I am currently working on a 2 foot plexiglass cube, which will be part of a grant project with the Allentown Chen Arts Group. There will be 13 artists participating and each artist has received a clear plexiglass cube to do whatever he/she wants with, and the cubes will be exhibited together as an installation at the Arts Park in June, with the theme of re-urbanization. How cool! A diverse group of artists coming together in downtown Allentown in the spirit of renewing the city.My first instinct was to fill the cube with something. I thought about the city moving forward and embracing a growing community, building much needed social capital, but at the same time recycling some ideas that worked in the past. For example Max Hess Jr. said "Be the first, be the best, and be entertaining." It worked. Hess's department store in Allentown PA was known worldwide for cutting edge couture, mile high strawberry pie, fancy chandeliers, flower shows, celebrities, the French Room(ooh la la), the topless bathing suit(double ooh la la). People flocked to downtown Allentown to experience Hess's. People felt special at Hess's. Yeah, I know, Hess's is not coming back, and we gotta move forward, but today's Allentown needs to raise the bar high, like Hess's strawberry pie.
That's all I am going to give away for now. Still working on this concept. Stay tuned!
13 Artist Cubes will be displayed at the Allentown Arts Park on Saturday June 19th, opening 1pm-4pm during the Allentown Freak Out Festival. Then the cubes will be on display in the community room of the Baum School of Art for a few weeks. Thanks Rudy Ackerman!
