Author: ALEXIS WANZELL

Artists Take a Stand to Go Green

Alexis Wanzell

 

Thirty years ago, Kathryn Garcia, commissioner at the NYC Department of Sanitation announced a series of recycling laws and regulations to the City of New York. In just 2016, Mayor of New York, Bill De Blasio, ambitiously pursued the goal of reducing commercial waste and emissions by ninety percent by 2030, further enforcing Garcia’s recycling regulations. Requirements of the law state that New York City residents must recycle all paper and plastic products handled by private recycling carter. Requirements that are not met to these standards are eligible for a fine of up to four hundred dollars.  

Celebrations commenced November 10th at Union Square Park as the NYC Department of Sanitation celebrated thirty years since the law’s enforcement. Though the city has taken a proactive role in enforcing laws that implement citizens to recycle, there is a way of work to go. Statistics today still show that New York City residents are only recycling 17% of their total recyclable waste products. The correlation goes to show that residents are still finding loops in the system that, in turn, are negatively affecting the environment in which we live.  

Though New York residents have failed to collectively go green under De Blasio’s enforcements, efforts may be increased if they were aware of the access, they have to products that are intentionally made with environmental consciousness. New York City artists have re-thought what it means to “go green” by taking recycled materials and creating art, accessories, sculptures, and even clothing. Artists such as Lin Evola-Smidt, Michelle Reader, and Julia Hillman have found innovative ways to turn recycled materials into one of a kind artistic pieces, ranging from sculptures to jewelry. Their innovative brand concepts are not only unique due to the products being produced entirely out of recycled items, but the brand itself is a step in the right direction toward a true change in New York City’s efforts to go green. 

One thing these artists share is their desire to inspire change through their art. Julia Hillman, founder of Popcycle, runs her brand driven by the goal of taking personally found recycled products and creating them into jewelry, clothing, and accessories. Hillman started her journey of environmental awareness while working at a vintage store in New York City where she realized how much stuff was being discarded of but never used. Her ambition to create Popcycle derived from her consciousness of the problem and creating a brand structured around creating new products entirely out of recycled items she collects on her own. Hillman states, “I think I’m part of the large movement. Um, there’s so many different aspects to changing our consciousness and changing how were dealing with this problem. Um, I’m just one little part of it. I mean sustainable materials of course are the future but even if we switch into everything being recycled there’s still so much around that we really need to mobilize.” 

Though New York City celebrates thirty years of recycling requirements, statistics have shown residents are not putting in the legwork. Though by increasing the exposure and awareness of up-and-coming recycled products that can be purchased locally, consciousness may shift due to the awareness of access as well as supporting local artists trying to make change one creation at a time. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT24ibmF010

Alexis Wanzell 

Video Story Pitch 

 

For my video story, I plan on focusing on the Grand Bazaar Venue on the Upper West Side like I did for my radio story. Though this time around, I want to cover the venue from a different angle. For my radio story, I spoke to Marc, the event coordinator, in order to get the nitty-gritty details on their amazing dynamic with the community. For clarification, the Grand Bazaar is a market on the Upper West Side open to the public every Sunday 10am-5:30pm that brings in local artists, artisans, inventors, and food entrepreneurs in order to showcase their items. Along with the exposure it gives artists, 100% of their proceeds fund 4 local public schools so the venue simultaneously helps both communities. Though this time around, I felt it would be cool to take a more human interest-y angle and follow one of the artists through their artistic process, their routines at the Grand Bazaar Market, and even some shots in their home or more personal space/time. I felt the need to continue reporting on the Bazaar because I felt there was more to capture from the event than merely an audio story. The venue space is full of artists and one-of-a-kind inventions, crafts, and items that are being authentically made specifically for every Sunday market. I would like to visit the market again this Sunday in order to choose a specific artist in person that I feel would be willing to let me into their process to do this story and also an artist that has a story to tell and wants to tell it. 

Alexis Wanzell 

 

The Grand Bazaar NYC Venue located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan serves the borough as a marketplace rich in unique products from local artists and artisans. Though New York City is famous for its hole-in-the-wall artist markets, the Grand Bazaar stands alone in the sense that their profits go entirely to four local public schools, helping over 2,000 children. The venue serves as a win-win-win since it helps local artists and artisans gain exposure, local public schools gain funding, and the community surrounding it has access to local art and innovation. 

The Grand Bazaar NYC Venue originally named the GreenFleaMarket, started from a humble beginning. In 1982, a group of mothers decided to open a flea market in order to fund their children‘s public schools. Originally, the funding and donations went solely to the public-school P.S. 334 Anderson School, though once popularity grew, funding expanded to three more schools within the community including The Parent Associations of P.S. 87, The Computer School, and the M.S. 247 Dual Language Middle School. What began as a small flea market has now lasted and grown for nearly thirty-five years making it New York City’s oldest market still standing and its popularity is not fading. In peak season, nearly 200 vendors will occupy the 43,000 feet of indoor and outdoor space that cater to the local artists and artisans that set up shop from 10 to 5:30 every Sunday. The venue’s diversity and authenticity amongst the artwork and products throughout the market create a deeper awareness of the talent that lives within New York. In just 2016, the name “GreenFlea Market” was changed to “Grand Bazaar NYC” to pay homage to the enormous array of talent, creation, design, and innovation that have a place to be showcased every Sunday. 

Grand Bazaar NYC still stands alone in its mission to fund schools within the community. Though the donations do not just go anywhere, in fact, the funding mirrors the nature of the Grand Bazaar venue in that in focuses on art, creation, resources, innovation and its importance for children that are still growing and developing. The funding within the schools goes mainly toward art enrichment programs, books, supplies, teaching assistants, sports and chess programs. Much like the essence of the artists and artisans represented at the Grand Bazaar, its funding go toward programs that focus on the same principles. Since the market’s roots go back thirty-five years, students who attended the funded schools now come back to the venue as artists and artisans themselves, coming full circle back to the venue that helped them grow as a student. 

The venue in relation to the schools it funds has come in a full circle of support. Though Grand Bazaar NYC has funded and supported the four surrounding schools, the community gives back as well. The venue itself is located both outside on the court’s and inside of the cafeteria of The Computer School. The 43,000 square foot space is lent to Grand Bazaar NYC by the school every Sunday in order to host their events and have vast space in order to fit up to 200 vendors at a time.  

Grand Bazaar NYC serves as a venue unique in its quality to support multiple communities at once, including four local public schools, local artists, and the community surrounding it. It’s contributions to each community have created a chain effect of love and support shared within each that has created a unique dynamic between venue and community that has never been shared before.  

Pitch 1

At the age that most of my fellow classmates and I are at, there is an ever-evolving want or need to figure out our lives, purposes, goals, and dreams. Though, I felt it would be interesting to analyze this process from an angle of a very close friend of mine that is taking a unique route to her road to success. At just 21 years old, a dear friend of mine is embarking on the film industry. While still in school and working part-time, she takes her pockets of spare time to connect, create, and produce short films. I felt as though it would be interesting to interview her from the angle of what it takes to be so young yet so involved, what it takes to be a part of the industry, and how she is inserting herself into the industry with limited time and resources, though producing impecible products that gain attention and traction. I hope to gain insight into how an un-established artist uses ones’ resources, surroundings, and connections to get their foot in such an ever-evolving industry.

Pitch 2

The New York Coffee Festival is an event that will be occurring from Oct 11-13th in NYC that accumulates variations, flavors, origins, and styles of coffees into one concentrated event. I felt as though it would be interesting to view the event due to New York being such a fast-paced, on-the-go environment and coffee being the sole wake-up factor in a good percentage of New Yorkers’ mornings. What does coffee mean to the city that never sleeps? What does coffee mean to a New Yorker?

https://lexywanzell.exposure.co/the-affordable-art-fair?source=share-lexywanzell

Brooklyn exists in New York as a borough richly saturated with artists and artistic excursions that serve those with an itch for creation, innovation, and discovering new things. When arriving at Photoville this past Saturday, it was clear that the scene flourished with artists. Though, upon observation, people from all walks of life and interests came together at this event to observe and celebrate photographers and projects that they’ve been working on. While grazing the scene and visiting various storage containers that encased each artist, I fell upon two specific projects that intrigued me.

Robin Schwartz, a talented photographer and mother, showcased a series of photographs spanning most of her daughter’s life titled: Growing up Amelia. Schwartz’ project revolves around photographing her daughter with animals in order to emulate the connection we share with them and to state that animals have welcomed us onto this Earth and not the other way around. The photographs begin from Amelia as a small child to her currently as a young adult. The photographs captured raw and authentic encounters with Amelia and various animals, including a monkey, dog, and deer. Schwartz’ vision is not inherently linear and compartmentalized in the sense that some photos were spontaneous and candid and some were posed and directed. Though the photographs varied in terms of candidness, the translation of the connection between humans and animals stayed consistent and prominent.

The next project I found inticing was called ‘Waterkeeper Warriors’. The series showcases images of members of the Waterkeeper Alliance, an organization that unites over 300 waterkeeper groups around the globe that all contribute to fighting against environmental injustice and pollution. I found the series to be significant not only because the photographs were grabbing and raw, but also due to the fact that I felt their purpose was significant and brave.