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10/12 Community Dialogue by Ojbk Radio on Mixcloud

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People Powered $10K: build support in drops.

The Department of Local Affairs, 2014 Bed-Stuy Artist in Residence, is fundraising for the Laundromat Project's People Powered $10K Challenge! Donate through Chloë Bass' project page: anything from $10 right on up. All money goes to support bringing art back to existing places of culture and community, making creative impact one drop at a time.

Donate now! The fundraiser ends on November 12th, 2014.

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Instant photos of Department of Local Affairs participants at the Laundromat Project's Field Day last Sunday. A busy and beautiful day!

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FIELD DAY IS HERE!

Join the Department of Local Affairs today (September 21st) from 12 - 5 PM at the Mei Tai Laundromat: 886 DeKalb Avenue. We'll be out collecting information about the neighborhood and want yours!

What's your favorite corner in Bed-Stuy?

What's one word you would use to describe Bed-Stuy right now?

What's your most common route?

Where's one place you never go?

Plus maps, pamphlets, reviews, advice, chats, tattoos, and more.

See you this afternoon.

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I’m home in Brooklyn now — I’ve been back for about three weeks. As the Department of Local Affairs starts up in Bed-Stuy, where I’m the artist in residence for the Laundromat Project, I’ve been th...

The final installment of Chloë Bass' Department of Local Affairs travel journal from Omaha, Nebraska, now up on Hyperallergic.

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Join the Department of Local Affairs in our laundromat studio today (September 9th), September 12th, and September 16th between 2:30 and 5 PM. Share your stories!

Mei Tai Laundromat: 886 DeKalb Avenue at Marcus Garvey, Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn.

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Join the Department of Local Affairs at the Laundromat Project's FIELD DAY: September 21st from 12 - 5 PM. This is a great chance to see how the project works, and to input information if you are someone who lives or works in Bed-Stuy. People of all ages welcome and encouraged!

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OMAHA — I walked from Nebraska to Iowa this morning, over the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge.

Very belatedly, and just in advance of part 4, here's part 3 of the Department of Local Affairs diary on Hyperallergic.

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Chloë Bass in the Department of Local Affairs: Office installation at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. Photo by Matt Bross.

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A few exhibition shots from the Department of Local Affairs installation at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. All images by Chloë Bass.

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The Department of Local Affairs is opening in exhibit form at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts this Tuesday, August 5th. Here in Omaha, DOLA is embedded as part of the Urban Design Lab Program.

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OMAHA — Both teaching and social practice ask a leader (artist, teacher, organizer) to codify and articulate a set of steps that are then acted out by a group. There’s a place for uncertainty, but ...

Part two of a four part series on The Department of Local Affairs: Omaha, written by Chloë Bass.

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Guest post by Department of Local Affairs Intern, Tyler Thomas

[Ed. note: it has been my extreme pleasure to work with Tyler Thomas this summer. Although she may have the official title of "intern," she's also contributed excellent thoughts and ideas, a huge amount of energy, and some necessary organization to the Bed-Stuy branch of the Department of Local Affairs while I'm heading up the Omaha branch. Tyler spent last weekend handing out flyers for the project in Bed-Stuy. Read below for a little report back! -- Chloë]

The things I learned whilst handing out flyers in Brooklyn . . .

It would appear that on Saturdays, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn is on and poppin’. Everyone and their mothers seemed to be out having a good time and - at least in the area I was in - I couldn’t walk a few blocks without hearing the sound of music blaring down the streets. l say all of this quite joyfully, as it only added to what was already an exceedingly pleasant experience. Moreover, I definitely think returning on a Saturday would be a good idea and that reaching people through block parties - a natural congregation of the “users” of the neighborhood - could be very effective! Plus, a good way to jam out to 90’s R&B classics while eating some barbecue.

When it comes to language barriers, the struggle is very much real. Our chosen laundromat, Mei Tai Laundromat,is owned by an Asianfamily with whom I had had two brief encounters prior to this particular check-in. As the parents know little to no English, their son is our primary translator. Even with his help, I received little confirmation beyond that of a head nod and a “yes” that I was actually being understood. In the beginning, this left me a little uneasy as to whether my efforts would actually yield the desired result. The issue of “Am I being understood?” was repeated a few more times as I stopped by a couple other places along DeKalb that, too, were owned by ESL persons. Many were Spanish speaking, and fortunately I was able to speak with them for the most part, but all were not. However, as time went on, I did notice that my confidence grew and my “spiel” grew tighter and clearer. This definitely made for better communication. 

I should have brought tape. More times than I would have liked, I left an establishment wondering if the flyers I had handed out would ever see the light of day, let alone the eyes of a potentially interested participant. The female owner of the hair salon allowed me to put one up in their bathroom on my own (they provided the tape) and I think that many other places would have let me do something similar had I brought tape myself. That’s one way I think I can be more assertive the next time around. Perhaps that means opening with “Hi, could I put up these flyers for an art project I’m working on?” before introducing or explaining the project itself? Just things to think about. 

Word of mouth might be more powerful. Throughout the experience, I increasingly felt more and more encouraged by the power of individual conversations to help spread the word about our project. During my 90 minute tour of the neighborhood, there were block parties galore - I stumbled across at least 3 - and on more than one occasion, I was able to have a fruitful conversation with a stranger, explaining to them the plans and goals of our project. They were fruitful in the sense that I received nearly all positive feedback and felt a genuine since of interest, on their parts, in the aspirations of the project itself. This isn’t to discount the use of hanging flyers, but it is to say that perhaps handing them out to individuals - an action which typically brings with it a deeper conversation about the project - may be a secret weapon in our publicizing efforts.

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The Omaha postcard series.

Created as part of my research about Omaha as a place experienced by a pedestrian. Each image tracks the evidence of human systems as a way of exploring the urban environment.

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OMAHA — Fourth of July, 2014. I am in America’s heartland and trying not to get romantic about it.

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The Department of Local Affairs has done a little writing about being a good neighbor on the Laundromat Project's blog. Includes in-progress cartoons about the desires for the interactive nature of the project.

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The Department of Local Affairs is a project by artist Chloë Bass that investigates how we talk about and record place.

For more information, visit the About page.