Pendleton Art Center, Middletown: Finding Creative Solutions for Downtown Revitalization

This past weekend I had an opportunity to visit Middletown, Ohio, the setting in which J.D. Vance's Hillbilly Elegy took place. Elegy was a major 2017 bestseller that presented the brokenness of this small midwestern town as a microcosm of America's cultural decline and dysfunction.

While visiting my cousins in the neighboring Monroe, I learned that director Ron Howard has been frequenting Middletown, scoping out scenes for an upcoming major film based on the book. According to imdb.com several stars are signed on including Amy Adams and Glenn Close.

My Saturday morning visit
included a cup of soup at the Triple Moon, a coffee house with the feel of a Pizza Luce or Beaners here in Duluth, and a walkthrough at the Pendleton Art Center across the street. The impression I got from talking with locals is that the dark days described in Vance's book were two decades ago and that the town has re-gained a measure of its footing.

The parallels to Duluth were uncanny. As manufacturing jobs disappeared in the 60s and 70s the economy became depressed. Re-investment and a revitalization has taken place over the past three decades and the city has become a top tourist destination as well as a model for utilization of its natural resources.

In Duluth, an arts district has emerged downtown and now the West End is coming together as well, re-imagined as the Lincoln Park Craft District. This same kind of re-visioning is taking place in Middletown, with the arts being a part of it.

Here are some photos of things I saw at the Pendleton Art Center, a conglomerate of artist studio spaces not unlike the Banana Factory in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania or the Washington Studios/Gallery here in Duluth's Central Hillside.

There's much more to share, but this may help lay a foundation. 

Meantime, art goes on all around you. Get into it.

Related Links

www.pendletonartcenter.com

www.pendletonmiddletown.com

Carla Hamilton's Gezielt (Targeted) Creatively Makes Us Think and Gives Us Something To Talk About

When Carla Hamilton told me about the concept she was working on for the Duluth Art Institute show that's now installed I could hardly wait to see what she'd create. I had high expectations, having written about her previous shows at Washington Gallery and the Red Mug, but exactly what form the imagery would take was impossible to guess. It shouldn't have surprised me that she exceeded my expectations on all counts.

Christa Lawler's article in Thursday's DNT sufficiently captures the trigger event that led to this show, titled Gezielt (Targeted). What you'll learn if you read the story is that Hamilton had an unexpected encounter with police while out with friends last year.

Reflecting on that night.

Perhaps most striking are the unexpected juxtapositions. Though Josh Williams's two large photos of Duluth Police Chief Mike Tusken capture a cheerful playfulness, but the overall show is serious in intent. In two places we see displays of a set of hangman's nooses that link directly to the historic shame that occurred earlier in Duluth history. Her paintings and collages bear titles such as "Fear Equals Hate" and "Walking While Black" (which is the "crime" she committed.)

The quote she borrows from Mr. Rogers is about sharing responsibility. "We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It's easy to say, 'It's not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.' Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes."

For me what is striking is how through a creative response to her eight-minute injustice (the length of time Hamilton was stopped by police and absurdly accused of bothering two white women, her friends whom she was out on the town with) a series of dialogues emerged. Though only a brief encounter with the police, the aftermath left her shaken. One picture is a life-sized image based on the camera footage she obtained from police as she was interrogated. After processing the experience she requested and received, from Chief Tusken, a roundtable meeting with the police department in which the officers came away with new perspectives.

The artist with Chief Tusken, an outing in the park. 

Mixed media piece with baby shoes.

But it's not just the police who have learned things through this encounter. One of the handouts in the exhibit is a publication of the National Black Police Assn. Inc. titled, "What To Do When Stopped By The Police." In addition to how to respond when stopped in your car or on the street, there are a dozen other DO's and DON'T's plus what to do when police knock at your door. As the saying goes, "Know your rights."

The overall tone is pitch perfect. The seriousness of the issues has not been obfuscated by the playfulness of some of the images. Hamilton acknowledges that she had a "full-blown panic attack" after the encounter. The trauma was real, but as the saying goes, "It's not what happens to you that matters as much as how you respond to it." She responded creatively, atypically.

The subject matter is not all fun and games.

In addition to the exhibition, located in the Steffl Gallery on the fourth floor balcony of the Depot, there will be an artist talk and community forum at 5:30 p.m. March 8 at The Underground. The panelists include Hamilton, Tusken, human rights officer Carl Crawford and Stephan Witherspoon of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

The show will be on display at the Duluth Art Institute through April 9.

For further reading: The Lynchings In Duluth by Michael Fedo. 

Seeking Balance In Your Marriage

GUEST BLOG POST

Marriage has many challenges and many rewards. When healthy marital principles are not followed, a couple gets out of balance in a way that undermines marital satisfaction. Here are some guidelines which can make yours even more fruitful.

Hold onto your wedding vows. You make some serious statements of commitment right in the beginning of your marriage which often are forgotten in time. Review them, perhaps on your anniversary each year. Reflect on the power of the words you have spoken to each other. It can help remind you of the reason you married in the first place.

Create a safe environment to communicate. If it is not safe for your partner to speak the truth, the relationship will get undermined by the façade that develops in an effort to increase a person’s sense of security. Exercising self-control when angry is one necessary ingredient in providing this safe setting.

Communicate honestly. Dishonesty will undermine any relationship. Speak truth to one another at all times, even when it hurts to do so. Honesty builds trust.

Accept influence from one another. Healthy relationships take into account the desires and opinions of the other person and are willing to be influenced by them. The “my way or the highway” approach only breeds resistance and resentment, as it reflects a selfishness that is hardened against healthy influence. The old saying “two are better than one” has to be understood in the context of two people interested in helping one another, not just using one another as a means to a more selfish end.

Respect your differing strengths. In every partnership, interests and abilities will emerge that should be appreciated and respected. There may be a temptation to feel threatened and squelch the interests of your partner due to your insecurity. Instead, encourage them to develop those interests and skills.

Show appreciation. Love gets eroded in many marriages because a partner gets taken for granted after a while. Appreciation for their contributions to the relationship can prevent this from happening. You can learn new ways of showing your appreciation, but it first requires that you tune in to those contributions. Think of their value and worth as a person and to your family, and communicate it to them in a sincere manner.

Accept your sexuality. Yes, it is okay to talk about sex and to enjoy it. It is intended for pleasure and as a reinforcement of the bond in your relationship. Avoid using sex as a tool for manipulation of your partner. Resist any temptations beyond the boundaries of your marriage. Keep your sexual energy focused on your partner.

Solve problems together. Identify and brainstorm solutions to each of the problems you face. Allow the creative options to be expressed without criticism. Then evaluate together each option and decide together which you want to attempt first. Try again, if not successful.

Forgive daily. Apart from a gracious attitude that lets go of minor offenses and miscommunications, no relationship would survive. Major offenses take more work, including a serious apology with the reassurance that the offending party is making a major effort not to offend in that way again. Even when reconciliation is not advisable, it is important for you to forgive so that the negative effects of bitterness do not pull you into a dark place emotionally and even physically.

Fill each other’s “love tanks”. Tune into those areas which make your partner feel loved, and learn what behaviors on your end will help make the bond between you stronger. Is it the “I love you” stated verbally, even when your family never openly used those words? Is it different ways of making contact with one another, such as a hug or kiss when reunited at the end of a busy day? Your “habits” can change, so why not choose to help your partner feel even more loved?

If you follow the above guidelines in your marriage, you will find your marital bond grow even stronger over time. You will indeed have a more balanced marriage.

Ronald S. Newman, Ph.D., is a NJ licensed psychologist with offices in Hammonton and Linwood, NJ. He has been married for nearly 36 years, and has been working in Hammonton for the past 26 years. He can be reached at 609-567-9022 or write2balance@gmail.com.