BOUNDARIES
& BRIDGES
OUR WORKSHOPS
Throughout the project workshops were offered relating to creative placemaking. Workshops were facilitated by either regionally or nationally reputable individuals. The goal was to bring teams of Widener University faculty, staff, and students together with artists and members of the greater Chester community to learn about civic arts methodologies and community organizing strategies.
We called these workshops “catalyst workshops” because we wanted to build capacity and provide an opportunity for people to grow their portfolio, learn how to scale up and/or improve on an existing project, create a new project, build new collaborative teams, and spread the word about their project.
The workshops were a day and half long, with a large public event to kick off the workshop weekend.
If you attended one of our workshops and either continued or created a collaborative project that builds bridges between Chester and Widener University, you were able to apply for seed money from us to help kick start your initiative.
Our past workshops have included:
“Food and Creative Placemaking”
Thursday, March 31, 2016 - kickoff event, Widener University's 5th Annual Cake Boss
Saturday, April 2, 2016 - workshop facilitated by Judy Wicks
Topics included event planning and the use of food for community building; community gardens and urban gardening; buying and sourcing locally; nonprofit and for profit business models.
“House/Home: Creative Placemaking & Creative Writing”
Friday, May 6, 2016 - kickoff event, Author's Corner, featuring Greg Corbin
Saturday, May 7, 2016 - workshop facilitated by Maryan Captan
The workshop utilized various writing and textual exercises to help participants better understand the many ways that writing builds and strengthens community and our sense of place.
“Dance and Creative Placemaking”
Friday, June 24, 2016 - kickoff event; Moving Stories, Embodied Communities
Saturday, June 25, 2016 - workshop facilitated by Jessica C. Warchal-King
This workshop helped dancers, along with people who are interested in working with dancers, learn how to put dance and creative placemaking into practice. Topics included non-verbal communication, story-telling through dance, performance and observation, creating movement, along with many, many more.
“Building Bridges and Creating from Place: An interactive theater workshop”
Friday, September 9, 2016 - kickoff event, a performance of A Bridge Apart, written and directed by Devon Walls and Robert Reutter.
Saturday, September 10, 2016 - workshop facilitated by Hank Willenbrink and David Bradley.
This hands-on workshop engaged participants in methods for generating work from place, personal and community stories, and offer opportunities for conversation, brainstorming and envisioning art projects inspired by the city of Chester and its rich assets.
"To Nonprofit or Not to Non-Profit"
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
CultureWorks teamed up with Boundaries & Bridges to help students navigate the “to nonprofit or not to nonprofit” question.
In this session, held in Chester, they explored the advantages and disadvantages of nonprofits, address some of the legal and taxation issues, and demystify fiscal sponsorship. Attendees learned about the resources CultureWorks has to offer, from buy-as-you-need consultation to comprehensive fiscal sponsorship and back-office support.
“Making Your Art, Making Your Life: Resources & Tools for Chester Artists”
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
Boundaries and Bridges partnered with Philadelphia based organizations (Artists U, CultureWorks, Leeway Foundation, and Small But Mighty Arts) to provide information about resources available to support artists and their work. Participants had the opportunity to talk with representatives of these organizations one on one.