To-Do List & Project Proposal: Group Authorized

Project To-Do List
Soundslides Presentation (Armory Square vs. Projects in relation to class disparity). Integration or intervention/ disrupt or fit in, and three-dimensional model of sculpture in Armory Square: Lauren

Timeline A (History of Armory Square) and Timeline B (future of Armory Square post-monument)/ creating a logical blueprint for materials we would use to create monument: Jordan

Computer generated model of monument, inspiration from other artists, goals and objectives for project powerpoint/ how to measure our project’s success: Max

Intended audience and intended reaction: Deanna

Lauren, Max, Jordan and Deanna
Project Proposal
This project was primarily developed as a parody that mocks, and somewhat condemns, the spending habits of people in Armory Square and how these people represent something more than just frivolous shoppers or satisfied stomachs: they represent the upper class in a city whose class disparity is alarming. While Armory Square hosts some of the best restaurants and boutiques in the Syracuse area, just ten minutes away stands housing projects of an impoverished, dilapidated city. Lauren will create a “soundslides” presentation that will present pictures, dialogue and statistics in order to give background information on the class disparity and why this project became of interest to the group. For example, it will discuss demographic maps that were provided by the Syracuse Hunger Project, which demonstrate statistics, such as the majority of families who make anywhere from zero to just $13,000 per year resides in the heart of Syracuse, surrounding the University. Meanwhile, in the outskirts of the the University, nearly zero percent of people living in suburban areas, such as DeWitt, live below the federal poverty line (SU Community Geographer). Such a disparity snowballs into other social inequities, such as teenage pregnancy, inadequate schooling and decreased homeownership rates. For this reason, our group chose Armory Square as a prime location to satirize the upper class, as this area illustrates several of the social divides found within the Syracuse community. Jordan will continue the presentation by discussing the history and future of Armory Square. Once a hubbub for industry, Armory Square was first settled in 1804. As the nineteenth century progressed, Armory Square became more populous and many of today's historic buildings were constructed during this time period. Because of its proximity to the Erie Canal, Armory Square became a center of commerce, as hotels and other architecture were created. In the twentieth century, many of the historic buildings were demolished, as Armory Square has been spiraling downward for quite some time. Recently, it has been revitalized. Numerous stores, bars and other establishments have been opened, as Armory Square has become a renowned commercial area again. Through all of this time, class disparity has continued to exist. Poor people continue to surround the outskirts of Armory Square, as poor neighborhoods still exist into the 21st century. In order to show the class examples of what our monument will look like, the group will create two models. Lauren will present a three-dimensional model of the project entitled Money, which will show the cube and its surroundings. To supplement this, Max will make a computer generated version of the same area. It will be a powerpoint presentation that condenses this graphic with information about Damali Ayo and the AREA project so that the discussion can move fluidly. Damali Ayo was especially important to our project because her work “Panhandling for Reparations” was a parody on race, just as ours is a parody on class. She uses satire in her art when she panhandles on the street for reparation money due to slavery. From this project, we decided to adopt a satirical attitude for Money. In addition to Ayo, we found inspiration in the ball of trash from the AREA project. This project in physical form is very similar to our cube of molded money. One of the main objectives for the project is to successfully commentate on how the upper and middle class people of Syracuse visit Armory Square and waste their money on consumer goods when they could be donating a portion of this money to the less fortunate within their own community. The monument will make donations possible, as the cube will have a slot for people to donate money. Such funds will be dedicated to the low income neighborhoods. The goal is to bring awareness and money to the low-income areas in Syracuse. We hope to improve these residential areas by building new playgrounds, safehouses where community members can go when frightened and improved educational standards that promote the importance of schooling. Moreover, because this sculpture is satirical, a certain audience is required. Deanna will discuss how we are aiming towards the wealthier, upper class that frequents Armory Square as a place of leisure. The target audience therefore needs to be both educated and philanthropic, as it is our ultimate goal to raise money for impoverished areas in the city of Syracuse. When people see the monument, we want them to be surprised, yet intrigued. The audience must question the monument and what it represents in order to recognize its overall significance. More importantly, we hope that this monument will spark change in the Syracuse area, thus people must be willing to donate both their time and money to improve current conditions. Next, Lauren will talk about how Money will act as an intervention piece as opposed to integration. Similar to Tilted Arc, this sculpture will not blend in with Armory Square’s architectural aesthetic. Instead, our monument will contrast starkly with its surroundings. Moreover, this project seeks to disrupt the community. In order for such a well- known, yet generally ignored social problem to re-emerge as a pressing issue, we think that our sculpture must disarm the upper class. They must recognize the severity of the impoverished city and make an equally dramatic difference. Max will conclude, discussing how we will measure the success of this project, which will be through the amount of money received from the public. We will consider the quantity of people that visit our sculpture and the quality of received commentary. We will use the feedback from our audience to base further plans on our project and the topic that we endeavor to discuss. We want to see the impoverished community regain hope in their fellow members of society.