Beltline, Bees and a Victory for our Communities!

A good turnout appeared this morning to listen to Fred Yoularis, Director of Design for the Beltline. Residents  from four different surrounding neighborhoods: Capitol View, Capitol View Manor, Sylvan Hills and Adair Park came out to make clear their continuing opposition to this tires-as-art installation by the Beltline.

Fred Yoularis announced  this installation would be taken down.  That is  great news.  Starting Monday, they will begin the work to dissemble and haul away the 2000 plus tires.  We will keep watch on this site to make sure  these promises become a reality.

There seem to be some sour grapes  amongst some of the Beltline folk…and part of this when people asked if there would be another installation on this site for this community…and Fred was fast to say “No.”

LOL!  We think that Fred and Company didn’t really believe there would be so much opposition to their  installation.  But that’s ok, we will still continue to support the Beltline project, but with our eyes open.

Over and over we heard from the communities:  Health concerns with mosquitoes breeding and West Nile Virus….and the god-awful usage of tires: something we are trying to get rid of, not glorify as sculpture.

All this was a learning experience for our combined neighorhoods, and possibly for some within the Beltline who can open their  minds.

They didn’t lose:  we all won.  They still will have our support for other projects.

The lesson is this:  Be more sensitive to the conditions  people face where they live:  Art in the abstract is sometimes a flop where artists try to place it.  You have to be sensitive to concrete conditions, to the history of the area, to the daily challenges these neighborhoods face:  otherwise, it’s ‘art’ misplaced and disconnected.

One of the young architects there….said that he was more aware now to this business.  It’s certainly not an issue of ‘art in the abstract’ when you place it outside people’s front doors.  This young architect will have a deeper sense of community and the humanistic issues involved in his profession.  He said that he didn’t realize how emotional people felt about this installation.

That’s a very BIG step for this young man.  Hopefully others of the Beltline will sum up some of these positive lessons.

As for the Bees???

Well, I didn’t expect the amount of support and interest for this idea from our combined communities.  This is truly exciting!  So Fred and Company don’t want to touch it.  It really should belong to our community efforts….not the Beltline.

So we will, over the summer..call for those interested to come and sit and throw out ideas here.  Laurel Rummel was a bee keeper….in 4H….and hey! we’ll take any experience here to get it started and to guide us further.  We will make those contacts with the East Point Beekeeping Association and will connect our communities further.

But the true victory here is this:  These tires will be gone soon…and the Beltline has heard us loud and clear.  Something most of us suspect they were rather surprised about.  Fred mentioned somewhere in his speech  this installation would go into some other neighborhood…..and GOOD LUCK with that!

But we doubt it.  If it does…then the Beltline haven’t learned a damn thing,…but we think they have.

Finally.

Many thanks go to so many people, but especially Lisa Yeiger of Studio B Complex for bringing this issue to our collective attention, Laurel Rummel for spreading it, and all those who showed up to voice their opinions. And to those Beltline people who saw the light.  This is the way democracy is supposed to work.

Lady Nyo

Atlanta Beltline and Repairing the Ecology in the Inner City

Atlantans know all about the Atlanta Beltline.  Anyone else interested can Google  for more information.

Very recently we were given…or actually Adair Park, a historical area was given an installation of tires-as-art.

What sometimes looks good on paper is an abomination in reality. This is an example of such a thing.  At least to those who live there or see it as they travel outside their neighborhood.

Of course this  opinion is driven by the reality that we live around dumped tires….bastards coming from other areas (not to excuse the local dumpers)  dump tires and other garbage on our ‘hidden’ streets…and those not so hidden.  So when an installation (the pix are here on the blog, and they are too grim to repost) of tires is put up…it grates on nerves and other parts of residents.

I won’t go into the politics of what happened here, but so many of the art installations were a ‘go’ from the Beltline.  This wasn’t.

However, in talking with residents of Adair Park today, we threw around the idea of repairing the ecology in some way…perhaps addressing the ecology of this borderline industrial area.

Beehives.

The site is perfect for this…out of the way of people, houses…and there is an important reason behind this proposal.

According to documents, 80% of our pollenators have died off mostly due to the beemite virus.  Scientists who write about these things are predicting in a few years we could see world-wide famine because of this.  Google Spain’s present issues and you will see some of the problems.

But it’s not just Spain.  It’s very much here.

I have a small orchard on my city lot.  Had 12 fruit trees, now reduced to 6.  For the past 4 years, regardless of fertilization, they haven’t been doing well.  No fruit…or little fruit.

That’s because there are no bees.  Honey bees used to be plentiful, but now?  You rarely see one.

I think this large area owned by the Beltline would do well with a row of beehives….plants planted in large containers….Hey! they could use some of their precious tires!!! and a bench away from the hives…could be a great educational tool for the local children.

I was stung yesterday by a wasp, and believe me….it wouldn’t take much to make children respectful of bees.

Plus, they make honey. And the kudzu fields around there and the track side plants, Queen Anne’s Lace, Scottish Thistles and many wild flowers would suppliment any planted flowers.

We have the East Point Beekeepers Association close to Atlanta who are friendly, informative and helpful.  Perhaps they could guide the Beltline folk in this venture.  Perhaps our local carpenters can build the hives.

I think also that many of us gardeners could volunteer plants.

It’s a thought, and a better one than the God-Awful dirty tires.

But it’s an ecological statement and perhaps its time has come for this industrial part of Atlanta.

I emailed the Director of Design (Art stuff) Fred Yolaris of the Beltline with this proposal we neighbors talked about this morning.

It’s sure a better idea than what historic Adair Park was given, and it would involve the communities in the proposal.

But we will see.  It really depends on how much the Beltline wants to listen to the possibilites here.

Lady Nyo

These pictures tell the story of Art in Atlanta. At least in some communities.

In the Belly of the Beast....

Beltline Art Project along the proposed route of the Beltline. Looks no better in the sunny light of day.

The Butt End of the Behemoth...or mouth.

These are some of the tires the artists DIDN'T use...why not remove them? It contributes in a very glaring way to the specific problem we are having with dumpers. And how are the Beltline folks any different here? Geez....

On further thought:  This really is the immediate business of Adair Park residents.  They should be leading the charge here:  Their local historian can see this lovely piece of art from her porch.

Of course it concerns  all neighborhoods surrounding….but it’s of the first consideration where it’s placed…and that is Adair Park.
I believe all of us (Capitol View, Capitol View Manor and Sylvan Hills ) will support Adair Park in this business, but they need to lead it.  If not…perhaps this is why things don’t change on this side of town???

Lady Nyo