Name that Alley Contest

What is in a name? Why do we name rivers, cities and countries? I suspect there are a number of reasons why we decide to give something a name.  From my own experience, giving something or someone a name makes it easier to connect and identify with that person or space.

Most of the time we have a sparse connection with the alleyways around us because they are often associated with transportation and garbage collection (among other things).  Therefore, giving an alley a name will open up that connection and allow us to identify with alley spaces in new and interesting ways.

The 'Name that Alley" contest was inspired by the Alley Network Project http://alleynetworkproject.com  and is meant to facilitate that kind of connection, as we find the alleyway between Esplanade and 1st on Lonsdale a name.  Once the alleyway has a name, we wont have to refer to the space through its relation to street names and landmarks, as it will have its own identity.

The contest starts September 2nd and will run until September 5th.  You can enter the contest through the More Fun Alley Association Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/morefunalleyassociation?ref=hl.  If you don't have a Facebook page, we will have a box located at the Cafe for Contemporary Art http://cafeforcontemporaryart.com/, for you to fill out a name and place inside.  If you do decide to enter via the box, please provide a way to contact you, otherwise how will we notify you if your name is the winner?

On September 6th, a team of judges will decide on the name, if yours is selected, you will win some small prizes from Rayne Longboards and Two Daughters Bakeshop.

The MFA wishes to thank these organizations for supporting the contest:

Thank you CBR Products

On Sunday July 28th we painted our tires for the tire garden project, and a key reason for that days success was CBR Products's generosity in supplying us with paint for the tires.  It was a pleasure using their products as they are eco-friendly and provided a very nice outcome in terms of how the colours turned out.

CBR Products is a Vancouver based small business located on Cordova.  They have been in business for 18 years and they have a really cool connection to North Vancouver as they started here back in 1995 and moved to Cordova in 2004.

When I approached them about the MFA and the tire garden they didn't hesitate to get involved and support the project in some meaningful way.  CBR Products cares deeply about contributing to the community around them and helping people in need.  They also take pride in manufacturing high quality restoration products while maintaining a low ecological footprint.

CBR Products strongly believes that supporting your community pays dividends for your families, employees, the city and country.  The MFA feels the same way and one of our core values is finding ways to support small businesses like CBR Products so they can continue to support the community in there own way.

Moving forward CBR Products will continue to perfect their coating and product line while supporting small community initiatives, and will always remain a community orientated firm who believes all people can make a difference when they choose to care about each other and the communities in which they live, work and play.

Collaboration and Cooperation

An important step in the journey of activating alleyways is building a strong and viable network with other people and organizations, especially other non-profits, that support the various activities and initiatives that get undertaken.

The support of other non-profits will be explored in this blog piece as I have recently gotten to know a small number of amazing non-profits that are also working to activate alleyways.

Jasminka Miletic-Prelovac and Sam Camerson of Livable Laneways Vancouver as well as me

Livable Laneways is a non-profit located here in Vancouver and they have put a tremendous amount of effort in activating alleyways around the city such as the ones in Gas Town.  We meet during July and we both agreed that it would beneficial and fun to collaborate and support each other’s endeavours. You can check out their Facebook page to learn more https://www.facebook.com/LivableLaneways?fref=pb&hc_location=profile_browser.

Seattle is also home to a number of non-profits and community efforts dedicated to activating their alleyways such as the Post Alley Project, Chinatown Historic Alley Partnership and the Alley Network Project.  Yesterday I had the pleasure of speaking with Liz Stenning from the International Sustainability Institute who is involved with the Alley Network Project.  What they have accomplished in activating alley spaces is incredible and inspiring, here’s a link to their website so you can get all inspired as well http://alleynetworkproject.com/.

When Liz and I spoke she was more than happy to offer some advice and suggestions as to what the MFA can do in activating alley spaces in North Vancouver.  That advice brought into focuses one of the values of having a network, which is the support, offered in bettering our communities.

Moving forward the MFA will work towards setting up a network with other non-profits like Livable Laneways Vancouver and the Alley Network Project so we continue to communicate and support each other. 

Hedonistic Alleyways

When designing projects for alleyways, should pleasure and fun be at the heart of every project?  Most of the time, sure why not, I truly believe life is meant to be enjoyed and fun or why bother.  However I also believe that there needs to be some kind of meaning behind the projects the More Fun Alley Association undertakes as I think joy and meaning should be balanced within projects that the MFA engages in.

For example creating projects that address or create conversation around a social topic like urban farming, sustainability, economics etc is just as important as creating projects that people actually enjoy contributing and engaging in.  I read a quote somewhere and unfortunately I forget who said it and went something like this "we are called to leave the universe in a better condition then what we found it," and I intend to do the same thing will alleyways, to leave them in better condition then when the MFA found them.  Now that can be exciting or as boring as the imagination will allow.

A project that has been under works for a little while now is creating a dialogue around conservation and using reused materials to help transform alley spaces, so stay turned as that starts to develop.

Painted Tires in the Alleyway

Last Sunday, we began the creation of a tire garden in the back of the alleyway, between Esplanade and 1st & Lonsdale, by painting the tires different colours: Blues, Pink, Yellow and Green.

We had a lot of fun painting the tires, and I want to thank all the participants for coming out and painting them, it wouldn't have been as fun without you :)

Part of what made the activity a success was having support from a few small businesses.  CBR Products is a paint company located in Vancouver and they graciously provided the paint for the tires as a in-kind donation.  Cafe for Contemporary Art provided us with space to work in and a place to display the tires once they were finished.  Two Daughters Bakeshop provided a in-kind donation of their delicious mini-doughnuts for participants to enjoy.  Without small businesses like those mentioned above we wouldn't have been able to pull this off, thank you.

Moving forward, I've been thinking about doing a winter garden theme in the alleyway, so stay tuned.

The Cafe for Contemporary Art

Yesterday, we painted the tires for our tire garden and thank you everyone who made it out and participated.  I've dedicated this blog piece as a thank you to Tyler Russell owner of the Cafe for Contemporary Art for providing his garage space in the alleyway for us to work in.  There were a couple other amazing organizations who helped us put the event together and they will be thank in a subsequent blog post that is specific for the tire garden.

The Cafe for Contemporary Art (CAFCA) is an organization dedicated to excellence whether its providing some of the best coffee on the North Shore (49th Parallel need I say more) or serving healthy and delicious tacos (I'd argue some of the best tacos on the North Shore, and I'd be happy to debt anyone about it) and all the staff are dedicated at providing a friendly atmosphere for customers to enjoy their meals.

CAFCA also features an art gallery which is adjacent to the cafe's entrance and is free for viewing during the cafe's hours.  Exhibits are regularly shown within the galley space, and currently an amazing artist Dirk Fleischmann is being featured in the space, you can follow the link to learn more or better yet come by in person to check it out http://cafeforcontemporaryart.com/myconceptstore-dirk-fleischmann/.

Ever since CAFCA's inception, Tyler Russell has worked tirelessly to making the cafe a facilitator for community and cultural activities, and without his help and dedication the More Fun Alley Association and the tire garden wouldn't have been possible.  Thank you Tyler.

Two Daughters Bakeshop

This Sunday July 28th, the More Fun Alley Association is having its very first event, which is painting our tires for the tire garden we're working on constructing in the alley space.
I wanted to try and provide participants with some kind of snack while they are painting the tires, and Two Daughters Bakeshop is located in the same alleyway and when I asked Lisa Reichelt if she would provide a in-kind donation of some baked goods for participants, she didn't even hesitate to say yes.  All Lisa needed to know where the date, time and expected number of participants.

Lisa Reichelt is the founder and owner of the Two Daughters Bakeshop, which opened back in October 2012, and has been serving gluten free baked goods to people from all over North Vancouver and beyond (I personally enjoy those delicious mini doughnuts).

Lisa opened Two Daughters Bakeshop upon her daughter being diagnosed with Celiac Disease, and people who are diagnosed with Celiac Disease have to go on a life long gluten-free diet.  Lisa wanted to provide a safe environment where her daughter can enjoy delicious gluten free food made from organic ingredients.

Lisa wants to support other small business that are opening in alleyways, and feels that alleyways have huge potential to improve neighbourhoods in a variety of creative ways.  Therefore, when I put out the sign up sheet for the More Fun Alley Association, Lisa was one of the first people to sign up and support the association.

Moving forward Lisa would like to be more involved with the community, and see other entrepreneurs taking a risk and opening up small businesses in alleyways.  Lisa would also like to beautify the outside of her bakeshop by including more plants and flowers.  One of Lisa's dreams is to open up another location in an alleyway somewhere in BC, like Victoria.