Revitalizing Pelissier: More Than Just Construction

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It may seem like I’m a BCL groupie, because of all the coverage I give them. The fact is, they do good things in a city that needs more good things happening. They continue to push boundaries when it comes to public art projects, and they won’t rest until the city’s self-perspective changes for the better.

From the Broken City Lab website… “The residencies will attempt to intervene with the everyday realities of skyrocketing vacancy rates, failing economic strategies, and a population of people who are continually losing hope for their city.”

For the remainder of this month, and continuing in July, BCL is staging their latest project, Storefront Residencies for Social Innovation. When I first heard about this project, I thought it was just a rumour. I said to myself, “There’s no way they can offer local artists storefront gallery space for FREE.” Well, they’ve done just that.

The Storefront Residencies for Social Innovation project began last Friday, with the BCL crew cleaning and fixing up three storefronts along Pelissier Street- units 406, 410 and 424. Despite the construction, the group is forging ahead, and they hope to get as many Windsorites visiting as possible. The more people who see the potential of these vacant stores, and the potential of this collection of people willing to work at improving the city’s image, the better for all of us.

They’ve got 25 media artists, actors, videographers, cooks, bakers, gardeners, and storytellers scheduled to appear (even labeling the participants as such seems inadequate, they’re all innovators). The participants come from all across Ontario, as well as Montreal, Vancouver, and Detroit.

They’ll be offering free food programs like The Breakroom (a profit-free cafe and lunch) and Portraits, Pies and Peace (Sunday afternoon discussions, and sharing of homemade pie, plus some drawing and painting).

Communication-based projects like The Peoples Museum & Fabulations de Windsor (bilingual community-based story telling and story gathering) and Talk To Strangers (a text-based outdoor window installation) will satisfy the word-smith in all of us.

And for those with a keen sense for textiles, The Sweater Factory (a process-based performance involving the unraveling and re-assembly of sweaters) and the Swap Shop (a clothing swap of used, good-condition items) will keep you coming back to see what’s new.

There’s something for everyone. And even if you’re not a fan of performance art or pie, the chance to see this project come to fruition shouldn’t be missed. This is social change in action. And really, who doesn’t like pie?

Here’s the entire schedule, in all its glory: