Rebuild Foundation and Arts-Based Community Development

Iowa native and visual artist, Dayna Kriz has created a space for herself that is both deeply engaged in participatory practices but also thoughtfully resigned to simply doing the work of transformation. Trained as a painter and photographer, Kriz has long known where to find beauty and creativity- where magic lives.  For the last two years, Dayna has taken up residence in the community of Hyde Park, St. Louis and it is from this place that her practice has both challenged her and flourished. “There has to be a way that I can be of service and not exploit the relationships that are dear to me for my own artistic ambition,” is what Kriz says when asked about her involvement with the North St. Louis community. “Programming, teaching young people, engaging seniors and local communities is simply what people do.” Dayna’s work as an embedded artist who believes in people having their own voice and sharing it is a practice by which she has devoted her energy to.  Dayna is committed to knowledge cultivated through empowering her daily choices and challenging her actions through discussion with her sisters, mothers, brothers and partner in life.  Dayna received her BFA from Iowa State University and is seeking admission into graduate school to study more about this type of open practice in the fall of 2013.

Dayna is currently working with Rebuild Foundation and is a recent graduate of the Regional Arts Commission’s Community Arts Training (CAT) Institute.

Charlie Vinz practices cultural production with the tools of an architect, designer, and educator. He is most excited by the potential for positive community impact by enabling the agency of community members through a collaborative understanding of the built environment. He has worked with the Chicago Architecture Foundation to develop high school design curriculum, organized loose networks of emerging K-12 design educators, and lead community design/build projects with over 100 Chicago Public School teens. Since January 2011, Charlie has been working with Rebuild Foundation to help transition a series of ambitious art projects to an even more ambitious arts organization in which abandoned or underutilized spaces are used as vehicles for neighborhood transformation.

He attended colleges in Chicago, Illinois and Weimar, Germany.

Donna Lindsay has been a life long resident of the Hyde Park area and is  a member of Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church in that neighborhood. She works as the Food Service Manger at the Holy Trinity School. Donna actively serves on many committees in the neighborhood and at the church as well as a member of MCU.City. She is also a Board member for the Rebuild Foundation.

Born in St. Louis, MO and raised in Minneapolis, MN, Tabatha Pate is a patient teacher, loving daughter, doting aunt and imaginative storyteller. Her family has lived in Pagedale, MO for more than 30 years. She is currently working on her A+ Certification in Computer Technology at Ranken Technical College where she maintains President’s List status. She is also a member of Phi Theta Kappa, an honor society recognized for encouraging scholarship among two-year college students.

Tabatha is interested in networks, not only how they apply to computer technology but also how they apply to connections in her neighborhood. She is currently working collaboratively with Rebuild Foundation and Beyond Housing at the The Salerno House. The House, currently named for its place on Salerno Drive in Pagedale, is across the street from Tabatha’s family’s home. The House is a space in conversation with its neighborhood, open as a local hub to explore unique arts-based, community-driven programs. Tabatha is investing her energy into anchoring The House, a space she hopes will reflect a creative network of ideas relevant to life in Pagedale.

Regina Martinez is interested in the infinite possibilities created by open doors and neutral space. She is connecting with the potential of neighborliness, storytelling and skill sharing – the building of collective efficacy stimulated by arts-based initiatives that are designed collaboratively. She is currently working with Rebuild Foundation as coordinator in residence at the The Salerno House. The House, currently named for its place on Salerno Drive in Pagedale, MO, is a space in conversation with its neighborhood. Rebuild was initially invited to connect with The House and its neighbors in the summer of 2011 by Beyond Housing, a locally based organization working cooperatively with residents to network services determined to strengthen communities. Onward from that invitation, Rebuild Foundation is listening, supporting bridges that connect local creativity and culture with visiting energy, and exploring the value of the House in dialogue with the community. The House is being anchored in partnership with local residents and other organizations and stakeholders as a platform for unique community-driven projects and gatherings.

Martinez received her MSW from the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. She has background experience in photojournalism and is a 2011 Community Arts Training Institute graduate. Martinez is also a board member for the Yeyo Arts collective, a group of artists cultivating arts and cultural experiences in St. Louis, as well as sharing in the foundation of a non-profit community arts space called Gya.