Vacant: Activating Baltimore Alleys through Creative Action

Axis Alley seeks through creative engagement to utilize the backyards of vacant properties and vacant lots as a  canvas for creative works that transform, activate and revitalize the overlooked, under-attended areas of Baltimore’s back alleys. In neighborhoods where the vacancy rate of properties runs high, the alley seems to become the indicator of urban difficulties…trash, rats, homeless people, prostitution and drugs. These somewhat forbidding alley’s (dark and unlit at night),while speaking of endemic problems in the city, posess a certain toxic beauty and  provide a fascinating possibility of urban intervention and creative gesture.

Recent project while waiting for approval…

My studio is in between Hargrove Alley and the proposed N.Calvert street alley. My neighbor on the Hargrove side bought the property just in front of me, and since he does really nice rehabs, he threw out a perfectly salvalgable backyard fence which i , in fact, salvaged.

One of my neighbors on the calvert alley, had a back yard in need of help. Turns out they were getting a lot of tickets from the city, and were happy to have me oddly approach them with the offer of a free fence, professionally installed…that came painted with a picture of two dancing rats and christopher robin on it. They were especially happy with the picture.

After a preliminary clean up, one of the occupants worked with me this last weekend and we installed their new fence.

Below are before and after shots.

It was hot, hard work (especially removing the old     posts and concrete footings), but well worth it.

Many neighbors have reacted very positively to the change and it feels good to re-purpose the fence.