I moved to this wonderful house in August of 2019. This is the result of two years of dreaming and research, of what could happen here if we organize and create change. Also, the result of the generosity of Diane Gerlach, my partner who lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin. She bought the house and is contributing with great insight on needed upgrades and direction. The City calls this neighborhood “Uppertown”, but everyone I’ve met who lives here says it’s the “South Side’, a much larger area that encompasses a working class section of the City. I guess that for now, it won’t have a name, but in my mind, it has a distinct sense of place and natural boundaries.
“Uppertown” or “Noname”
It’s about 9 blocks by 8 blocks. Green Roof is right on the edge, where the pink dot is, a block from City Hall, our main post office and our wonderful library. The City Jail is also just a block away… This is the oldest Black neighborhood in Paducah. I wrote about some of the local resources and ideas for this neighborhood in this post. At that time, I was looking at another house, but the core ideas are the same: living a life of abundance by embracing ideals that support creativity, sustainability and diversity. By pooling our resources, we can improve our housing, create jobs, make our yards safe for birds, bees, butterflies and bats, and have a lot of fun doing it.
I have been told that these ideas will not work here because I am not Black and I am not from here. But, I have also been told that we White people need to step up and do something about the blight. I agree. I want to share what I know and hopefully find a tribe, of any color, along the way, who will jump in on wagon and see what we can do. My main thrust is that I don’t think we have a lot of time left to turn things around. Mother Nature is fed up and rearing her head and if we don’t make some huge changes, we are going to see major die-offs of all species, including the human one. So, the only way I know how to contribute is through art and creative solutions. Hopefully, it will work.
This video is an example of a successful project that started from one ceramic artist’s curiosity and persistance. Theaster Gates is Black, lived in poor Chicago neighborhoods all of his life, and grasped the idea that change can happen by opening up to the possibilities that are around us. He explains what I see here in better words than I could ever drum up:
Then, two Dutch guys figured out how to transform poor neighborhoods by using some paint. It’s not the end game, just an eye catcher that can lead to solving real problems (like plumbing, insulation, broken windows, etc.). You start be creating some bling, making people stop their cars so they can get a better look, and doing something interesting. Then the money can come through fundraising, grants and volunteer efforts.
Finally, there is my hero, Michael Reynolds of Earthship Global. He builds houses out of garbage. His method breaks most of the building codes around the country, so he can only build in a few places here in the US. Yet, he is training people and hopefully someday, the powers that be will realize that this is a key part of the solution. Since we cannot do what he does here in Kentucky, we can use some of the ideas on a smaller scale.
Michael Reynolds says that there are six needs for a harmonious life for humans on earth: food, energy, clean water, shelter, garbage management, and sewage treatment. Think about it. If any of those is out of balance, we are in trouble. But, I would also add that humans need meaningful work and beauty around them to thrive. Theaster Gates makes that connection very clear in his video.
These interests are old ones for me. When I was in my early 20’s (back in the 1980’s), I managed a co-op of artisans in Chicago, operated by the Chicago Uptown Center Hull House, a Jane Addams project. We had MacArthur funding for four years and I was sent to several conventions on how the arts impact economic development. I learned a lot and have been fascinated with that potential ever since. The arts in the United States contributes more to our economy than agriculture, transportation or warehousing. A total of $763.6 billion dollars in 1918! And, yet artists are treated like crap in this country. Most of us struggle to make ends meet, have no health insurance and have to work mindless jobs in order to support the creative side.
So, in thinking about our environmental crisis, the social problems we have, the distressing level of violence we see daily on the news and through our leadership, I feel called to try to do something about it and hope to find others who will subscribe to this vision. We will meet on Sunday from 2-4pm to brainstorm and see where this can go. We’ll have some snacks, coffee and tea. If you are local and want to be on our email list, send me your info through the contact form.
Address: 431 South 4th Street in Paducah
I plan on getting a website up soon that will have an international focus. You can do something similar in your own neighborhood. We can share ideas, connect, encourage each other and implement what makes sense. Meanwhile, I will post updates on this site.
