Author archive
Words by the South End Alliance. Photo by James Lockridge. Note: The artists of the South End of Burlington recognized early in a recent city planning process that it was endangering the sustainability of their naturally occurring cultural district. Starting with little to no understanding of the processes that were in motion and threatening their […]
Photo by Mark Randall Byland. The BCA board has voted to create permanent voting board seats, narrowing further the opportunity for us to participate in guiding our city’s investment and planning for the arts. The note below was sent today to City Council President Jane Knodell and a few city councilors who’ve been open-minded about what […]
From up high above the clouds, looking down, where all the world below seems green and blue and the sun is always shining, the city of Burlington welcomes everyone to participate in important decisions. Public engagement makes city planning and governing processes sparkle. It’s pretty and makes a person feel good. From up close, though, […]
On Monday, February 23, I asked Burlington political candidates the question below via email. Answers were requested to arrive by Friday at 3pm so they could be posted here and shared via social media with the wider arts community, coinciding with the final mayoral forum at Arts Riot. Responses have been published in alphabetical order without editing. Find […]
Molly Walsh at The Burlington Free Press wrote this solid article about the fight in the South End of Burlington to understand and resist the commercial, political and zoning forces that are emerging to threaten the spirit of this humming, industrial arts district. I’ve been blessed to witness South End artists stepping up to meet this […]
This letter was written collaboratively by visual and performing artists for the benefit of Burlington’s mayoral candidates. To Burlington Mayoral Candidates: Steve Goodkind Greg Guma Loyal Ploof Mayor Miro Weinberger Miro, Greg, Loyal & Steve: Below you’ll find an idealized arts policy position statement produced by close to a dozen local arts leaders collaborating via […]
The following is by C. W. Norris-Brown, PhD, January 2015. “In my own philanthropy and business endeavors, I have seen the critical role that the arts play in stimulating creativity and in developing vital communities….the arts have a crucial impact on our economy and are an important catalyst for learning, discovery, and achievement in our country.” – […]
A note sent today to Burlington arts champions and the city councilors who have kindly conversed on these subjects. Hey, All – Wishing a happy new year to everyone, with high hopes that we’ll see increased attention for transparency, inclusion, and a sustainable long-term vision by the city for its arts community. This note is […]
I made this statement to the Burlington City Council on January 12, 2015. I’m here to make a couple comments about how the city could make smarter and fairer plans for supporting the arts with its annual taxpayer-funded budget for that of more than $700,000. I work with creative people of all generations and artistic […]
Somewhere along the way I came to live and breathe the understanding that our humanity is best felt and shared through art, and that ‘art’ was a koan and ineffable token for all the beauty and compassion we could know or reveal. My professional life has been dedicated to creating opportunities for young adults to […]
I made the statement below on September 23, 2014 as a panelist during the ‘Burlington On Burlington’ discussion series presented by Arts Riot at Hotel Vermont. The Arts Riot crew — Felix, PJ, and Hillary — pulled together people from different backgrounds in local arts to talk about a different topic at each event. The title […]
The essay below started as a statement made to the Burlington City Council on January 27, 2014. The Burlington Free Press invited that the statement be expanded for their ‘Heart of Art’ series. It was published February 23, 2014. Special thanks to Emilie Stigliani, BFP Story Editor, and Brent Hallenbeck, BFP Arts & Entertainment Reporter. […]
This essay was published by the Burlington Free Press as a Heart of Art feature on November 29, 2012, http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20121202/ARTS/312020001/Heart-Art-James-Lockridge-makes-case-cultural-commons The arts encompass some of the most meaningful expressions humanity has to share — they embody our intellect, emotion and essential experiences in the most complete manner possible. The movement, color, words, melody, and the intricate […]
