Chicagotalks » D.I.Y.

Columbia Art Students On the Right Track

Barbara Iverson — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:00:23 +0000

After eight weeks of planning and design, four Columbia College Chicago artists finished an art installation in one Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) train car for the Art On Track event on Aug. 7.

Linking a private home space with a public commuter train, Encroachment, a mobile art installation created by a Columbia College Chicago curatorial group, aimed to completely subvert the function of a train car by making it a home-away-from-home environment. Curtains, carpet, room vignettes, cookies baking in the ‘oven’ and comfy chairs put the passenger in a dream-like imaginary world where business commuters ride alongside their private home-dwelling selves.

The four Columbia College artists, Jackie Capozzoli, Erin Cramer, Stephen DeSantis and Haley Nagy, were at the Midway CTA depot on Saturday at 7:30 a.m. having bagels and coffee with the other Art on Track artists as they prepared their Orange Line train for the installation of their art project. Less than 12 hours later, the eight-car train was gradually transformed into a gallery-on-wheels.

Read the whole story here: Faculty/Staff – View Content.

The art collective’s website Pulp, ink, & thread, has some images and posts about the CTA train gallery show. Perspectives blog has an interview with 3 Blondes and a Bald Guy group about the show, and WTTW’s “Fear No Art Chicago” featured their CTA art, too.

See what went on for yourself at the flickr.com Art on Track slideshow:

Wanted: Your View(s) of Chicago

Chicagotalks — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 21:27:47 +0000

If you’ve taken some interesting photos this summer (or in any season) of your neighborhood, or anywhere in Chicago, join our Photo Group and add your favorites. We will have a contest to choose the best summer photos, and more. We need your view of the town. Click the image to go to the Group signup page.

Click to join, Share your View of Chicago

Renegade Chicago Applications Close Friday

Chicagotalks — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 18:00:50 +0000

BP Flash Mob to Take Place at Millennium Park Friday

Lake Effect News — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 13:00:16 +0000

By: Lorraine Swanson, Lake Effect News

Did you get the message?

There is going to be a “flash mob” against BP Oil on Friday, June 11, at Millennium Park. The silent protest is one of many vigils taking place across the country this week marking the 50^th day of the BP oil spill in the Louisiana Gulf. As is typical of a flash mob, no one in particular is organizing the event. The Yes Men were forwarding an email around about the event, and perhaps MoveOn.org folks are involved.

Participants are being asked to bring black umbrellas, or wear all black and “casually converge” on the BP pedestrian bridge starting at 12:11 p.m.

When the whistle blows at 12:30 p.m., participants will generate a visual representation of the oil slick seen from above by filling the entire walkway of the BP bridge.

Starting from the middle of the bridge over Columbus Drive, mob participants will open their umbrellas and squat or sit down, covering as much space of the bridge with umbrellas or bodies as possible.

MoveOn.org asks that participants not carry signs or confront patrons of Millennium Park, damage property or otherwise break any laws.

The flash mob is a “silent protest intended to bring together a community of concerned citizens in creating a living illustration of the damage that threatens the collective health of our planet,” according to MoveOn.org.

At 12:35 p.m. when the whistle blows a second time, participants will quickly and calmly collect themselves and disperse.

The vigil will happen rain or shine.

For more info, check out MoveOn.org.

And if you haven’t done so already, Bark Bark Club at 5943 N. Broadway, is collecting nylons and tights send to Matter of Trust. The San Francisco-based environmental group is stuffing the donated nylons with pet and human hair to make homemade hair-booms that will be used to line the beaches to hold back the oil spill along the Gulf Coast.

Gardening Grants Available in Rogers Park

Chicagotalks — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 06:01:55 +0000

From The Rogers Park Garden Group – Rogers Park, Chicago comes this proposal that will warm any gardener’s heart during a chilly January.

A proposal to “Adopt the Public Way”

The Rogers Park Garden Group (RPGG) is delighted to make available a limited number of public gardening grants up to $1,000 for the improvement of spaces in our neighborhood’s public way. From Juneway Terrace on the north, south to Devon Avenue and from the lake west to Ridge Avenue, spaces in the public way such as parkways, parks, playlots, sidewalk gardens and building frontage potentially qualify.

In addition to funding, the RPGG can also make available garden advice and resources. For more information and a grant application, visit http://www.rogersparkgardengroup.org. The deadline for applications is Feb. 15. The applications can be downloaded from The Rogers Park Garden Group.

Jan. 25 is Deadline for Artists to Apply for Community Grants

Barbara Iverson — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 06:00:52 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

The Community Arts Assistance Program (CAAP) was created in 1987 through funding provided by the Illinois Arts Council Access Program. The goals of CAAP are to discover, nurture and expand Chicago’s multi-ethnic artists and nonprofit arts organizations, and to foster new and emerging individual artists and arts groups by providing grants for professional, artistic and organizational development to those who have had limited access to funding in both public and private grants programs. CAAP grants provide financial assistance to individual artists and to nonprofit arts organizations with incomes under $150,000. The maximum grant request is $1,000. Funding priority is intended for applicants who have not been previously funded through the CAAP Program or have not had access to traditional funding programs such as grants, fellowships and art commissions from the National Endowment for the Arts, Illinois Arts Council, corporations or foundations.

From the City of Chicago website:

WHAT WE FUND

Individual Artists

Professional development in the areas of Artistic, Management and Technical/Artistic Services including:

Creation of high quality artistic projects (e.g. development or completion of a work of art)
High quality training programs (non-credit master classes, workshops, etc.) which develop professional artistic skills
Technical assistance in the form of a consultant to help with publicity, proposal writing, marketing, financial management, etc.
Portfolio development: slides, resumes and audio and video presentations for funders and galleries, etc.
Exhibition expenses which may include mounting, framing and installation (may not include gallery rental or reception costs)
Nonprofit Arts Organizations

Organizational Development including:

High quality training programs aimed at developing administrative and organizational skills
Technical assistance in the form of a consultant to help in publicity, fundraising, board development, planning, marketing, audience development and bookkeeping
Documentation of cultural activity through photography, slides, brochures, annual reports, audio and video which will assist the organization in presentations to funders or promotion to attract new and broader audiences
Assistance for seeking 501(c)(3) status (must contact Cultural Grants staff for separate application instructions)

REQUIREMENTS

Individual applicants

Must be 21 years of age
Must be practicing artists with demonstrated ability in their artistic discipline
Must be a City of Chicago resident with a Chicago street address (no P.O. boxes accepted)
Must be Chicago resident for at least six (6) months prior to the application deadline
Must have a social security number

Nonprofit arts organizations

Must be incorporated and located in the city of Chicago
Must have acquired, or be in the process of applying for, or seeking funds to apply for Federal 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status
Must have a valid Federal Employer Identification Number

APPLICATION ASSISTANCE WORKSHOPS

All applicants are strongly encouraged to attend one of the Application Assistance Workshops. Pertinent information regarding the application process and helpful grant writing information will be discussed.

DEADLINE: The 2010 Community Arts Assistance Program grants are currently being accepted. Applications are due on Monday, January 25, 2010 at 5:00 p.m.

For more information, check out the City of Chicago/CAAP website:

Paid Apprenticeship for Teens Offers a Challenge and a Check

Barbara Iverson — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 01:35:30 +0000

Are you an aspiring Writer, Actor, Poet, Spoken Word Artist, Talk Show Host, Recording Engineer, Beat Maker and/or Producer between the ages of 15 and 19 years old? You can audition for the “Apprenticeship After School Program For Talented Teens” sponsored by AfterSchoolMatters.org and get paid while you learn and develop your talent.

Teen Talk Radio on Youtube.com

Instructors-Producers, Ms. Masequa Myers and Mr. Pemon Rami, invite you to join Teen Talk Radio Theater and learn to produce your own radio show. The program begins Feb. 1 and continues until April 14, 2010. It meets on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The auditions and interviews will be held on Sat., Jan. 16, 2010 from 10:00 am to 1:00 p.m. at:
P & M STUDIO
(Located inside Kennicott Park)
4434 S. Lake Park Ave. Room 105
Chicago, Il 60653

What do you need to do to qualify? You must attend all sessions, be on time and work enthusiastically. They are looking for independent, responsible teens who have a genuine interest in writing, acting, public speaking, rapping, producing (beats & songs). Experience is a plus, but if you can talk about issues and have the drive to be part of this unique experience, you can register online at the afterschoolmatters.org site. Use the keyword: “Teen Talk Radio Theatre” to find the application form.

Contact Pemon Rami, CTO, for Masequa Myers & Associates for more information at: http://www.masequa.com

Want to Help Families Survive the Economy? Volunteer.

Faith Hinz, Economic Progress — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 06:01:33 +0000

With debt, foreclosures, unemployment and heating costs on the rise, low-income families often find themselves falling behind. To help bring some relief during the upcoming tax season, the Center for Economic Progress is recruiting volunteers to help bring free tax and financial services to families who need them most.

With little tax training, low-income families are among the most likely to leave money on the table at tax time. They’re also those who can least afford to do so. Many are simply unaware of credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or Child Tax Credit (CTC), which can be equal to more than two months pay for a low-income family.

“After the year we’ve just had, we want to make sure that all eligible families claim their tax refund quickly and completely,” said David Marzahl, Executive Director at the Center for Economic Progress. “We also want to make sure that they have the opportunity to start saving for a rainy day with sound financial products at our tax sites.”

In 2009, more than 1,200 volunteers joined the Center in helping low-income workers get the max from tax time. Thanks to these volunteers and partners, the Center provided free tax and financial services to 33,000 individuals and families in Illinois, returning $52 million to some of the most cash-strapped communities in Illinois.

No prior tax experience is necessary. Free, flexible training is available to volunteers willing to spend just a few hours a week providing this vital service to low-income families while building their skills and networking at one of many Illinois tax sites. In Chicago, volunteers are needed at tax sites in Albany Park, Auburn Gresham, Bronzeville, Chicago Lawn, Lawndale, the Loop, Pilsen, Rogers Park, Uptown and West Garfield Park. In the Chicago suburbs and northern Illinois, volunteers are needed in Aurora, Crystal Lake, Elgin, Harvey, Joliet, Rockford and Waukegan. In central and southern Illinois, volunteers are needed in Alton, Bloomington, Decatur, East St. Louis, Marion, Normal, Peoria, Rock Island and Springfield. Volunteers are supported at all times by experienced tax preparers and accountants. Certified Public Accountants who volunteer can also receive free Continuing Professional Education Credits.

The Center will provide free tax preparation from Jan. 23 through April 15 at over 30 Illinois locations. For more information or to register to volunteer, visit www.economicprogress.org, or call (312) 630-0244.

DIY Hack Your Way to a Better Government

Chicagotalks — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 14:00:05 +0000

The local group OpenGovChicago is having a Hackathon on December 13 at Columbia College. The details are still being hammered out. To start with, “hackers” aren’t “bad guys or pirates. They’re passionate pragmatic craftspeople who relish doing interesting work and doing it with style,” writes Joe Germuska of the OpenGovChicago about the upcoming “Hackathon.”

At a Hackathon people who share common interests come together to get things done. In the open source software world, they are held to add a major new feature or finish a new release. The real-time interaction provides focus and improves relationships between folks who may know each other mostly via the internet. Being somewhere, with a bunch of other people, working on a project becomes the modern equivalent of a barn raising.

The folks at Sunlight Labs have been pushing the idea of adapting the hackathon spirit to civic technology and open government activism.

The hackathon isn’t all about computers and tech, and Germuska says that folks could write a manifesto or develop an action plan, or come to design a flyer campaign. People could collaboratively critique a government website and draft a recommendation about how it could be better. They could research grant funding opportunities, or just make time for a personal research project. Joe’s example is a visualization of county-by-county data on a map (http://flowingdata.com/2009/11/12/how-to-make-a-us-county-thematic-map-using-free-tools/).Think of it like a rent party where you contribute ideas instead of your money.

If this sounds interesting, check out the wiki http://opengovchi.pbworks.com/Great-American-Hackathon-2009. Whether you have a project in mind, or would like to help with a project, the hackathon might be a good place to start.

White House Website Switches To Open Source (news.slashdot.org)

Deadline for Renegade Holiday Crafts Event Approaching

Chicagotalks — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:13:20 +0000

Calling all D.I.Y. ers. Get in on this opportunity for 2009.

DIY: Be a Street Photographer

Barbara Iverson — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:07:59 +0000

It is summer in the city. Don’t just walk those streets, see them. Here Clay Enos, a veteran photographer demonstrates how to talk to strangers, use your camera, and natural light to get some interesting faces.

DIYers: It is time to apply for Renegade Craft Fair

Chicagotalks — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:15:00 +0000

Chicago « Renegade Craft Fair.

South Austin Residents Fix Pothole Problems

Jennifer T. Lacey — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 06:38:41 +0000

April 10, 2009 -

Westside Residents Fill Neighborhood Potholes from Jennifer T. Lacey on Vimeo

DIY: Make your own logos, web designs, T-shirt designs and more for free

Barbara Iverson — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 17:34:33 +0000

Feb. 26, 2009 – Today, most people under the age of 30 have been introduced to computer tools that let you paint, manipulate, and create images. For most grade schoolers this is part of art, as well as media literacy. There are plenty of free paint-style programs, even some that come with whatever computer operating system you work with. Photo manipulation is pretty commonplace as well, through iPhoto (Mac) or picasa.com (PC), or Flickr.com which is integrated with picnik.com.

Up to now, it has been difficult to find free vector-based drawing software. This is what designers use to create logos and advertising images. Aviary is rolling out a beta version of Raven, a free online vector design program. To be an artist, e.g. a painter, you probably need some artistic skill and training. Vector art is for those who have an eye for space, color, and shape, but can't draw on their own. There is lots of tracing involved, and use geometry (don't worry, it is performed by the computer) to shape, shadow and create an image design. Vector graphics don't degrade when you try and make them larger. You might have seen how a computer picture looks fuzzy when you blow it up. If you make it a vector graphic, you can scale it up or down without any loss of quality. This is very helpful if you have a logo you need to use on business cards, stationary, and posters.

"Huh?" you say, so what?

This kind of program is great for designing logos for your MySpace page, or your own Etsy logo. And what about T-shirts? While there are lots of places where you choose an image and get a shirt with the image imprinted on it. With Raven, you can try your hand at creating your own T-shirt art. Good for fashion uniqueness, as well as a possible income source, if you have a talent for this kind of design.

A word of warning. Vector programs are not as intuitive and easy to master out of the box, as painting and image manipulation programs are. However, you can achieve great precision and do awesome things with text if you master the basics. Whether you want to be an anime artists, fabric design artiste, or just fool around for an hour or two, Raven, might be an interesting diversion.

About vector drawing, including the basics:

http://www.lazymask.com/vector-tutorial.html

Learn what "bezier curves" are and how to use them to bring your vision to the screen

Categories:
Art & Entertainment At Play DIY Money Matters New Story Public

DIY houses prove to be savior for smaller music acts

Chicagotalks — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:52:50 +0000

Story by Nick Tallidis

Feb. 23, 2009 – The scene was looking bleak. Local bands and performers, commodities in which Chicago has historically seen no shortage, were struggling to get their names out. Touring musicians referred to the city as the “black hole” of the Midwestern circuit, many skipping it all together. And most disturbing, the Chitown scenesters were stuck at home with nothing to do but blog about it. The music was there, the fans were there, but an essential piece of the puzzle was missing.

“There was no where for bands like mine to play,” said 21-year-old Ricardo Adame of the band Blueberry Fist. Adame, who has been playing in local bands since age 15, remembers how hard it was for an unestablished band to land a gig in Chicago only a few years ago. “We were contacting all the venues we knew looking for places to play, but most of them didn’t want to deal with a young band that was new on the scene.”

By no means was the problem a physical lack of venue. Chicago boasts numerous top-notch concert halls, but the restrictions placed on the bands looking to play them can be tough for smaller acts to meet. At very least, a venue needs a decent recording of the music. More likely, the act must submit a full press-kit to be considered. This practice had introduced a strict dichotomy to Chicago’s music scene: those who had the means to make it happen and those who did not.

“I sympathize with both ends of this,” said Rob Majchrowski, 26. “My business side says venues need to have confidence that a band will draw. Without any physical media from the band, or at least a good reputation, it’s a risk to book them.” Majchrowski is an employee at one of Chicago’s premier indie venues, The Empty Bottle, and a musician as well.

“As someone who gigs, I know how important getting shows can be, especially early in a band’s career,” said Majchrowski. Most every musician would agree with this. Playing live is the key to gaining a following, but with the major venues out of the question there was little hope for these acts. That was until a phenomenon known as DIY grabbed the reins of the Chicago underground music scene.

The ideology of DIY, an acronym for do it yourself, is as old as man. Before big business made our lives simple and carefree, everything from broom-making to patching a roof was a DIY project. Though these days, when a trip to Super Target can solve all of life’s problems, DIY is done not purely out of necessity, but also rebellion.

This term and ideology have been applied to music since the 1960s, when rock bands moved out of the studios and into the garages. Punk and hardcore acts from the 1970s and 1980s naturally drifted toward these practices, which fit perfectly into their anti-establishment ethos. Though DIY struggled as big business gained more control over the music than it had ever had before, advocates have managed to create a non-commercial alternative to nearly every facet of the industry.

Cheap home recording has never been more accessible, self-promotion is as easy as a Myspace page and a trip to Kinko’s, and in the last few years underground venues known as DIY houses have become more prevalent not only across Chicago, but the entire country. These DIY houses have opened the doors to a new generation of previously ignored bands.

“What we do is all about avoiding the middleman and giving people a good time,” said Rob Winn, 25, of the DIY house Go-Go Town. Winn along with Chris DeArcanoelis, Cory Fehrenbachler, and Ross Howard opened the house last October.

Entering Go-Go Town, which is located at 3117 S. Morgan St. in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago, one gets the feeling he or she is entering a prohibition era speakeasy. Though it’s quiet and conspicuous from the outside, Go-Go Town’s doors open to a barrage of loud music, smoke, and scenester chatter. In its two months as a DIY venue, it has hosted rock, hip-hop, folk, and even comedy performances.

“There is definitely a demand for this,” said DeArcanoelis. “It’s a little freakier to come to a show here, but I think people feel more comfortable in a shitty house on the South Side than a legit venue with high ticket prices, lots of security, and expensive drinks.”

The relaxed environment of these DIY houses is just one of the many alluring qualities that help keep them packed week after week. Political, economic, ecological, and social issues play a role as well. Castaway house, located at 2722 N. Kimball Ave. in Logan Square, is an apartment that hosts acoustic shows and occasionally art exhibits and readings. Profits from their shows have gone toward causes including the raising of bail money for imprisoned activists and a neighborhood-wide recycling program.

Lindsey Mineff, 23, who along with Raechel Tiffe and Cindy Walbeck founded Castaway House, said, “We tend to attract lots of like-minded people, mainly the artsy, dirty, socially conscious type.” Mineff believes a congregation like this may lead to a brighter future for music and the community. “It gives people and the bands networking opportunities. This can spark conversation and spark change which will hopefully lead to great things.”

At the forefront of this movement is a desire to create a music scene that is not tainted by the capitalistic values of the mainstream music industry. It is rare for a DIY house to profit, even to break even. The founders of Go-Go Town, though hoping to one day be self-sustainable, currently pay at least $400 a month out of pocket to keep it running. Despite this, every touring band gets paid.

“We aren’t about money, we aren’t about competition, really we’re just about getting this music out there,” said Winn.

“We started our house,” said Mineff, “for the performers who couldn’t get shows anywhere. Hopefully, it can be a stepping stone for them.” Walbeck went on to explain that the DIY scene is not trying to compete or demean the mainstream scene, but instead act as a much needed supplement.

“If it wasn’t for our house shows, no one would have heard of us by now,” said Adame. Blueberry Fist is one of many bands who are grateful that Chicago’s DIY community is finally coming into its own. Their scheduled tour this winter includes both venues and DIY houses across the country.

“Even if we got really big and could play anywhere we wanted, I think we would still choose to do some DIY shows. It’s good for the scene and it’s just more fun,” said Adame.

Categories:
Business DIY Music Public
Tags:
diy music

DIY: TECH cocktail where you can make friends and connections at the same time.

Barbara Iverson — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 15:22:08 +0000

Times are hard. Not every graduate has his or her dream job. What's a struggling young professional to do? When the going gets tough, the techies go networking.

If you have an interest in technology, as in being online, working online, creating a the next "killer app," or just networking to find collaborators to help you create the startup business you know will succeed, first check out the Chicago TECH cocktail site , and then their events. TECH cocktail is an umbrella social network site with lots of local sites, designed as "A community for developers, designers, bloggers, technology enthusiasts & entrepreneurs interested in technology in local communities". As a student, going to events like those sponsored by TECH cocktail, will let you discover opportunities you hadn't heard or thought of. It is a way to meet people to find out about internships, "the next big thing," and to begin to establish your "brand" in the world beyond school. Lest it sound too serious, it is also a social event, where you can meet new friends F2F, instead of online.

See TECH cocktail COMMUNITY in action.

In April, they are sponsoring Startup Weekend , an intense 54 hour event aimed at bringing brilliant tech minds (developers, designers, marketers, etc.) together. The idea is to get people connected and working to create a company (or as many as the community wants) from concept to launch!

The idea of Startup Weekend is to combine fun and business, in a highly interactive weekend that encourages technology entrepreneurship. Over the weekend of April 3-5th, there will be Startup Weekend events in many other cities, pitting Chicago's best minds against the rest of the "technosphere."

To learn more about Startup Weekend Chicago please visit the website. http://chicago.startupweekend.com/ or to register, go to http://chicagostartupweekend.eventbrite.com/

ITA is the host for Startup Weekend Chicago at their Tech Nexus space located at 200 South Wacker Drive – 15th Floor.

Categories:
At Work DIY In the Loop Money Matters New Story Public Techology

Q&A – Steve Rhodes, The Beachwood Reporter

Jane Patton — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 17:18:50 +0000

After being fed up with the reluctance of mainstream media to get online, Steve Rhodes left the Chicago magazine and started his own Web-based publication, The Beachwood Reporter. Combining dry wit with local media critique, Rhodes has managed to turn his grass-roots venture into a site that continues to gather national attention while gaining new local subscribers. In this interview, Rhodes discusses the downfalls of citizen journalism, his difficulty generating revenue from the site, and his vision for the future of Beachwood Reporter.

When you left Chicago magazine, why did you leave?

Six years had been a long time in that job, and I wasn’t sure there was much more I could do to evolve and grow. I was really frustrated with not being on the internet. Journalists should be the first people on the web, and they’ve kind of been the last.

Why were newspapers so late getting online?

I think that they felt threatened. They were just set in their ways and thought that what they did on print was so important. There was a study done by the Media Management Center at Northwestern, and they found they only institutions more resistant to change than newspapers were militaries and hospitals in the 1950s.

Did you publish anything online before you started the Beachwood Reporter?

I did a weekly online media column when I was with Chicago magazine, and it was really popular. It started getting quoted a lot of places like the New York Times and Washington Post, but the value that outsiders saw was not reflected in the magazine.

Do you think now, two years since you worked at Chicago magazine, more magazines are getting on the online bandwagon?

Yes, I think so. Mainstream print media has finally realized that the internet is the future, and is really the only thing that can save them as their revenues and traditional formats are falling.

Did you have a background in web design along with journalism?

I’m not a tech person. I was fortunate enough to have a very good friend who’s an excellent web designer, so she designed Beachwood.

How much of a problem is that in furthering the website?

That’s the biggest obstacle for me right now, especially with plans to subsidize it with other sites that are more likely to generate revenue than this one. I kind of bought into this idea that any 8^th grader knows how to do it. They can do MySpace, but not a real quality website. Web designers are so highly sought after it’s hard to get them to stick around, especially since I’m an all-volunteer operation.

I know Chicago magazine was a little behind, but there were other local Chicago news websites that were started before you launched Beachwood. What did you think was missing?

A certain kind of critical journalistic eye. What I mean by that is sites like Gaper’s Block have a good design and do a fine job, but I don’t think it’s hard-edge news. I thought there was room for media critique. I think Chi-town Daily News came along before me, but they focus more on citizen journalism. I’m not interested in that hyper-local news.

So what do you think the problems are with citizen journalism?

I think citizen journalism is evolving, but when it started, I mean, I don’t care what Aunt Mae saw at the car accident, and I think that’s what a lot of it was. Also, I think there’s a real misunderstanding – maybe because the mainstream media has been doing such a bad job – that citizen journalism comes from that. Some of my writers are journalists. But many of them aren’t. Is my Cubs columnist a citizen journalist? He has no journalistic training whatsoever, but it’s funny as hell and delivers lots of great insights.

How did you meet your sports writer? How did you select your other writers?

My writers originally started out as friends. They were people I knew from the bar the Beachwood Inn, which is what the site is named after. They were people who brought their own column ideas to me that I was not even planning on doing. They all seemed to fit with the tone of the site, so the site is for sure not just me or a product of me and my imagination. Then, I started to get people who would write me who liked what I was doing and wanted to contribute.

So you now accept freelance work?

Absolutely. I hope and pray I can pay everybody one day. I’m really all about paying writers. If I was even making a penny, I would divide that penny up.

How willing have you found writers to work for free?

Most writers do it for fun and do it for the ultimate goal of the vision. There are also younger people who want to get clips, and that’s fine too. I needed to do that; we all needed to do that. It’s really unfair, though. Nobody should work for free, especially writers. I’m not saying you shouldn’t do what you have to do, but as a general proposition to the world, it’s just not fair.

What do you look for when people pitch ideas? How well it fits, or do you need examples of writing?

Samples might help, but the main thing is if it fits with the tone of the site. When I was at Chicago magazine, they did this “hottest singles in Chicago” issue, and I didn’t participate since I was working on politics. I always wanted to do “worst singles in Chicago” (laughs). That would be 5 or 6 of my friends. Can’t hold a job, commitment issues. That’s Beachwood material.

How do you support the site?

I’ve fallen back onto credit cards, but am also getting money from NBC to do a political blog for them. Finances are tenuous. I’m living like a college student again.

How, then, do you measure success?

I think editorially, we’ve been a success based on the fact that our readers are loyal. We’ve also gotten some good attention, and I feel that we’re influential in the media world. Now I’m on panels and giving presentations and being quoted. I do more television and radio now than I ever did.

Where do you want to see Beachwood go? You mentioned subsidizing.

What I mean by that is if I develop editorial content, it can generate some revenue. I think local ad markets are pretty soft and undependable, though. The model I saw that worked on the web when I started was having a bunch of sites.

Why would those other sites generate more readership than the broad spectrum of things already covered on Beachwood?

They have more natural advertising partners. A couple relate to business and health. The problem with Beachwood is that it’s a general interest site whose readers are in the media or politics, who have no reason to advertise.

What sites do you like reading? What influenced you?

I like dailyhowler.com. I like the New York Observer. I think Beachwood in some ways resembles a local Slate. I’m not a huge fan of Slate, but I like it. I think we have some similarities, quite unintentionally.

Categories:
Uncategorized

Brain ball, Eraseable Paper, Robots, and a Maglev Chair will Delight Visitors to NextFest 08

Barbara Iverson — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 02:27:05 +0000

Little Village Event Aimed at “Healing the Hood”

Chicagotalks — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:15:08 +0000

Story by Lindsay Welbers

Learn more about the event, courtesy of our partners at Community Media Workshop.

June 13, 2008 – Hoping to prevent a summer marred by gang violence, the third annual Healing the Hood street festival in Little Village has been moved up to June 14.

Mike Rodriguez, director of the Little Village Violence Prevention Collaborative , said organizers decided to hold the event this month rather in August because they want to get kids involved in their communities early in the summer, giving them alternatives to joining a gang.

“Folks wanted to set the stage for a peaceful summer with this event instead of ending (summer) with it,” Rodriguez said.

The New Communities Program worked with Rodriguez and his group to use a crime reduction strategy that they say, resulted in a 39 percent drop in gun violence and a 60 percent drop in homicides in the neighborhood between 2006 and 2007.

Two gangs divide the West Side neighborhood. The division runs so deep that children from the east side of the neighborhood cannot use the park on the west side for fear of violence and retaliation for crossing the border.

One of the New Community Program’s goals is to get a park on the east side of the neighborhood, in addition to reducing gang violence.

The street festival, presented by the Little Village Community Development Corp., takes place on the border between the territory the two gangs – the Latin Kings and 2Six – have staked out.

Organizers hope that by encouraging people to get involved in their communities through music, arts or sports that students will be encouraged to stay away from gangs and to help reduce gang-related violence.

“This year we have a specific arts component where young people will be decorating a Healing the Hood art piece to put in their window,” Rodriguez said.

Families will be encouraged to decorate a common emblem at the event and place it in the windows of their home to show that gang violence is not welcome in the community.

Event organizers this year hope to continue raising awareness year round by putting together a video in which event participants discuss their history with gang violence and how they hope to end it. The video will be featured on the Little Village Community Development Corp.’s Web site and on YouTube.

At noon June 14, several pastors of interdenominational faiths and former gang members will hold a vigil for those killed by gang violence in the past year.

Categories:
City Life Public Southwest Side West Side
Tags:
gangs little village new communities program