I agree with Crenshaw. How about making Tacoma an affordable place to establish and conduct a business? How about a city where a working man can earn a decent paycheck and build a family? You get it? How about we all learn something productive and how to participate in a democracy?...and then pass that on to the next generation?

When I read this article I remembered how much I love hearing poetry recited by Bullwinkle…

Mike Thacker
Artisan on the Ave

Mr. Sepluveda, which is it that you support? Banners for farmers or subsidies for farmers?

Hoe Daddy

Crenshaw, just from what I know of downtown retail rates, monthly rents are very reasonable.

One of the easiest ways to tell are the non-retail businesses in retail spaces. When an office that doesn’t need retail frontage goes into a retail space it is frequently because the monthly rents aren’t prohibitive.

I’m seeing a lot of businesses fold up their tents lately. If it isn’t high rent then what is it? Bad business plan? No customers? Wrong location? Antique stores going out of business on “Antique Row” can’t be in the wrong location. So it must be high rent, no business, or bad business management. Having lots of customers usually makes up for bad business management. I do see a number of non-retail operations in retail storefronts, to be sure. I was not aware it was because of the reasonable rents. Is it that storefronts tend to rent for less than similar square footage in a non-retail building? I’m curious here. I have a number of clients that would like to stay in downtown and it seems that in some cases the storefronts may just be the ticket.

Getting a business license is a freedom open to almost anybody. Even most artists.

Suitable space in a mixed use commercial district for under ten bucks a square foot is virtually folklore. It’s a timing thing. Everywhere. There seems to be a timeline. A predictable pattern. Normally sedate neighborhoods unwind to a rude awakening of dominant neuvo riche princes bullying out the common folk. It’s true. Great artist communities of the past whether in San Francisco/North Beach or New York City boroughs have typically transformed from innovative enclaves to big money bunkhouses.

And now Tacoma, hyped over and over again as the world’s most livable city, the galaxy’s most wired city, or my favorite: Hip cool 6th Avenue—-well, now Tacoma is going to get its due. Lots and lots of money from speculators flowing into the city, but all of it getting funneled into fewer and fewer pockets.

Sure. It all starts out so innocently. Art is for the masses. We all just want to build community…

Crenshaw; Look at the Broadway LID project as the culpret, not rental rates, for antique row businesses closing their doors at an alarming rate. I’ve spoken to several shop owners and they are leaving now with at least something, rather than going in the hole after the construction starts.

So, as far as people leaving downtown, its not for the reasons you stated, but for the simple reason that the 2 years of construction will impact this district.

The only reason for good philosophy is to confront bad philosophy.

WOW! Poetry/Art at it’s best! Isn’t the whole point of art to conjure up thoughts, images, feelings and conversation??? I’m just amazed and ashamed at the jaded angry tone of most of these conversations. The purpose of these banners had nothing to do with getting people downtown to shop at the retail stores. “Go Local” is a much deeper conversation and mind set than just the dollar being kept here. It is about the “Human” neighborhood, and lifting up our city, recognizing that farming is an art of it’s own, that words conjure feelings, and that if you are walking on the streets of my city, I want to engage you, entertain you, honor you, and entice you to stay for a while to experience what I have experienced or have one all of your own. Why is there so much cynicism and judgment? By no means does this project even slightly make Daniel Blue a “Sell out”, in fact he ended up being out of pocket personally. He and Glen made absolutely NO Money for this. As for the logistics of the poem, it was originally planned for starting at the Convention Center, going north bound, and ending at the market. As usual, working with an agency involving many singular purposes, it almost got bumped off of Broadway all together. Kira Doley from the farmers market made her passion about the installation known and here you are. I dare anyone of you to step out and exude the courage that Daniel did in expressing his love for Tacoma. It’s real easy to sit at your computers and “arm chair quarterback”!! Get out and do something to show your love for Tacoma instead of belly aching about condos, parking and LID’s. I’m tired of Tacoma being “victim” Central. If an LID and construction closes your business, maybe you should have had a better plan for survival, and possibly an exit strategy. Wake up people, and participate in our renaissance. “Go Local” or “Go Home”!!!

Penelope, you get it and have the experience to back it up. I can’t even tell you how much I have invested finacially in Tacoma including street banners I personally designed as an artist.

I too am sick of the slamming of the so called rich condo owners that are supposedly taking over downtown. Thank God someone cared enough to invest in downtown or the prostitutes and derelicts would be the only life existing in downtown Tacoma.

You can’t have it both ways.

Well, like my friend Trixie from downtown says, “You can’t have it both ways.” “No so called rich condo owners investing in downtown, then we’d all be derelicts”

It was late morning on Saturday when I decided to embark upon my journey down Broadway Plaza. Coffee in hand I walked along and enjoyed the words upon the banners. What was interesting about the walk was the fact that the further along I walked the fewer people I saw.

By the time I got the the wasteland of the Sheraton parking lot, not a soul could be found. The poetry was interesting, but I was the only one enjoying it. Getting past the Sheraton it got downright spooky as I approached the behemoth that is the Convention center. Still no people, having run out of poetry, I was alone in this deserted place.

I made my escape. A Link train was pulling into the deserted Convention center station. I got upon the deserted train and found myself headed to the University/Museum district. People abounded there. Lively people got on the train and headed toward the Freighthouse square with me.

I found myself the bookstore, my fellow passengers dispersed or got back on the Link headed back to the the University district. The poetry was a lovely sentiment that lead me away from downtown so that I could have my escape at the University or beyond. Once you get to the end of the poem you really don’t want to retrace your steps though that desolate landscape only to get to the marginally inhabited area between 13th and 9th.

Didn’t one of the Downtown Association or Chamber of commerce people actually walk the poems? Apparently not or they would have realized that they beautifully lead you nowhere. A sad and desolate nowhere at that.I guess it was all illustrative of the fact that we are being lead by people that will take us nowhere. They think grand thoughts without seeing where they will take us. They have the thoughts without having to actually experience the impact of them. Worst of all they will insist that this is a good thing .

Seems like only yesterday we were wishing for more public art and here it is! I add my congrats to Marty’s. As far as I’m concerned this project was a success. I mean love the art, hate the art; love the location, hate the location. Whatever!! It’s original art displayed in a public forum that people are talking about and you got to love that!

As far as I’m concerned this project was a success. I mean love the art, hate the art; love the location, hate the location.

Yes. The real enemy ultimately is indifference which was one of the large factors which sucked the life out of downtown leaving it abandoned as documented by Then and Now.

There is some art that is controversial in Tacoma.
Oh well. If there is an art piece that everyone found unobjectionable, it probably would not be worth looking at.

Quite frankly, the criticism on the “Downtown Walking Poem” is starting to look alot like RR Anderson’s reverse guerrilla marketing campaign he used to kick off his art exhibit. I am going to guess this thread will have the same effect on the Downtown Walking Poem whether it was intended or not.

Eric B., thanks for posting that Then and Now link. Try to impose today’s discussion about poetry banners into one of those scenes. Digitally impose a photo of the poetry trail into one of those photos.

Talk about art…

Dada, surrealism maybe…for starters?

The principle tenent in economics is “Man seeks gain.” Those old photos show the outcome of capital flight in all forms, not indifference.

The fact that today a forum or discussion with visuals can occur on personal computers was just science fiction when those photos were taken. This capability to exchange ideas and information, I think, is what really has transformed Tacoma.

I don’t know if Blue’s poetry or Anderson’s cartoons are relevant yesteryear or this year to anyone who lived during the years those photos were taken.

I do know that “Man seeks gain” still explains a lot of the world around us.

So don’t be surprised if your forum is pirated by some of the best minds that have fought their way through the not-so-pretty history of Tacoma.

Not all poetry is pretty.

Thanks for walking it Crenshaw, at least it’s motivating some of us to get out and critique it. The original thought was to end up at the market. As for what changed the direction/location, I can only guess conflicting interests. I do not think that the powers at be actually DID walk it because we had to argue over the effectiveness of it’s placement. It almost ended up on Market no where near the market. Kira from the Farmers market complained because the poem and the project inspired her so deeply. There were “Go Local “ banners placed on Broadway one week prior that were then replaced by the original beauty of “The Market Forms” poem. I think someone forget to tell the BIA guys that there was a method to the flow of direction. Maybe someone can call the BIA and tell ‘em it’s backwards. Oh well, it’s got us all walking and talking, that’s a start. You got it Ann!

I too am sorry if Mr. Blue had to go out of pocket for this project. Daniel is a fine young poet with a terrific vision. Let me be clear, I have no criticism of Daniel Blue or his work and I hope to see him properly compensated for his work. I also look forward to seeing more of his work. The design of the banners was superb. The use of space and color reminded me of the old style letterpress posters. The sentiments expressed were from the heart and I believe sincere.

Speaking of compensation, I’m wonder how well Seattle consulting firm Maestri Design, Inc. is being compensated for its work for the BIA and the wonderful advice they are providing in their consulting. This banner business is apparently one of their brainstorms.

Regarding a recent presentation to the BIA:
Maestri president Paula Rees used a “magic wand” during her presentation at the event, dubbed “Retail Transformations”, in order to emphasize the sweeping changes impacting Tacoma’s urban center. Rees said downtown has a “credible” collection of businesses that can form the core of a vital retail experience.

It seems that while Paula Rees had a magic wand, it was Daniel Blue that got the shaft. I have to wonder again, how much is Maestri getting paid for their wonderful consulting and advice? Were they short changed?

My take on this: Tacoma feels it needs to go to these fancy Seattle firms that will tell us we need a Pioneer Square and a Belltown. These same firms will tell us that if we have an antiques district that we should have banners telling people they are in the antiques district because it would otherwise not be obvious to them. Maybe they think Tacomans are stupid and can’t figure out if they are seeing a lot of old furniture that they must be in the antique district. So Maestri’s advice to us dumb Tacomans is that we should be more like Seattle.

Mr. Blue, you do some honest work, which is more than I can say for Maestri. I guess if we are paying big money to Maestri we must be as stupid as they think we are here in Tacoma.

Let’s clairify a few facts in this thread meandering like Daniel’s Poem.

1)Daniel was not paid for his work. Crenshaw I am certain your suggestions and art work would be considered, but I doubt that you will be paid for it.

2) Banners are not meant to bring people downtown, drive traffic, create sales or stop global warming. They are small pieces of public
art, in this case linked together to form a larger piece of public art.

3) The BIA will not be event planners, rather the effort is to give a sense of 1 stop managment of our most visible public space downtown. They will only encourage more activity in an area that the city has fumbled. (although I’m sure it will be much better once the History Museum has finished screwing that over also.)

4) Crensaw, Why do you hate Tacoma?
No Really. You bitch about the poem, complain the esclators took you from one place you didn’t want to be to another place you didn’t want to be. Complain about developers, bitch about penny’s efforts. You must be a joy to be around.

5) Exit133.com is awsome. Good things are happening downtown, bad things are happening. The thing about exit133 is it takes the time to point out good things.
You can always start a blog “10 things I hate about downtown.” I suggest you start with your feelings about the banner project.

6) Ya gotta LIVE the 253 to love the 253.

I wasn’t offering Mr. Blue sympathy. If his art is published, he should be compensated for it. The LDC, as managers of the project, should pay him. As for the purpose of the banner project, I have no idea what it is. Seems like a combination of pimping the BIA “feet on the street” and Seattle-based ‘branding’ failed experiments. I’d rather see the money go to more maintenance, or, goddess-forbid, parking projects.

As for “management of our public spaces,” while state law allows for it (RCW 35.87A.010(e)), the BIA’s current charter does not. Also, I’m betting it’ll start a new “downtown war” between those who want to shift the focus from the traditional downtown core to the “new” core centered around the UWT.

Don’t get me wrong – I dig the 253, and choose to live here. Heck, I might even take up bocce.

Here is the Art…
Here are the Gleefull…
Tacoma is Cool…
So where are the People…

Unfortunately, when you join arts and bureaucracy, there is often a disconnect between vision and implementation. Laura, the Theater District banners are tucked away, and will be placed back up after the Market is done. There was some confusion around the placement and implementation of the Market poem, as The Chamber had desires for their efforts in the “Go Local” campaign to be recognized as well. I agree with the inconsistency that you talk of, and we had hoped to somehow help with this. It is always a challenge to preserve a vision all the way through a process. Not everyone sees things in the same way. Our initiatives don’t always match up. All we can do is keep trying. Out of Chaos comes creativity. We may someday accomplish a fairly cohesive vision for Tacoma and Downtown. Keep adding input all of you please. As for the BIA, I believe that they have done very many good things, and that as a property owner, I feel my money is being put to good use. They have always been easy to work with, and are showing some great hopes of “out of the box” thinking. I encourage property owners and even shop owners to get plugged in. Even though the property owners write the check, your triple nets in lease every month pay for the services. you are the BIA’s customer just as much as the property owner. The BIA is not THe City, The City is not the Chamber, The Chamber is not The DMG, and all of the rest of you fill in the gaps. WE just need to be talking more, so that we can look for the similarities in our visions and group up. More gets accomplished through collaboration.

Just a little note for Broadweezy that the tee w/ 253 can be bought at PSP.

Daniel Blue wrote the poetry. Glen Weiman did the art/design.

Glen Weiman did a fantastic job designing this piece and deserves a lot of the credit. Beautiful.

I just “walked the poem” yesterday.

It was kind of cool and reminded me of a video game where you have to work to get a prize and put together a puzzle of sorts. Not too unlike a scavenger hunt.

One could imagine several poems going at the same time downtown in different directions with different signs so you know which one to look at. It adds “content” and incentive to walk in different areas of downtown.

I like the idea that it takes one to different places you would not normally walk to.

Glen has the rare ability to listen to the hearts of the people he forms relationships with. In the world of graphic design, this kind of empathy is probably the most valuable trait you can have. When you are hired to design something, you have to listen to your clients abstractions and feel them into reality. The beauty of these banners is a testament to Glen’s ability to hear the wild musings of a dramatic poet and channel them into an understandable and aesthetically pleasing image. He is that rare kind of skilled professional who did not give up his soul to accept the position, and…AND... he loves tacoma, which is why i approached him to begin with. Thank you Glen.

Patricia has the rare ability to see the possibility of connections. While most artists and art promoters wouldn’t dream of working with the beaurocracy or the establishment, Trish saw a way to begin to break that ice. We knew, WE KNEW it was going to be messy, I’ve never done anything like this in my life. (Trish had to help me print an invoice because i didn’t even know what one looked like!) She sat with me in every meeting and multiple times calmed me down over the phone when i felt they were hacking my project to pieces. The true piece of art isnt hanging on a light pole over the farmers market, or the theater district. The true piece of art exists in the imagination of the young S.O.T.A student who walks out of class onto broadway. Right there in the sky big and green is a 2.5’ x 5’ piece of proof that our city supports its local artists. The real piece of art is in that young person’s spinning world of ideas about what they would hang over our streets. As they become, Patricia is poking holes in the myth of “the man” that you cant work with and “the city” that hates it’s people. Thank you Patricia.

Thanks to Laura H.‘s risk, I had an opportunity to take my own risk, and perhaps based on my risk, Mr. Crenshaw Sepulveda will take yet another…the more people pierce that barrier the larger the hole in the wall that keeps us apart will become. I realize I’m not the first artist to work for the city, but i walk on Broadway every day, I live here. To me this project says…“hey buddy, the people in charge of this place are willing to let you help them with the things they aren’t best at.” In this way I feel included and I feel that I belong here. This produces in me a feeling of pride in the place that I live, and a feeling of fierce and beautiful loyalty. This not only means I will not commit crimes here, or leave my trash on these streets, but that when push comes to shove Tacoma has won for itself an active and willing participant in its community. It’s hard to put value on something like that, but I dare you to drive out to the suburbs and ask any twenty something how they feel about the place they live. Ask them to care about anything. So, Thank you Paul Ellis of the BIA.

Note: the “253 Heart t-shirt” are not available at PSP as stated a few posts earlier…at least not yet, unless they are selling them without my permission, which would be an interesting form of flattery. They are however currently available @ urban x change. ;)

To me Tacoma is not a City of Destiny, but rather a City of Hope. This destiny business has never worked for Tacoma, and probably never will. I remain in Tacoma because of the hope. Like many of you I make my home in the very heart of downtown. My choice, I like diversity. I like creativity. I like the energy that young people bring to a community. Hope is the desire for things to be better. My specific desire is for things to be better for everyone, young and old, black and white, rich and poor. For hope to flourish you need to have opportunity so I am a big supporter of education in the many forms it can take. For hope to flourish you need the arts because it is in the arts that we can give our hope some form. Sadly we need commerce as well, but I’m pretty funny about commerce, if we let it in it should contribute to the community and not just suck money out of it. Go Local should be more than a slogan or marketing tool, it needs to be something that we all embrace in order to make our communities stronger and thus make commerce more responsive to the needs of the community. The high point of my day today was not walking down St. Helens or Broadway and seeing the banners, many banners. The high point of my day today was when the bus stopped in front of SOTA and filled with students heading towards UWT. I saw the hope and future for Tacoma in these students, pioneers of urban education, and for a moment hope turned into reality.

Are you not paying attention? “Go Local” is about more than commerce. That’s the whole reason it’s not “Buy Local”. “Go Local” gives you the freedom to make it about whatever you want. Walking poems, coffee at blackwater, dogs in the park, a haircut at embellish, art-walk, night on the town, Urban Arts Festival, Glass Roots Festival. When you “Go Local” of course more of the dollar stays local, which creates sustainability, but also the “Chance” happenings and crossover meetings with people in our community that happen when we are going to the corner store rather that getting in our cars and driving to Walgreen’s across town. Now all we need is more corner stores downtown to facilitate our needs in order for those wonderful “Chance” happenings to happen. I love when I see Paul Sparks at Varsity Grill eating outside at least once a week. I can’t walk into blackwater w/ out having at least three AMAZING/INSPIRING conversations. “Go Local” is more of a mind set than just a “Shopping” command. Let’s foster the “Human neighborhood” and the dollar will just be a bi product.

Only if I get to wear the sweater. You can have the shoes.

Was walking our usually quiet Sunday city scape, and guess what we encountered??? Daniel Blue himself shouting his blissful invitation to our city to get out and love Tacoma. Watch for something exciting attached to this project. We also happened to run into 3-5 others we don’t usually see. What a difference for a Sunday morning. Look out Tacoma, we’re waking up.

oh crenshaw…just for you…I’ll create a banner and it will be at a venue on the next Artwalk….

What’s Penelope@58? That’s not me, but yes I believe you saw me. Smiles.