Playgrounds for Useful Knowledge
Creator, Performer
Playgrounds for Useful Knowledge was a temporary installation on a vacant lot in South Philly which served as a platform to catalyze local knowledge in a rapidly evolving and fractured neighborhood.
This project was a collaboration between numerous organizations and artists organized by Mural Arts and by Cohabitation Strategies, a European urban design and performance group (CohStra).
CohStra underwent a period of research and "data-mapping" of various Philadelphia neighborhoods, before staging "cultural interventions.” The intention was to galvanize and empower community members to work collaboratively with Mural Arts staff on future community art projects. I was part of the local team hired by CohStra to bring Theatre of the Oppressed tools to the lot in order to spark a handful of “Neighborhood Covenings.”
Other project partners included: Independent Curator: Lucia Sanroman; Independent Researcher: Beth Uzwiak; 7th Street Civic Association; Asian Americans United; Bethanna Community Umbrella Agency; Bhutanese American Organization of Philadelphia; Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia; Casa Monarca; Food Trust; Friends of Mifflin Square Park; LandHealth Institute; Media Van/Tea Cart; Lower Moyamensing Civic Association; Puetes de Salud; Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Associations Coalition, Inc; Southeast by Southeast; Southeast Philadelphia Collaborative/United Communities of Southeast Philadelphia; Friendly Market/7th St. Business Community; and Maria Rosario Jackson, Independent Consultant; Kresge Foundation.
