December 2010
12 posts
School Workshops
Part of what has made the past three processions so successful is the energy brought to them by students and young people! This year, UPP is doing long-term workshops in four schools in Providence. Genise emailed around this quick write-up last week, and I thought my readers might be interested to learn about the rest of what UPP is doing:
Students at Sophia Academy and Nathan Bishop Middle...
Wrapping Up
Here at Brown our semester is winding down. In fact, this project is due tomorrow… yikes! I’m going to stay on with UPP at least until the procession in the spring, but for the purposes of my class, I’m going to take a minute to reflect on what I’ve learned so far.
I entered in to my partnership with UPP with the goal of learning about grant writing. Suffice it to say, I...
These Waters are Connected
In learning about UPP and Mashapaug Pond, the concept of the watershed has been really useful for me. US EPA offers this definition of a watershed:
A watershed is the area of land where all of the water that is under it or drains off of it goes into the same place. John Wesley Powell, scientist geographer, put it best when he said that a watershed is “that area of land, a bounded...
Health Concerns
The toxins present at the Gorham Manufacturing Site are of particular concern because they may put already vulnerable populations at additional risk. Children and young adults, like those attending Alvarez High School, are more vulnerable to toxins than adults. Furthermore, Providence residents are already exposed to higher environmental health risks than others in the state. According to a...
What Community Do We Serve?
Mashapaug Pond is located on the Cranston/Providence border, especially close to the Reservoir, Elmwood, and West End neighborhoods of Providence. Mashapaug Pond is connected to the Roger Williams Park Ponds, is part of the Pawtuxet River Watershed, and the Narragansett Bay Watershed. Despite problems of contamination, these ponds represent some of the biggest open spaces in the city, and are...
What is the Story of the Gorham Site?
Although this post doesn’t respond to one of my questions, I wanted to summarize what I’ve learned about the history of the Gorham Site, Mashapaug Pond, and the Reservoir Triangle Neighborhood because I think it gives useful context to the work of UPP and other environmental justice groups working to improve the health of Mashapaug.
As I’ve mentioned before, the Narragansett...
Watchurbanpondprocession:
After participating in a week-long workshop learning about the health of the Pawtuxet Watershed, the young artists of Providence CityArts for Youth produced their very own mini-procession, featuring the one-of-a-kind fish costumes and flags they created in conjunction with the workshop.
What is the Story of UPP's Founding?
whew! It’s been some time since my last post, but don’t worry, I’ll make it up to you. I’m going to start by answering the questions about UPP I posted recently. Also look below from some lines from Holly’s website that I LOVE. I think her philosophy is spot-on.
So: what is the story of UPP’s founding?
UPP emerged in 2008 from a partnership between RI State...
“Since moving to Rhode Island in 1998 I have come to believe more and more that...”
– Holly Ewald, Artist Statement
http://hollyewald.com/statement.html
November 2010
12 posts
Learn More! →
This is a link to Holly’s site. Here you can see photos of past processions, learn about Holly, and see other examples of her wonderful artwork!
Tying it Together
So, some of my readers (if they exist!) are probably wondering how exactly all of these posts tie back into funding. My answer is that in order to present an effective case to a grant maker or other funder, I need to know as much as I can about the organization, the community it serves, and the funders themselves. In addition to the work I’ve been doing directly with UPP, I’ve also been wading...
This Year's Kickoff
On Saturday I went to UPP’s kickoff event. In the evening, we gathered at the boathouse on Mashapaug Pond off of Reservoir Ave to share energy, music, and snacks. It was great to meet some of the interesting, talented, and motivated people who are each sharing their strengths with UPP and to hear about the many efforts that will eventually culminate in the 2011 procession.
...
Some Exploring
Like many November days in Rhode Island, yesterday was grey, blustery, and cold. However, I had the morning off, and it seemed like a good day to do some exploring around Mashapaug Pond. The 77-acre pond straddles the line between Cranston and Providence, RI, which as I’ve mentioned before, is a very urban area. However, the variety of neighborhoods around the small pond surprised me,...
Water Quality Concerns in Mashapaug Pond
I thought I would take this opportunity to delineate in a more technical way the reasons why Mashapaug Pond is unhealthy and give some context for the work that community activists are doing. Urban watersheds pose unique challenges to the health of ecosystems, and Mashapaug Pond is no exception. Especially after rainstorms, the Pond has elevated phosphorus and bacteria levels. Too much phosphorus...
To learn how community projects and organizations acquire funding, I will be working with Holly Ewald. Holly is an artist, educator, and activist who organizes the annual Urban Ponds Procession, which is a community event designed to raise awareness around the water quality issues facing Mashapaug Pond. The Environmental Justice League of RI writes:
Artist Holly Ewald started the Mashapaug...
