Name: STooPS
Brief description: Porches, stoops and front yards stand at the border of public and private space in cities and towns everywhere. The STooPS project seeks to use these important intersectional spaces as sites for community exchange and celebration. Encourage your neighbors to host mini performances and art showcases in collaboration with local artists for a day (or lots of days!). Partner with local businesses and organizations that can also use that day to communicate with and celebrate local community!
How to: Elicit support and participation from inhabitants in your community as well as local organizations and businesses. Help them network with local artists to schedule and map performances and art showcases on the day you select. Create a map of the neighborhood which will indicate the location of each porch/stoop/sidewalk event. Advertise widely and encourage participants to wander the area, talk, and take in all of the great cultural life literally in their front yards!
Inspiration: http://www.stoopsbedstuy.org, submitted by Kendra Ross
Impact statement: The originators said it best: “STooPS is a tangible way to unite artists, new residents, businesses, and those deeply invested in the neighborhood such as homeowners and community organizations. STooPS is an opportunity for members of the neighborhood to discover and share resources that exist within Bed-Stuy. This awareness allows people to build partnerships and support each other, thereby fortifying the entire community.”