Union Project Update - www.unionproject.org - Union Project Breaks Ground Thanks to all for your support and encouragement! We had a beautiful day to celebrate the groundbreaking at the Union Project on Saturday and usher in the next phase of construction. Check out the article from the Sunday Pittsburgh Tribune Review about the event. www.pittsburghlive.com/x/search/s_324991.html This public, grassroots project has helped us learn the importance of knowing our elected officials and participating in the process to choose them - in light of that, we wanted to send a reminder that today is the last day to register to vote in the May 17 Pittsburgh Mayoral Primary! Because of the heavily Democratic nature of Pittsburgh - the Mayoral race is most often decided in the May Primary. Today - April 18 - is the last day to register to vote before the Primary. Every vote will be crucial for our city - the health of our neighborhoods, the livability of the city, the financial situation of our local government! Because of all of the hard work we do in our communities to make the city a better place to live - we encourage you to participate in this civic duty and help elect the next Mayor! If you are not yet registered - or are registered as an independent (you cannot vote in the Primary as an independent), you can find more information about registering here: http://www.dos.state.pa.us/voting/cwp/view.asp?a=1192&q=442984 Deadline for Submissions is Friday! Individuals and groups interested in the annual Artist’s and Farmers Market at the Union Project should plan to submit proposals by this Friday. Detailed information about all aspects of the market can be found on the website, www.unionproject.org. Artists are invited to participate as art making instructors for the Summer Artist’s and Farmer’s Market. Past artists have included jugglers, ceramicists, mosaic artists, painters, and more. Artists are encouraged to be creative in designing the arts activities. Proposals are being accepted and a stipend is awarded to each artist chosen. Deadline for submissions is April 22, 2005. Artists and Farmers are also invited to participate by setting up retail booths to sell their wares on the highly visible corner of Stanton and Negley Avenues and Community Groups are invited to set up booths as a way to provide information to neighborhood residents about what else is happening in the city. More information is available on the website, www.unionproject.org, by emailing Justin@unionproject.org, or by calling 412-478-3105. Call for Artists! Union Project is requesting designs for a stained glass window design competition. Artists are requested to submit proposals for stained glass entry windows to be built and installed at the Union Project. Contest winners will receive a free stained glass class in which their windows will be built, a $100 gift certificate at Prism Stained Glass, a Union Project T-Shirt, and will be recognized by name on a plaque commemorating their window. Design criteria are available at www.unionproject.org, by emailing Justin@unionproject.org, or by calling 412-478-3105. The designs must be submitted to the Union Project no later than May 20, 2005. Celebrate Historic Preservation Month Come to Union Project for Young Preservationists Association of Pittsburgh’s Historic Preservation Month Celebration on May 6, 2005 at 6 pm. YPA has joined forces with the Pittsburgh Urban Magnet Project (PUMP) and the Urban League of Pittsburgh to present a Historic Preservation Month celebration at the Union Project. As part of the celebration, you will hear from Adrian Fine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation (the organization that created Historic Preservation Month), a representative from the Allegheny County Planning Department, and Mike Eversmeyer from the Pittsburgh Historic Review Commission (and Union Project architect). YPA will also release its third-annual list of “Top Ten Best Historic Preservation Opportunities in the Pittsburgh Area.” This event is free and open to the public and there will be free food, drink, and music! More information at www.youngpreservationists.org. Stained Glass Restoration Reaching Beyond Union Project into Community The Union Project has partnered with Highland Park Community Development Corporation and East Liberty Development, Inc., to expand and replicate its innovative stained glass restoration concept to benefit the larger East End community. A weekend stained glass restoration class has been announced that will repair and restore a large stained glass window that was removed from a six-unit apartment building at 839 N. Mellon Street, just one block from the Union Project. The Mellon Street property is part of a $4 Million renovation project of HPCDC and ELDI aimed at renovating 12 houses and a 7-unit apartment building all in the southwest quadrant of Highland Park. The weekend stained glass restoration class is being planned for August 12-14. Class members will pay $250 to learn the craft of stained glass restoration, while at the same time providing valuable assistance to three local non-profit organizations that serve East Liberty and Highland Park. To sign up for the class email Justin@unionproject.org or call 412-478-3105. Union Project now accepting applications for rental partners Union Project is now accepting rental applications for use of studio, office, venue, and board meeting spaces at the Union Project. Rental agreements can begin as early as September 1, 2005. Union Project has 8 unique office and studio spaces available for rent. In addition, there are 3 separate common areas that are available for use as worship space, performance space, board meeting space, weddings, and other civic gathering opportunities. Visit www.unionproject.org for more details, or email jess@unionproject.org or call 412-363-4550 for more information. Call for Volunteers! Union Project is in need of several dedicated volunteers to spend a few hours each week at Storehouse, a Pittsburgh organization that redistributes abundance to local non –profits. Union Project representatives must volunteer approximately 12 hours per month in the warehouse doing jobs such as sorting, packaging, arranging, labeling, loading, and unloading, phone answering, paperwork, cleaning and building maintenance. If you are interested in supporting the Union Project in this way please contact Justin@unionproject.org or call 412-478-3105. Magic Penny Garden Dates Announced Artist Stephanie Flom will be engaging community members to create a garden installation on our highly visible corner at Stanton and Negley Avenues this summer. Through the Persephone Project, Stephanie has been promoting gardening as contemporary art and gardeners as artists. Her Magic Penny Gardens are made with the perennial plants shared by community members and honor the stories that gardeners associate with the special plants that they share. Registered project participants will work with Stephanie to create a Magic Penny Garden for the Union Project. They will also explore her concept of gardens-as-art and share their own creative experiences in their gardens. Participants will also help to plan the community events associated with the garden and have an opportunity to stay involved for the on-going maintenance of the garden. Sessions will meet on Wednesday evenings from 6 to 9 pm for 8 weeks beginning June 1 and running through July 20. The suggested donation to cover cost of materials is $25 per person. The class is open to 10 people. Members should be age 16 and up. If you are interested in this class please contact Justin@unionproject.org, call 412-478-3105, or visit www.unionproject.org. Strawbale Construction Workshops Mildreds’ Daughters Urban Farm announces 2 Strawbale Construction workshops, to take place at the farm. One, focusing on Strawbale Wall Construction, will take place June 3-5, 2005, and the other, focusing on Decorative Earthen Plaster Finishing, will take place June 17-19, 2005. These unique hands-on opportunities will be guided by Mark Hoberecht, of HarvestBuild Associates, and Chris Fox, of Fox Natural Builders, both experienced strawbale builders and teachers, and by Mary Golden of Gaiatecture Design Studio, a master artisan of earthen plaster finishing. More information is available by contacting Mildred’s Daughters Urban Farm. 412-799-0833 or mildredsdaughters@earthlink.net _______________________________________________ update mailing list update@unionproject.org http://unionproject.mennonite.net/mailman/listinfo/update.unionproject