This article originally appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Aug. 16, 2013: Last year’s Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts event around disparity on the two sides of Delmar Boulevard has produced plenty of discussion. On Sunday, the public gets a chance to help decide how to translate some of that talk into action, through competing proposals that range from farming to music-making to a wailing wall.
In December, concerns highlighted by a BBC news documentary "Delmar Divide" sparked a public gathering that drew some 300 people to the Pulitzer and spawned a fast ripple of subsequent conversations, focused on solutions.
BBC reporter Franz Strasser’s documentary zeroed in on a specific area north of Delmar — census tracts 1123 and 1124 — and the racial and socioeconomic divergence between them. Tract 1123 is bound east and west by Taylor and Kingshighway, and by Page Avenue on the north. Just below, tract 1124, part of the Central West End, is also defined by Kingshighway and Taylor. A second BBC news story captured St. Louis' response, including the Pulitzer event.
The partnership that launched the December gathering — the Pulitzer, the Missouri History Museum and the Anti-Defamation League— started a competition born from the resulting conversations, soliciting projects to bridge divisions along Delmar. Submissions were due Aug. 12. The three organizations are assisting, but delegating responsibilities, according to the Pulitzer’s manager of programs Kristin Fleischmann Brewer.
"Our hope is that we’re putting the decisions back in the hands of the community," Fleischmann Brewer said.
Tote bags and 'Timebanks'
Called the "St. Louis Soup Across the Delmar Divide,” the contest takes a page (with permission) from the Sloup organization, which supports creative concepts with monthly gatherings with soup.
On Sunday at 3 p.m., the public is invited to hear finalists present their ideas at the Missouri History Museum. A $10 donation is requested. Following a meal of soup, bread and a beverage, and after listening to the finalists, participants will be invited to write down their top three choices, in order.
Using this input, organizers will determine a first choice, to be announced next week. The amount of money the winner receives will hinge on Sunday’s attendance.
"If 100 people show up and each pay $10, they’ll get $1,000," Fleischmann Brewer explained.
The seven finalists' projects employ a wide range of concepts, many of which are art-based:
- “North City Has Heart and Soul” canvas bags: Totes to be sold in north and south city would contain a laminated map highlighting north city attractions such as Crown Candy, Country Girl Pie Shop and the Griot Black History Museum.
- A sculpture made of functioning musical instruments: Non-traditional instruments would make up a sculpture that is a work of art and a source of music.
- Farms on vacant lots: 50 vacant lots, purchased and transformed into farmland over 10 years, would create food distribution jobs initially funded by sponsors and donors.
- Community-based discussions, concerts and mural painting: Working together, the St. Louis Civil Rights Enforcement Agency and YWCA will foster communication across Delmar through talking, music and a mural.
- A “Wailing Wall”: A 9x15-foot brick wall to run parallel to Delmar to serve as a site for story-telling by people on both sides. After three to six months, it will be torn down in a literal and symbolic erosion of the divide.
- Community Studio Inspiring Research, Knowledge and Leadership organization: An arts collective of teenagers and adults working to develop community arts events for teens.
- Cowry Collective Timebank: A network of people would exchange services using one-hour chunks of time.
Sunday’s “St. Louis Soup Across the Delmar Divide” is the first in a series of four. The next contest will culminate in a soup gathering on Sun., Nov. 17 at St. Louis University’s Fresh Gatherings Cafe. More such events are scheduled for February and May, all flowing from the original Pulitzer gathering last December.
“The community asked us, ‘What’s next?’” Fleischmann Brewer said. “This was our way for us to try and get the community to take action on their own.”
