What do you do with a run-down parking lot? Members of a community just north of downtown Grand Rapids decided to imagine what could be possible, together. However, the work really went beyond just a parking lot.
According to ArtPeers -- which formed in 2009 to create site-based art performance that provides unconventional access to diverse people, places, and perspectives -- there was a longstanding community need to offer creative experiences for several neighborhoods in the city’s urban core, which had been neglected by other festivals.
A host of collaborators joined Art Peers to create creative experiences featuring contemporary dance one night and original hip-hop the next. In addition to the two days of activation, they decided to capture everything on a short film for the community to see at a festival in the very spot they were created. A full-length feature of these experiences are set to premiere later this fall.
When asked about the impact of this work, Andy Guy, Chief Outcomes Officer the Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. (DGRI) stated that, “This unique production helps expand our collective imagination about what can happen in the future.”
Watch the short film highlighting the experience and read more about the project.