Here are some of the ideas we came up with and scroll down more for some of the pictures! You can see more when you follow @valleywedesign on instagram!

PUBLIC ART

• Train Station Underpasses can feature seasonal public art from local artists, or competitions for all over
• Valley Maps or Directories can be designed by artists, and a great way to attract
• Garbage Cans can be a way to engage the high school artists communities

SAFETY

• Fences around the train station rails, this can also beautify the blocks, and Scotland Road
• The sidewalks are horrible, and uneven. We should definitely get them fixed
• More signs

DIRECTIONS TO THE VALLEY

• In addition to the maps, we can have just arrows pointing the district from Scotland Road.

There were so many more ideas shared, you can come to the follow up meeting, Tuesday, September 24th. More details to follow. Visit http://www.handsinc.org for more information.

If you thought you knew all that Orange had to offer, think again! HANDS, Inc. invites you to tour the strikingly rich multicultural community nested in the Valley of West Orange and Orange.

Tour dates for the summer season are:
• Tuesday, April 23rd, 6:00 pm
• Tuesday, May 21st, 6:00 pm
• Saturday, June 15th, 12:00 pm
• Tuesday, July 23rd, 6:00 pm
• Tuesday, August 20th, 6:00 pm
• Tuesday, September 17th, 6:00 pm

The free, narrated one hour walk welcomes newcomers and current residents to tour former industrial and commercial buildings rehabilitated by HANDS now occupied by local artists, innovators, entrepreneurs and arts-based non-profit organizations. In addition to learning about the work of HANDS, you’ll discover why it is known as “Hat City,” see some hidden gems and get a peek at the growing artist community.

Note-worthy cultural anchors include Luna Stage Theatre Company, featuring critically-acclaimed, thought provoking productions, the new ValleyArts Firehouse Gallery and the three-star Creole style restaurant/live music venue, Hat City Kitchen. Stops include a community earth oven, hydroponic greenhouse, a youth arts studio, No Name Hat Factory formerly owned by the Stetson brothers, and much more.

RSVP: contact Jessica Mathelier jessica@handsinc.org

-HANDS, Inc.

For those of you that haven’t read it here is the,

Dear friends, supporters, partners and residents,

HANDS is igniting an Innovation Movement in Orange.

• There’s an incredible live music scene six nights a week at Hat City Kitchen.
• We have an edgy, avant-garde theater at Luna Stage on Valley Road.
• If you haven’t been to an event at the Ironworks Community Artist Center on Tompkins Street you don’t know what you’re missing. ORNG Ink, the young artist organization is run by a group of artists-in-residence who are the mentors to middle school and high school aged aspiring artists.
• How many urban high schools have a greenhouse classroom where students learn botany, nutrition and entrepreneurship? Orange High School has one.
• Orange is a Food Hub with an incredibly diverse selection restaurants and some amazing food production – Andrea Italian food specialties, Lagniappe seafood and Zen Bakeries.
• Have you taken a course at University of Orange? You should definitely enroll.
• There’s an expanding group of people with inspiration and vision that are driving this Innovation Movement. Action plans are set into place under the banner of Creative Orange to keep this momentum growing and make Orange the type of place that everyone wants to come to and nobody wants to leave.

If you’re not a part of this Movement, you should be!

Patrick Morrissy

HANDS Director

In this issue she talks about: the Creative Orange conference I attended, the upcoming Hat City Streets Festival next Saturday, the next Show of HANDS walking tour, and the Meet the Neighbor featuring ValleyArts, Inc’s Richard Bryant. Make sure you go to handsinc.org and sign up!

Exhibit runs March 21 – April 28, 2013

The two artists also painted the front of the Firehouse Gallery, replacing Dan Fenelon’s piece. I was able to capture some pictures of Pressman and Svalbonas working on it.

Creative Orange: Call to Collaboration

Last Friday & Saturday I attended Creative Orange: A Call for Collaboration at the Church of Epiphany. The event was sponsored by neighborhood revitalization organization, HANDS, Inc. and ValleyArts, Inc. Both nonprofit organizations are dedicated to revitalizing the city of Orange, and neighboring West Orange through the arts and entrepreneurship.

I went with Ray, Molly, Mike, and Naeema from ORNG ink. It was very informative, and  inspiring. The “open space” format made it easy to remain engaged, and feel like you were really being heard. The group came up with the topics that were to be discussed, and you had the freedom to walk around and meet with other groups and here what they were talking about.

I sat in on two questions, How do we make the city of Orange more open to newcomers or those who may consider themselves “outsiders”? and How can we nurture youth leadership in Orange? The first discussion interested me in particular, because I have lived in the Valley of Orange for almost a year, coming from New York City. I was interested in how other people felt coming into the emerging city, and if it was the same experience as mine. I felt very welcomed, and jumped right into being a part of the arts revitalization. I obviously was all about the youth leadership questions because I work with ORNG ink, the breeding ground for young leaders, and have always felt that it was important to give young people a voice and the power to use it. I have been a youth leader since I was eleven years old, and even at 23 I feel compelled to always stand for something and to always believe.

I had the chance to meet a lot of dynamic people in not just the arts community in the Valley but game changers in all disciplines, and all over the city of Orange. Mayor Warren was even in attendance, as well as HANDS, Inc. director, Patrick Morrissy and ValleyArts,Inc. director, Richard Bryant.

I can not wait to incorporate all that I’ve learned into the future of masConsumption.