MID CITY STUDIO

The community engagement event was a beneficial experience for myself, my studio, and hopefully the community in the area as well.  In the weeks leading up to the event, I had high expectations for a good turnout; but as the date approached, I worried that the weather would sabotage our plans.  Much to my surprise, although the event got off to a slow start, everything started to kick off whenever the adjacent church’s service was over and patrons came to see what was happening on at our event. The thoughts that I brought into the experience made me appreciate the turnout even more. 

After speaking with locals, I learned quite a few things about the area, and some of our investigations’ conclusions were verified.  There seemed to be a common concern for a grocery store, which is great news, as it is a large portion of the scope of our project. Other residents seemed to be more concerned with crime in the area, and exhibited a desire to minimize the amount of burglaries and drug-related activity that they see in their neighborhood.  I think it is important to have these concerns voiced, as the people who live in the neighborhood see it every day, and will likely have the most relevant idea of what could make the neighborhood better.Mid City, as a whole, is definitely seeing a resurgence.  

Although it is happening slowly, most permanent change comes about in this way.  The residents that came to our event definitely showed a concern for their community, and were happy to see a group of students care so much about their needs.  The information that we gathered from the residents will be beneficial in our goal to break every chain that the community is facing and create a change for the better.