ASU’s College of Letters and Sciences kicked off its first fall 2015 Humanities Lecture Series with a panel discussion at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel that focused on the “26 Blocks” art project.
The speakers included four participants in the project: professional photographer John Beckett, photojournalist and fashion photographer Ellen Barnes, ASU English professor and author Sally Ball, and professional photographer Scott Baxter. Founder and creative director of “26 Blocks” Joey Robert Parks led the panel.
“26 Blocks” partnered 26 photographers with 26 writers and then randomly assigned the teams of two to one of 26 city blocks to explore in March 2010. At the end of that month, each pair produced one photograph and 500 words or less that captured the spirit of the block. These photographs and written pieces were paired with sculptures by Rafael Navarro.
The project was originally intended to only last about a month. Since it began in the heart of the recession, the main goal was to celebrate and support artists who were seeing fewer financially backed creative opportunities.
The project received enough buzz that Parks – also a local writer, creative director and social entrepreneur – began presenting “26 Blocks” during a 14-month period throughout many public spaces in downtown Phoenix. This included CityScape, Burton Barr Central Library and the University of Arizona medical campus.
By January 2015, Parks initiated a partnership with the Renaissance Hotel, so the “26 Blocks” gallery would reside in the hotel’s lower lobby until January 2018.
Prior to the “26 Blocks” presence at the Renaissance Hotel, the project solely encompassed “the history, current culture, and the imaginative future” of Phoenix. In the beginning of the project, Parks had only one question in mind: “What am I waiting for?”
Beckett shared his cultural perspective as both a photographer who had worked for Walmart stores in various urban locations throughout the country, and as a black professional breaking into the market.
“I had many things that I could relate to the people as opposed to the white photographers,” Beckett said.
Barnes discussed how commercial photography in Phoenix is not a popular career field for many women because it is an emotional business in which you have to be in charge.
“You have to be internally fortified as a woman in the field,” she said.
Baxter and Ball both spoke on their collaboration through “26 Blocks” as a cooperative unit with images and words. Ball kept up a support system with Baxter through the dynamics of their partnership.
For future city “26 Blocks” adaptations, Parks wants to explore community: What it is, who makes up communities, and how to approach a new one with an open mind.
Those questions of community are particularly relevant as Parks looks to expand “26 Blocks” to cities outside of Arizona, such as Detroit, Boston, Chicago, New Orleans and Austin. He wants to approach each new city and its culture with a “blank slate.”
Contact the reporter at brianna.bradley@asu.edu
