of sitar sounds through a broken pickup and layered her voice over top of it as the sounds grew. Caustic Castle and Eric Eaton followed with a duet that combined rumbling low frequency sounds with samples of film dialogue.
The night unfolded. Bars let out and more curious folks stumbled in, some staying a while and others moving quickly on. At dawn, revelers from deeplyrooted gathering, an ongoing neo-rave party, joined the event at the encouragement of the party organizers - this was to be the "chill out room." While some were too tired or in too distant a world to stay, others broke out sleeping bags, and dug in to the pancakes and coffee and other breakfast items contributed by deeplyrooted gathering and Hz Collective.
Cutest Puppy in the world, a duo with drums, keyboards and guitars provided an appropriate wake up call with ambient sounds punctured by low frequencies, drums and guitars.
This event, which gathered experimental musicians from the east coast and beyond as well as the musically curious in Charlottesville, was the result of collaboration between several grassroots organizations that are community-minded, focusing on their local community as a basis for solid connections with other localities. The event was organized by Kenneth Yates of Richmond and Hz Collective, an organization that seeks to build support for experimental, improvised music and noise between Charlottesville and Richmond. Space and publicity was provided by the Bridge PAI and its team of event organizers. Food and publicity was provided by Hz Collective and deeplyrooted gathering.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Dreaming Isabelle
On stage, four men in blue shirts and blue jeans played a solid 12 song set early Saturday afternoon at LaTaza's Low Country Broil, a fundraiser for coffee growers in Guatemala. As the morning fog broke into sticky afternoon sunshine, sweat dripped into their eyes as they sang and onto the stage as they moved with their instruments. The blue color scheme of the band was quickly usurped by the glistening of sweat and the drummers glittering snare. Despite the sparse crowd and the heat, Dreaming Isabelle played with conviction and as much energy as they could muster.
There is something about Dreaming Isabelle that sounds like Charlottesville. That doesn't mean they sound like Dave Matthews. They are a new generation of rockers who focus on writing well-crafted songs while referencing the jammier roots of this area. For the most part, their music is focused and forward driven, but they keep this clarity from becoming "pop" by setting the solid riffs and vocal harmonies within sparse and ambient textures. These laid back sections create the mood at the beginning of their songs, inviting the audience into song. Once there we can share in the energy they feel as they drive forward with solid riffs and emotive vocals. While some of their hooks might sound plain in another context, their arrangement skills make their songs memorable and energetic. Their music is upbeat and largely major with clean tones that makes the music stick, yet my favorite moments in their set where when they broke away into more dissonant, distorted and minor tones.
DI has good sounds. Hart, playing a fret-less six string Carvin bass not only provides solid rhythmic footing for DI, but also breaks out melodies of his own in the sparser moments of the songs. Chris provides pop and smack with a birch shelled Yamaha adorned with a heavy splash and timbale. He keeps a solid groove across rhythmic changes and provides some juicy rhythmic dissonance at just the right moments. The guitarists Jon and Daniel trade rhythms and riffs in such a way that Jon's effective lead does not steal the limelight. Occasionally, Jon's lead would serve to support and flesh out the harmony of the song, rather than play over top of the band. I hope to hear more of this from him in the future.
Its refreshing to hear a rock band that cares about their vocals. Daniel's lead voice was familiar and pleasant, referencing acoustic-driven rock. He was supported by the harmonizing skills of Jon. While I could see that the drummer had a mic and was sometimes singing, he was too far away from the mic to be heard clearly. There are some good voices in the band, and I'm sure they will gel even more as everyone grows comfortable with their microphones in the live setting.
In their biography, DI notes that they try to retain the intimacy of the bar in the larger club setting. Their interactions with the audience at this outdoor festival showed this. In the first set, they joke that Rozie is their southern rock tribute. Predictably, someone in the audience yells - "Free Bird!" The band deftly handles this by getting everyone to yell Free Bird to get it out of our system. Their on-stage banter is shy and sometimes self-effacing, but always in good humor.
Its never accurate to label a band's genre, mostly because the band will tell you you're wrong and so will the audience members. What you hear depends on what you know and like (or dislike). I heard My Bloody Valentine, I heard Survivor, I heard the Beatles, I heard Jimmy Eat World, I heard Skynard (even though they refused to play Free Bird). As they played I wondered if there is such a thing as Southern Post-Emo? I'm not sure what it would mean or if DI would lead this trend, but its what I thought of while listening.
The band tells me after their set that they are still experimenting with their sound. The last song Not Missing You, they tell me is their "rock direction," which I take to mean a harder direction. This song begins with both guitars, a Rickenbacker and a Guild, riffling in unison, revealing a strong musical bond between the guitarists. It also has a more driven back beat, but these were not what caught my attention. I was drawn in by the cut time section where Jon's Guild creates a dreamy, but gritty reprieve from the rigid and contained sections. The contrast makes the song. At the end, Jon toggles between pickups and breaks out of the harmonic structure with feedback. I have a soft spot for noisy guitars, so I'd like to hear more of this. This song demonstrates the best of their abilities to move between ambient sounds and straight ahead rock. At times the ambient sections of other songs could use more rhythmic discipline and direction. I'm not suggesting they lose the ambient parts, but to work toward expressing their distinction.
On the more acoustic end of the spectrum, their strongest song was Mine, which will be coming out on their new EP in November. You can download it from their myspace now.
www.dreamingisabelle.com
There is something about Dreaming Isabelle that sounds like Charlottesville. That doesn't mean they sound like Dave Matthews. They are a new generation of rockers who focus on writing well-crafted songs while referencing the jammier roots of this area. For the most part, their music is focused and forward driven, but they keep this clarity from becoming "pop" by setting the solid riffs and vocal harmonies within sparse and ambient textures. These laid back sections create the mood at the beginning of their songs, inviting the audience into song. Once there we can share in the energy they feel as they drive forward with solid riffs and emotive vocals. While some of their hooks might sound plain in another context, their arrangement skills make their songs memorable and energetic. Their music is upbeat and largely major with clean tones that makes the music stick, yet my favorite moments in their set where when they broke away into more dissonant, distorted and minor tones.
DI has good sounds. Hart, playing a fret-less six string Carvin bass not only provides solid rhythmic footing for DI, but also breaks out melodies of his own in the sparser moments of the songs. Chris provides pop and smack with a birch shelled Yamaha adorned with a heavy splash and timbale. He keeps a solid groove across rhythmic changes and provides some juicy rhythmic dissonance at just the right moments. The guitarists Jon and Daniel trade rhythms and riffs in such a way that Jon's effective lead does not steal the limelight. Occasionally, Jon's lead would serve to support and flesh out the harmony of the song, rather than play over top of the band. I hope to hear more of this from him in the future.
Its refreshing to hear a rock band that cares about their vocals. Daniel's lead voice was familiar and pleasant, referencing acoustic-driven rock. He was supported by the harmonizing skills of Jon. While I could see that the drummer had a mic and was sometimes singing, he was too far away from the mic to be heard clearly. There are some good voices in the band, and I'm sure they will gel even more as everyone grows comfortable with their microphones in the live setting.
In their biography, DI notes that they try to retain the intimacy of the bar in the larger club setting. Their interactions with the audience at this outdoor festival showed this. In the first set, they joke that Rozie is their southern rock tribute. Predictably, someone in the audience yells - "Free Bird!" The band deftly handles this by getting everyone to yell Free Bird to get it out of our system. Their on-stage banter is shy and sometimes self-effacing, but always in good humor.
Its never accurate to label a band's genre, mostly because the band will tell you you're wrong and so will the audience members. What you hear depends on what you know and like (or dislike). I heard My Bloody Valentine, I heard Survivor, I heard the Beatles, I heard Jimmy Eat World, I heard Skynard (even though they refused to play Free Bird). As they played I wondered if there is such a thing as Southern Post-Emo? I'm not sure what it would mean or if DI would lead this trend, but its what I thought of while listening.
The band tells me after their set that they are still experimenting with their sound. The last song Not Missing You, they tell me is their "rock direction," which I take to mean a harder direction. This song begins with both guitars, a Rickenbacker and a Guild, riffling in unison, revealing a strong musical bond between the guitarists. It also has a more driven back beat, but these were not what caught my attention. I was drawn in by the cut time section where Jon's Guild creates a dreamy, but gritty reprieve from the rigid and contained sections. The contrast makes the song. At the end, Jon toggles between pickups and breaks out of the harmonic structure with feedback. I have a soft spot for noisy guitars, so I'd like to hear more of this. This song demonstrates the best of their abilities to move between ambient sounds and straight ahead rock. At times the ambient sections of other songs could use more rhythmic discipline and direction. I'm not suggesting they lose the ambient parts, but to work toward expressing their distinction.
On the more acoustic end of the spectrum, their strongest song was Mine, which will be coming out on their new EP in November. You can download it from their myspace now.
www.dreamingisabelle.com
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Two-Dimensional Sociology
If Comcast was working, which it never is, I would have created this entry on my birthday (09.13.07). I turned 29, which makes me "in my late 20s," that ambiguous age where you are still young enough to avoid total responsibility and old enough to feel confident, or where you are awaiting some marker of adulthood that will come next year. I've changed a lot in the last year, particularly in terms of curbing my idealism and trying to be more systematic, structured and pragmatic. I get up early, balance my checkbook and wear professional clothes. I feel not only in limbo between late 20s and 30, but also between student and professional, something that has been making me act more confident on the outside, but feel less confident inside.
Today, in a class I'm teaching on Culture and Power, we read Herbert Marcuse's One Dimensional Man. His critique of one-dimensional thought, which says we've lost our critical edge in the pursuit of positive fact, is inspiring to read. His critique of the use of technology for oppression during the cold war could not be more relevant to the War (without end) on Terror. Marcuse, though he didn't want to be, was considered the father of the New Left. This movement, among others of the era, like feminism and Black and Yellow Power, resisted one-dimensional thought, acting toward alternative possibilities in an era of severe repression.
Being born in 1978 makes me late genX/early genY. I was always in awe of that previous era and its revolutionary power. But lately I've become disillusioned with the cultural celebration of the Woodstock generation because that celebration that has eclipsed their political potency. The energy of that generation, to me, has coalesced into complacent establishment liberalism. We were taught that we didn't need to act because everything was already fixed for us.
But I know boomers, like my parents, who are still resisting one-dimensional thought, fighting for services for my adult disabled sister and speaking out in their church which has been commandeered by fundamentalists. Or like my friend Annie who has served in Americorps and is the president of NOW in Maine. At the same time, there are plenty of Gen X and Y folks who desire change but feel it so outside the realm of possibility.
Marcuse's writing renews that possibility. In my race to professionalize and become part of the establishment, I have forgotten why I care about teaching and sociology itself - the possibility of transformation, the promise of dialog, and the capacity for science to interrogate prejudice and what Christina Brinkley (at Simmons College) calls dis-information, not just wrong information, but disempowering information.
I had stopped writing in this blog because I didn't know what identity it should have - what about those who might read it, would they question my interests, my ethics? This worry about whether connection with the people and places I study will make me look like less of a sociologist, or somehow disqualify me in the game, is the result of falling into my own one-dimensional thinking about what the sociological enterprise means. This realization was reinforced for me by an experience I had meeting an engineer later that day at a professional development meeting.
She also asked me what my research was about. I told her its about musicians. She wanted to know - would I be developing any tools or applications for musicians so that they could more effectively navigate the music industry and local music scene? I immediately told her that if I did it could not be part of my project, which was to analyze the structures and values involved in the functioning of the music scene. If I did develop any tools, that would be on my own time. And it still wasn't clear to me if and how that could happen.
As I thought about it more I realized that empiricism in sociology has come to stand in for "science." Yet here I am, talking to a scientist who sees action, change, possibility, and public engagement as part of the enterprise.
Recent debates over public sociology and the sociologist's role in society show a renewed interest in critical engagement with the social world. But at what point in the research process can sociology be public - is it only legitimate to engage the public after the research has been done in isolation? Does engaging the pubic during research disqualify the work as ideological? Exactly what is political about public sociology and why should it be assumed that public engagement reduces a piece of research into its author's ideological interests? If sociologists see public sociology as political and private sociology as science, we have too simplified a view of science.
Sociologists can never be in a lab or experimental situation where we are not both affected by and affecting the things (i.e. people, groups, societies) we study. There is no perfect solution for non-reactivity in the social sciences. Sociologists have come to treat this as a flaw to be hidden by retreating from the social worlds we study. Why not recognize this 'double hermeneutic' as a particular benefit that sociology can contribute to intellectual knowledge and the world? To me, sociology's value is its critical, scientific ability to analyze social relationships and institutions.
One-dimensional sociology is an impediment, not a virtue.
Today, in a class I'm teaching on Culture and Power, we read Herbert Marcuse's One Dimensional Man. His critique of one-dimensional thought, which says we've lost our critical edge in the pursuit of positive fact, is inspiring to read. His critique of the use of technology for oppression during the cold war could not be more relevant to the War (without end) on Terror. Marcuse, though he didn't want to be, was considered the father of the New Left. This movement, among others of the era, like feminism and Black and Yellow Power, resisted one-dimensional thought, acting toward alternative possibilities in an era of severe repression.
Being born in 1978 makes me late genX/early genY. I was always in awe of that previous era and its revolutionary power. But lately I've become disillusioned with the cultural celebration of the Woodstock generation because that celebration that has eclipsed their political potency. The energy of that generation, to me, has coalesced into complacent establishment liberalism. We were taught that we didn't need to act because everything was already fixed for us.
But I know boomers, like my parents, who are still resisting one-dimensional thought, fighting for services for my adult disabled sister and speaking out in their church which has been commandeered by fundamentalists. Or like my friend Annie who has served in Americorps and is the president of NOW in Maine. At the same time, there are plenty of Gen X and Y folks who desire change but feel it so outside the realm of possibility.
Marcuse's writing renews that possibility. In my race to professionalize and become part of the establishment, I have forgotten why I care about teaching and sociology itself - the possibility of transformation, the promise of dialog, and the capacity for science to interrogate prejudice and what Christina Brinkley (at Simmons College) calls dis-information, not just wrong information, but disempowering information.
I had stopped writing in this blog because I didn't know what identity it should have - what about those who might read it, would they question my interests, my ethics? This worry about whether connection with the people and places I study will make me look like less of a sociologist, or somehow disqualify me in the game, is the result of falling into my own one-dimensional thinking about what the sociological enterprise means. This realization was reinforced for me by an experience I had meeting an engineer later that day at a professional development meeting.
She also asked me what my research was about. I told her its about musicians. She wanted to know - would I be developing any tools or applications for musicians so that they could more effectively navigate the music industry and local music scene? I immediately told her that if I did it could not be part of my project, which was to analyze the structures and values involved in the functioning of the music scene. If I did develop any tools, that would be on my own time. And it still wasn't clear to me if and how that could happen.
As I thought about it more I realized that empiricism in sociology has come to stand in for "science." Yet here I am, talking to a scientist who sees action, change, possibility, and public engagement as part of the enterprise.
Recent debates over public sociology and the sociologist's role in society show a renewed interest in critical engagement with the social world. But at what point in the research process can sociology be public - is it only legitimate to engage the public after the research has been done in isolation? Does engaging the pubic during research disqualify the work as ideological? Exactly what is political about public sociology and why should it be assumed that public engagement reduces a piece of research into its author's ideological interests? If sociologists see public sociology as political and private sociology as science, we have too simplified a view of science.
Sociologists can never be in a lab or experimental situation where we are not both affected by and affecting the things (i.e. people, groups, societies) we study. There is no perfect solution for non-reactivity in the social sciences. Sociologists have come to treat this as a flaw to be hidden by retreating from the social worlds we study. Why not recognize this 'double hermeneutic' as a particular benefit that sociology can contribute to intellectual knowledge and the world? To me, sociology's value is its critical, scientific ability to analyze social relationships and institutions.
One-dimensional sociology is an impediment, not a virtue.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Richmond Neighborhoods, Creative Centers and Gentrification
This past summer, I taught a course in the Sociology of Culture at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). In this class we discussed issues of urban space, development and consumption from the perspective of cultural sociology. After reading Richard Florida's Rise of the Creative Class and Sharon Zukin's chapter on North Adams in the Cultures of Cities, I asked my class to consider urban change and consumption in local neighborhoods of Richmond, Virginia.
A number of students felt local to Richmond, having lived in the city and attended VCUs urban-style campus. Many told me they learned more about Richmond and its neighborhoods in the process of their research. They were assigned to choose a neighborhood and design it as a center of arts and culture. They needed to consider existing resources and existing residents in their plans and they also needed to consider where additional resources and sustainable change would come from. Each group ended up choosing a different neighborhood. Below I've tried to capture their thoughts and our discussion.
Manchester
This neighborhood, just across the James River, has begun developing old warehouses into art studios, galleries, condos and office space. One of the presenters has just moved into the neighborhood because rents are affordable for students. He notices there is a lot of space in which this neighborhood could grow. He shows us a satellite view from google maps - there are more empty lots than lots with buildings and viewing it from the ground, one can see that many of the buildings are boarded up and abandoned. The group tells us that there are a number of amenities needed in this area before it can grow and redevelop. For instance, there is no supermarket nearby and there are few places to eat other than fast food chains. They have just read Richard Lloyd's Neo-Bohemia, Art and Commerce in the Post Industrial City and are taken with the idea of designing a neighborhood like Chicago's Wicker Park. They envision a neighborhood of galleries and design studios populated by students and young professionals. They note that it is difficult to design such a project from the top down and that doing so often hurts existing residents. However, they stand behind the choice of Manchester, because there are few existing residents relative to other neighborhoods they might have chosen.
In our ensuing discussion, we considered the neighborhood's history and the communities nearby. The area is quite empty and it is just down Hull St. from an economically depressed area. This area is empty not only because it is full of out-of-use warehouses, but also because it was the site of some of the most run down and dangerous public housing projects in the city. When the projects were demolished in the 1990s, the way was paved for redevelopment around the arts and the creative economy. Further down Hull St., boarded up buildings line the streets. Apart from a BP gas station and a RiteAid, the only businesses that survive here are churches, whose placards announce that God is the only hope and Jesus the savior from the miseries of this earth. When I ask students about this area, they do not have the sense of it being dangerous or off limits because they are not aware of its existence.
Jackson Ward
This neighborhood is one that until recently, was seen as dangerous and off limits for college students. Now, this group tells us, adventurous college students are moving in to show that they do not fear the people who live there (known to be black and presumed to be impoverished) and that such fears are based on prejudice. They envision a community that is held together through participation in collective events and even in a collective economy. They see student-heavy punk and biker subcultures as setting the stage for communal efforts to use the creative, artistic and manual skills of residents to create a neighborhood economy.
In researching the history of the neighborhood, this groups discovers that Jackson Ward is rich in Black History, as 95% of the city's African American population lived there during American Apartheid. It was the site of Black Wall Street and was referred to as the Harlem of the South for its rich cultural life. Upon discovering that there were important theaters and music halls in the neighborhood, the student wanted to revive them. They imagined a new cultural component to their plan, which they believed would speak to the history and present situation of the neighborhood. They envisioned, building upon the efforts of Gallery 5, performance spaces that would host genre-crossing events that would engender racial crossing and community. Community and racial harmony can be achieved through participating in cultural consumption together.
We discussed whether North Jackson Ward, separated from Jackson Ward by highway construction and urban renewal in the 1960s, could be a part of this new plan. It is spatially and socially segregated, isolating people in severe poverty and need from the rest of the city. One student had heard that soon these projects were going to be torn down as part of a mixed-income housing trend that attempts to break up the concentrations of poverty and wealth in the city, but in turn also breaks up communities who may only have each other.
Shockoe Bottom
This group looked to a neighborhood that is already teeming with nightlife. This is the club district, which is just next door to Shockoe Slip, a cobble-stone drive of upscale restaurants and boutiques. The students choose this area because they feel sure that they will not create gentrification or displacement here. Instead, they argue what this neighborhood needs is less nightlife and more day life. it needs to be altered from a single-use consumption space to a multi-use living, working and leisure space. There are two infrastructure issues that need to be addressed. First is parking, because there is none, a concern business owners have had for a long time. The other is flooding. The Bottom is named for its position vis a vis the powerful James River and businesses and residents are still recovering from a 2004 flood caused by Hurricane Gaston. The city is the entity that they would look to for addressing these problems and for rezoning of the space.
A number of students felt local to Richmond, having lived in the city and attended VCUs urban-style campus. Many told me they learned more about Richmond and its neighborhoods in the process of their research. They were assigned to choose a neighborhood and design it as a center of arts and culture. They needed to consider existing resources and existing residents in their plans and they also needed to consider where additional resources and sustainable change would come from. Each group ended up choosing a different neighborhood. Below I've tried to capture their thoughts and our discussion.
Manchester
This neighborhood, just across the James River, has begun developing old warehouses into art studios, galleries, condos and office space. One of the presenters has just moved into the neighborhood because rents are affordable for students. He notices there is a lot of space in which this neighborhood could grow. He shows us a satellite view from google maps - there are more empty lots than lots with buildings and viewing it from the ground, one can see that many of the buildings are boarded up and abandoned. The group tells us that there are a number of amenities needed in this area before it can grow and redevelop. For instance, there is no supermarket nearby and there are few places to eat other than fast food chains. They have just read Richard Lloyd's Neo-Bohemia, Art and Commerce in the Post Industrial City and are taken with the idea of designing a neighborhood like Chicago's Wicker Park. They envision a neighborhood of galleries and design studios populated by students and young professionals. They note that it is difficult to design such a project from the top down and that doing so often hurts existing residents. However, they stand behind the choice of Manchester, because there are few existing residents relative to other neighborhoods they might have chosen.
In our ensuing discussion, we considered the neighborhood's history and the communities nearby. The area is quite empty and it is just down Hull St. from an economically depressed area. This area is empty not only because it is full of out-of-use warehouses, but also because it was the site of some of the most run down and dangerous public housing projects in the city. When the projects were demolished in the 1990s, the way was paved for redevelopment around the arts and the creative economy. Further down Hull St., boarded up buildings line the streets. Apart from a BP gas station and a RiteAid, the only businesses that survive here are churches, whose placards announce that God is the only hope and Jesus the savior from the miseries of this earth. When I ask students about this area, they do not have the sense of it being dangerous or off limits because they are not aware of its existence.
Jackson Ward
This neighborhood is one that until recently, was seen as dangerous and off limits for college students. Now, this group tells us, adventurous college students are moving in to show that they do not fear the people who live there (known to be black and presumed to be impoverished) and that such fears are based on prejudice. They envision a community that is held together through participation in collective events and even in a collective economy. They see student-heavy punk and biker subcultures as setting the stage for communal efforts to use the creative, artistic and manual skills of residents to create a neighborhood economy.
In researching the history of the neighborhood, this groups discovers that Jackson Ward is rich in Black History, as 95% of the city's African American population lived there during American Apartheid. It was the site of Black Wall Street and was referred to as the Harlem of the South for its rich cultural life. Upon discovering that there were important theaters and music halls in the neighborhood, the student wanted to revive them. They imagined a new cultural component to their plan, which they believed would speak to the history and present situation of the neighborhood. They envisioned, building upon the efforts of Gallery 5, performance spaces that would host genre-crossing events that would engender racial crossing and community. Community and racial harmony can be achieved through participating in cultural consumption together.
We discussed whether North Jackson Ward, separated from Jackson Ward by highway construction and urban renewal in the 1960s, could be a part of this new plan. It is spatially and socially segregated, isolating people in severe poverty and need from the rest of the city. One student had heard that soon these projects were going to be torn down as part of a mixed-income housing trend that attempts to break up the concentrations of poverty and wealth in the city, but in turn also breaks up communities who may only have each other.
Shockoe Bottom
This group looked to a neighborhood that is already teeming with nightlife. This is the club district, which is just next door to Shockoe Slip, a cobble-stone drive of upscale restaurants and boutiques. The students choose this area because they feel sure that they will not create gentrification or displacement here. Instead, they argue what this neighborhood needs is less nightlife and more day life. it needs to be altered from a single-use consumption space to a multi-use living, working and leisure space. There are two infrastructure issues that need to be addressed. First is parking, because there is none, a concern business owners have had for a long time. The other is flooding. The Bottom is named for its position vis a vis the powerful James River and businesses and residents are still recovering from a 2004 flood caused by Hurricane Gaston. The city is the entity that they would look to for addressing these problems and for rezoning of the space.
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