braddock, pa: transformazium

Transformazium Music Video from Joshua Tonies on Vimeo.

this video is about the community development work of a group of artists in braddock, pa.

transformazium's website has made me curious about the successes and challenges these artists have faced in their efforts to revamp and revitalize this decayed industrial town (which experienced a population decline of 20,000 to 2,000 in the 70's when the steel industry fell. scary). i wonder how the artists and their ideas have been received in braddock and what sort of social, cultural and economic impact they have made.


on braddock:
"Over the last few years, the town of Braddock has begun to attract artists, artisans, and others looking for a place to live and work creatively. As a part of Braddock’s renewal program, the Mayor of Braddock, John Fetterman, has invited the "urban pioneer, artist, or misfit to be a part of a new experimental effort." Artists are a group of people who create value and their economic impact on neighborhoods has been well documented." Gold in Braddock 

"Braddock Pa has no hospital, grocery store, ATM, prepared foods, coffee shops or the like but it does have an ever growing arts movement." the pittsburgh art blog



on tranformazium:
"Deconstruction is the selective dismantling of a building for the purpose of reusing the materials to build new structures, and it is this process which Ruthie, along with formerly Brooklyn based artists Leslie Stern, Dana Bishop-Root, and Caledonia Curry (better known as Swoon), are using to turn their building into a community arts center called the Transformazium"  pop city

"They (the artists of Transformazium) also work with the youth of Braddock, creating site specific out-stallations, breathing life into former ruins. Artworks now cover buildings, bridges, and underpasses, turning Braddock’s abandoned exteriors into an outdoor museum." pop tech: blog