Meditations on gHOSTructures
Day 2 / Apr, 13 @ 10:30 am
Lower Level : Room A
As an introduction to the Open/Close panel, Meditations on gHOSTructures is a mixed media performance piece combining visual media, spoken word, and vocal music performance. It focuses on: the parallels between decaying or “ghost” structures, in a variety of settings around the world and in the metropolitan St. Louis community; implications implicit in the process of neighborhood decay; and community revitalization and neighborhood renewal. A series of visual images depicting abandoned, decaying, “ghost” buildings and landscapes will create a setting which evokes the memory of lives lived in such spaces. A poetic spoken word narrative infused with smooth harmonies and ethereal vocals provide a powerful look at the process of decay; the dissolution of a community and finally offers a glimpse at the potential for the rebirth of urban spaces.
Speaker(s):
Deborah Stewart Stoddard
St. Louis , Missouri
Deborah, a 2011 CAT Institute graduate, a writer, and social justice advocate, has worked in community arts beginning in the 80’s with the St. Louis City Detention Center’s volunteer theatre workshop with Don Ellis. Later projects include co Producing Peace Out!, a collaborative social justice and arts event that staged poems from around the world. In Tennessee, she worked to pioneer the first agency based voter registration program. After serving a congressional internship, being awarded a Truman Scholarship, she was able to complete graduate studies at the Brown School of Social Work, Washington University. Missouri highlights include developing a statewide public defender alternative sentencing program funded through a public/private partnership well before such innovations as “drug courts.” Deborah served as past St. Louis Chapter Chair of the Missouri Coalition for Alternatives to Incarceration and Missouri N.A.S.W. PACE. As a practicum instructor, she taught for both Washington and St. Louis Universities.
Andrew Raimist
St. Louis, Missouri
Andrew Raimist teaches architecture at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis. He’s a St. Louis based architect, writer and photographer.
His community arts practice combines the communicative power of photography with its expressive potential for understanding and transforming neighborhoods and lives. His recent book (en)visioning Hyde Park documents his collaboration with Rebuild Foundation in the Hyde Park neighborhood of north St. Louis.
His architectural work is focused on historic preservation and mid-century modern architecture. His research investigates the development on 20th century modernism in art and architecture. His award-winning photography has been widely published.
He earned a Bachelor’s degree from Cornell University (Ithaca, New York) and a Master’s degree from Washington University (St. Louis, Missouri). He is a graduate of the CAT (Community Arts Training) Institute. His honors include commendations and grants from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, the Missouri Arts Council and the American Institute of Architects.
Linda M. Nance
St. Louis, Missouri
Writer, Community Organizer, Fundraiser
Linda is currently enrolled in the TIGER Program of the Community Arts Training (CAT) Institute at the St. Louis Regional Arts Commission. Her fellowship research examines the impact of leadership training on the creation of arts-based community development opportunities. She is a CAT Institute graduate, member of the Sister’s Ninety Writing Group, a published writer, and talented vocalist.
An active community participant, Linda has served as a member of Citizen for Missouri’s Children, President of the Webster Groves Board of Education, member of the Missouri School Board Association, and is a member of the John E. and Regina S. Nance Memorial Scholarship Fund. She has opened two cafes, secured Tax Credit funding, run a successful challenge grant campaign and coordinated the activities to organize the second largest African American parade celebration in the country. She and her husband Harreld have four delightful sons and five fantastic grandchildren.
