Articles from this Category
Burlington has been doing a lot of downtown planning — redesigning City Hall Park; creating a unified design template for downtown amenities; creating a new look and feel for transportation throughout the city core with Great Streets BTV and redevelopment of the Cherry & Bank streetscapes. The planning is a prelude to a large investment […]
The work to save 242 Main is important for a long list of reasons, including what it means to everyone who went there, and as a symbol of the City of Burlington respecting its young people. That’s a message that’s being carried forward by all of us with this petition: A gracious reminder to city […]
The city council has been doing ordinance housekeeping relating to quality of life issues downtown — refining or removing some that relate to public drunkenness, cat-calling, public urination, and others. Up from this process, with credit due to Stephen Marshall, an advocate for the homeless (see his blog), came the realization that the city is criminalizing […]
UPDATE 7/15/2017: Video of this event is available at RETN. Please join me for this June 30 event. Peter Moskowitz’ book ‘How To Kill A City: Gentrification, Inequality, and the Fight for the Neighborhood’ illuminated ideas that could help keep Burlington’s growth ethical and fair. I feel fortunate that we have an opportunity to learn from him […]
We’re a city that has a long-valued sense of community, in which our successes and tragedies are shared and our human condition informs our decisions. While the city has transformed continuously there has been a constant recognition that as a people, we aspire to be our best selves. In the face of war — in […]
This open letter to the Burlington City Council was written for Rights & Democracy with Shay Totten. It is guided by the Fair Development tool that is meant to keep Burlington’s growth equitable among multiple stakeholders, and governed by putting people first. We’re asking that the city council ensure than an open, transparent and public process is used to guide […]
We all share a hope that our next generation is informed, critically minded, self-confident, and empowered to lead with compassion and reason. One of Burlington’s significant cultural achievements — 242 Main — is a beacon of this commitment. We also know that if we don’t step forward to play a role in shaping the future of our city, there […]
242 Main opened its doors in the spring of 1985, establishing itself by a firm margin as the nation’s longest-running all ages venue and, from the start, a youth-driven safe space. Some of this history was captured in 2015 by both Vice Magazine and Seven Days, as 242 celebrated its 30th anniversary. 242 Main has been at the heart of some […]
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 […]
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.” – […]
