Chester Made 2018 Year In Review
Thank you to everyone who made this year such a success! Chester Made is grateful for every person who participated in our numerous programs, workshops and events! Here's a quick review of some of the highlights from 2018.
Since 2012, Chester Made has engaged more than 11,900 people!
We had 2,771 participants join us for programs in 2018 ranging from ages 9-12, over 65, and everywhere in between.
Our highest attended event was the screening and discussion of A Chester Story held at MJ Freed Theater on January 15, 2018. 130 people attended this program, which shed extensive light on how Chester made what Chester has become. The evening consisted of the documentary screening, a panel discussion with audience Q & A, and a networking session following the film.
We've hosted more than 160 events, programs and workshops total since 2012!
57 of which were held in the year 2018.
Here's what one participant had to say about programs held in the Chester Made Makerspace:
"This space is important because it's been a place for people of all ages throughout the community, and even outside the community of Chester, to come here and learn skills and meet people to try to continue this work we're all doing in the city."
-Chester artist and Nebula Gallery owner John Bush
Chester Made is proud to be the platform where people in a community come together to collectively build all kinds of programming. We've worked with a number of artists and community organizers, created a pop-up storefront and workshops, used galleries and other cultural spaces as our stage, and communicated on the ground "live" as we built our programs with you!
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Media In Chester: A Chester Made Live Event
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Our first Facebook Live event was "Media in Chester" held on February 13th, 2018. You heard about the impact and role of media and the reporters who tell the stories of Chester, PA. Panelists included Delaware County Times Editor Phil Heron, Chester Blogger Stefan Roots, WURD Philadelphia program host Eric "Brother Shomari" Grimes, and the late William "Bill" Nix who was a strong advocate for Chester and the Chester Made movement.
Since then we've created more than 40 videos and film clips!
View more of our live events and discussions on our
Facebook page or visit our
Youtube channel to see clips like those that were recorded during our community correspondent workshop with Tanisha LaVerne Grant!
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Humanities, Art, and Healthy Communities
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Thanks to Wells Fargo, the
Broken Pieces 2018 Summer Series brought in more than 157 people to the Chester Made Exploration Zone. Participants young and old worked with artistic director Devon Walls and Chester artists and healers, including Misty Sol, Van Buren Payne, India Famous on Jupiter, and Fatima Hafiz-Wahid to celebrate and strengthen their communal creativity.
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Chester Made Archaeology & Identity: Connecting People and Things
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Ms. T also led our second annual Chester Made Summer Humanities Camp which was a wonderful success. Campers learned about their city's history, created their own triptychs and brought in artifacts that represent their legacy. They received certificates and archivist gloves to help them uphold the values and skills gained throughout the week long camp. Check out our coverage on 6ABC Action News here!
Currently, we have over 3,500 followers on social media!
Chester made is grateful to have dedicated supporters who share our posts and help spread the word about the work we are doing in Chester.
Our most recent activity is through our tactical urbanism mini-grant winners including Widener adjunct professor Sarah Heyward, Joseph Cuff-Wright with the Boys & Girls Club of Chester, and Chester Made resident photographer Greg Irvin!
Sarah installed a recycled plastic bag mural on the Walnut Street pedestrian bridge, Joseph led a handprint mural and discussion program to get a HANDle on Violence with teens and others in the community, and on Saturday, Jan. 12th Greg will implement his Pop-Up Clean-Up project in three locations around the city of Chester. Greg says he hopes, "to see how local individuals respond to positive interest and interaction in otherwise neglected locations in the neighborhood."
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Sarah Heyward Tactical Urbanism Plastic Bag Mural
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Chester Made Partners also hosted a free paint party and invited everyone to help create mural boards that will be hung in the streets of Chester. Join the fun on Monday, Jan. 21, The MLK Day of Service 2019, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. when the partners install the mural boards along W 5th Street, Chester, PA. The event is free and open to all, just let us know you're coming by registering here!
WHAT'S COMING UP IN THE NEW YEAR
The Pennsylvania Humanities Council (PHC) has received a $40,000 grant from PECO to sponsor a series of multimedia projects entitled
'Illuminate Chester' which will bring light to the stories that have defined Chester's past and that are shaping the city's future.
Our first story on William Penn's landing in Chester, PA is ready to be revealed! We invite you to our screening, story collection, and panel discussion program on Thursday, Jan. 24 from 5:00-8:00 p.m. at MJ Freed Theater. We'll present the video and reflect on why Penn's first landing in Pennsylvania was in Chester (then Upland) in October 1682, but today the place best recognized as "Penn's Landing" is about 15 miles up the Delaware River in Philadelphia.
What does this mean for the city of Chester? What would have happened if Chester never lost the rights to the name? Does it change things knowing that William Penn was a slave owner?
Also, help us prepare for our next story on the Deshong Art Museum! Do you know anything about the history of the museum, have any photos or artifacts? Bring it all to the Jan. 24th screening event and get ready to illuminate this monumental experience in Chester's history.
WHEN: Thursday, Jan. 24th from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
WHERE:
MJ Freed Theater, 515 Avenue of the States, Chester, PA 19013
WHO: This event is free and open to the public. Join the conversation and sign up today for this not-to-be-missed event
here.
Questions?
Email Chester Made Project Manager Ulysses 'Butch' Slaughter at [email protected]
Thanks For A Great Year!!!
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Get Involved!
Our doors are open, and we welcome you to get involved.
Don't miss out on workshops, activities and events. Follow us on
Facebook
and
Instagram
!
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About the PA Humanities Council
The Pennsylvania Humanities Council (PHC) is a non-profit organization and a federal-state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. For the last 40 years, PHC has championed the humanities through original programming, advocacy, and humanities grants throughout the Commonwealth.
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