The Art Neighborhood
By Lisa Ludwig

Lisa Ludwig's Art Neighborhood is about our neighborhoods and about building a new and better one, for all of us. The Art Neighborhood is a micro installation of a shantytown. It is an improvisational, collaborative sculpture that allows you to transplant yourself.

SHANTYTOWN

This living and organically-evolving shantytown portrait is ripe for the time. Throughout the duration of the exhibition the sculpture continues to grow. Using found objects and recycled cardboard boxes, these materials transcend and become the stage for the Action Figures.This is a show for everyone, literally, everyone is invited to participate. So it keeps growing and growing.

ACTION FIGURES

Lisa says "I have been making play-sets and dioramas for over 15 years. This is by far the largest. I make Action Figures of people as portraits, asking simple questions of likes and what ifs. In this project I do workshops with Schools and invite teachers and professionals to hold them as well. I have complete details on how to make your own figure on my web-site. I encourage everyone to make an Action Figure of oneself. Inside the shanty town the Action Figures are real people. I also do commission Action Figures of people so they can participate."

So far there are over 200 Action Figures of real people all over thew world who live in the Art Neighborhood. Visit www.theartneighborhood.com to find out how to make (or commission) your own.

SCHOOL WORKSHOPS to date:

Berkeley Carroll Middle School, Brooklyn, NY- after school workshop
Good Shepherd Services at P.S. 32, Brooklyn, NY - promoted by Caleigh Fisher
Oasis Art and Education Center, New York, NY- promoted by Rakien Nomura
Touro College's Harlem Campus, New York, NY- promoted by Barrie Cline
P.S. 152Q Queens, NY- promoted by Rachel Staroba-Hallenbeck
Cascades High School, NY, NY-promoted by Sam Ragoonath

CONTEXT
Our art world is usually competitive and insecure, not very friendly or generous to outsiders, especially artist over 40. The art world indulges children but doesn't usually encourage their official participation. It doesn't even acknowledge the elderly who make art on the weekends. And mostly we judge each other.

The Art Neighborhood celebrates being removed from our origins to flourish in another more fertile field of time and space. Once transplanted and reapplied we are seen freshly, take on new life, expand and grow in new directions and give us the unexpected. The goal of the Art Neighborhood is to bring people together through art.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Every Action Figure is clearly tagged to a real person into a registry and then posted onto Facebook. You can look them up in the gallery while you are there too. (oh it's Joshua....10 years old, he wants to be an astronaut.) Updates are added to keep people involved where ever they may be.

ALL PROCEEDS GO TO...

Proceeds from the recent The Art neighborhood show at Jack The Pelican Presents, went to: Making Art Work, a special program of the Carter Burden Center for the Aging. NY, NY

Proceeds from future projects will also be donated to great charities and organisations.

KEY EVENTS
Special scenarios unfold throughout the exhibition for Action Figures to express themselves.  Key events allow collaborations to take place with Lisa and other artists in the community.

To date:

• Premier of Lisa Ludwig's "Bella Ciao" a short stop motion animation using the action figures and takes place inside the official Art Neighborhood MicroTheater. Collaboration with Craig Flanagin.
  
• Weather Report- animation filmed during the exhibition using action figures. Collaboration with BoSul Kim
  
• Action Figures come to Life! Performing artist who are in the Art Neighborhood are asked to perform as their Action Figure. Collaboration with Rebecca Goyette and band- The Drunkard's Wife.
  
• Day of the Dead- Visitors participated in planting seeds for their loved ones.
  
• Stand In for Peace- Action Figures gathered together in the center of the Art Neighborhood for a Peace demonstration. Collaboration withThe Department of Peace, New York Chapter. 
  
• Graffiti in the Art Neighborhood- lecture on personal responsibility within your community and demonstration graffiti in the shanty town (miniature). Collaboration with SPAR 1
  

SPECIAL THANKS
I have been lucky enough to have a wonderful crew of friends and family help support this project. The gallery Jack the Pelican Presents helped bring this project to the forefront and offered me a great staff to help encourage the community to get involved.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Visit http://www.theartneighborhood.com and visit the official Facebook fan page (go through the website for direct route)