ANNA FORRESTER


I first went to the site during our "Revealing Urban Waters" assignment. John Sharon and I went in my car. We drove around looking for the vacant lots, and I realized I'd actually been there before: right when I moved here, a year ago, I'd gone hunting for Aspen Farms. It has a good reputation in the NY community greening community, so I 'd wanted to check it out when I first moved here. Both of those times I was in my car. For this assignment I went on foot, and I was there for a little over an hour -- walking, first, then sitting on a playground for a while waiting for Stevve and Kaori.

I had already been twice, so I didn't expect it to affect me. I was used to moving around on foot in neighborhoods like Mill Creek. I worked in low income neighborhoods in New York for two years before coming here, and had gotten comfortable. Somehow, though, the conversation about safety got me a little nervous, and I felt ill at ease in ways I hadn't expected to.

I felt funny at first, especially down on 46th street. I did not like being a spectator. When I stopped to talk to people though, or to buy an Italian Ice, I felt much better -- like I was making a connection or had a REASON to be there somehow.

There was a bunch of eye contact with no greeting. And a few "Hi"s with little kids. Then when I stopped to but an ice I talked with another kid a bit more extensively, and with the guy selling the ices. Oh -- and when we were waiting for Steve and Kaori a guy asked me and John for 5 bucks.

When I first moved here I compared this place to places I know in New York. The scale is much smaller here in Philadelphia though, so its little bit different. And its also a lot greener here. I don't feel like I can "read" neighborhoods as well here as I had leanred to there -- just because my work had me moving around to so many different places there.

I grew up in a typical midwestern city: St. Louis . I lived in the suburbs. Only a handful of people -- mostly poor and black -- lived downtown. Then South St. Louis was white (Italian and German descent) working and middle class; North and East St. Louis were mostly African American -- poor; and West County, where I lived, was mostly white, with a full range class-wise.

This studio is very different than our studioes last year. Not so much emphasis on drawing, and I miss that a little bit. And the West Philly work is so much like what my JOB used to be....

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