RECOMMENDED READINGS
this is the short list, see here for the full list of People + Property readings
—Bedoya, Roberto. “Spatial Justice: Rasquachification, Race and the City.” Creative Time Reports. N.p., 10 Oct. 2014. Web. <http://creativetimereports.org/2014/09/15/spatial-justice-rasquachification-race-and-the-city/>.
Expanding on the ongoing conversations about placemaking, Bedoya explores the tension between the cultural sensibility of rasquache and Lipsitz’s idea of the “white spatial imaginary.” He explores existing power structures that favor the dominant white culture and the role of cultural aesthetics.
—Coates, Ta-Nehisi. “The Case for Reparations.” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, June 2014. Web. <http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparations/361631/
Coates makes this for reparations largely by way of his comprehensive study of the racist housing practices and policies in this country that have systematically prevented African Americans from acquiring personal wealth through homeownership. Coates spends a fair amount of time reporting on the Contract Buyers League, a group of African American families in Chicago who were exploited via contracts to buy homes after they were shut out of conventional mortgage opportunities available to whites.
—Desmond, Matthew. “Forced Out.” New Yorker Feb. 2016: n. pag. The New Yorker. Web. <http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/02/08/forced-out>.
Desmond reports about the housing problems faced by tenants, especially the punishing pattern of evictions, in Milwaukee’s low income neighborhoods. The story offers perspectives from not only the tenants, but also the landlords who provide housing in these areas. Desmond also reports on the role of housing assistance, past and present.
—Ferguson, Isis. “The Principles of Ethical Redevelopment.” Common Edge. N.p., 10 Mar. 2016. Web. <http://commonedge.org/the-principles-of-ethical-redevelopment/>.
Ferguson considers the complex relationship between the arts and redevelopment efforts. She identifies nine “Principles of Ethical Redevelopment” that have emerged from Place Lab, an interdisciplinary initiative led by Theaster Gates at the University of Chicago, where she works.
—Frank, Thomas. “Dead End on Shakin’ Street.” The Baffler. N.p., 10 May 2017. Web. <https://thebaffler.com/salvos/dead-end-on-shakin-street>.
Frank challenges the effectiveness of many municipalities recent pursuit of “vibrant” places. He contests that this desired vibrancy is not measurable, equitable, or proven to be effective; yet, it is what many cities are pursuing as a means of attracting and maintaining residents and businesses.
—hooks, bell. “A Place Where the Soul Can Rest” Belonging: A Culture of Place. New York: Routledge, 2009.143-152. Print.
hooks explores the complexities of the front porch, especially its role as a liminal space between the interior and exterior of the home. She offers her personal experiences as entry points for considering the porch in relation to gender, race, and class; civility and community; and the politics of public and private spaces.
—Jacobs, Mary Jane, Purves, Ted. “Reciprocal Generosity” What We Want Is Free: Generosity and Exchange in Recent Art, edited by Ted Purves. Albany, NY: State U of New York, 2005. 3-10. Print.
Art curator Jacobs writes about the potential for participatory art to engage new audiences through an exchange of ideas and experiences. She gives a brief history of this kind of work in the 20th century and cites a small selection of artworks as examples. She argues that inviting an inclusive audience into a reciprocal experience of art challenges the well established hierarchies of the art world and allows art to function on many more levels.
—Lippard, Lucy R. “All Over the Place.” The Lure of the Local: Senses of Place in a Multicentered Society. New York: New, 1997. 4-20. Print.
In this introductory chapter, Lippard outlines the intertwined elements of place, including landscape, home, culture, identity, nature, travel, spirituality, art and more. As with much of her writing, she offers readers her personal experiences alongside of historical, anthropological, and other perspectives.
—Lipsitz, George. How Racism Takes Place. Philadelphia: Temple UP, 2011. Print.
https://books.google.com/books/about/How_Racism_Takes_Place.html?id=lv0musrlBGYC
Lipsitz studies how contemporary places are the result of historical and present day racism, resulting in fewer opportunities for those limited to some spaces and distinct advantages for others who move more freely. He explains how the “white spatial imaginary” dominates our society and the ways that the “black spatial imaginary” counters this dominance.
—Modrak, Rebekah. “Bougie Crap: Art, Design and Gentrification by Rebekah Modrak.” Bougie Crap: Art, Design, and Gentrification. ∞ Mile Detroit, Nov. 2016. Web. <http://infinitemiledetroit.com/Bougie_Crap_Art,_Design_and_Gentrification.html>.
Modrak explores the emergence of “bougie crap” as an early indicator of gentrification. She critiques these goods, which she defines as “expensive consumables that evidence wealth, power and discriminating taste,” as a physical manifestation of the ongoing exploitation of low income communities.
—”White Flight and Reclaimed Memories.” We Live Here. St. Louis Public Radio, 18 Oct. 2017. Web. <https://www.welivehere.show/posts/2017/10/18/white-flight-and-reclaimed-memories>.
A podcast episode based in St. Louis that shares the personal stories of two women who grew up in the same neighborhood in different decades. One woman’s family left the neighborhood in the era of redlining and white flight; the other watched her community falter as a result of the systematic disinvestment of the area. Both women communicate the tremendous loss they feel as a result.
—Whitehead, Francis. “What Do Artists Know?” The Embedded Artist Project, 2006. Web. 07 Jan. 2017. <http://embeddedartistproject.com/whatdoartistsknow.html>
In this concise document, Whitehead has outlined a list of “skills, process and methodologies” used by artists. This knowledge claim is an articulation of tangible things that artists are good at, which many people (artists included) often struggle to express.