Art Crawling and the Artist’s Role in Urban Renewal

Experience Hamilton through the eye of Reg Beaudry  www.regbeaudry.com

Like I said, I woke up and I was in Hamilton and as a newby to the downtown central area, I was promptly informed that I must experience the James Street North Art Crawl if I’m to call myself a Hamiltonian.  No sooner did I hear these words, was I on my way.  When I left Hamilton 7 years ago, I had never experienced James Street North.  When I found myself in the midst of the collective that was gathered last night, I understood for the first time what the buzz was all about.  Hamilton is experiencing a renaissance, and I dare say that the local Arts Community are the trailblazers of this path. The very phrase “Art Crawl” suggests an atmosphere that invites people to create and define a given space through their own movements.  This was happening, layer upon artful layer.  I saw people of all walks, gathering from many regions of the city to this one designated neighbourhood.  I saw buildings take on new life forms, serving new purposes.  I heard new conversations between people who would not normally converse.  I was exposed to art I had never before seen, revealing to me new concepts I would not have considered.    I had conversations with people who shared their memories of what James Street used to be; the good, the bad and the ugly.  De Certeau describes this spatial experience as, “An exploration of the deserted places of my memory.” (123) Urban Renewal revives people’s dreams, myths and legends of a place, while bringing to life new ways of operating within it. 
The next morning I went back to view the street in the aftermath.  I found myself overwhelmingly thankful for those who define the space known as James Street.  This is what artists do.  They are in one sense revitalizers of the world’s debris,  moving into neighbourhoods that most would overlook.  What will happen when people start recognizing the value of these practices?  Will artists move on to other neighbourhoods due to gentrification?  Rest assured, if the initiators of James Street North move on to invent other spaces, they can be certain the rest of us will follow - crawling right behind them.

de Certeau, Michel. "Walking the City." Studying Culture: A Critical Introduction. Ed. Mary O'Connor. Hamilton: Custom Publishing Solutions, 2010. 115-125. Print.