Public Spaces

Bryce Tolpen
  • 5.0 (1)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED MONTHLY

Public Spaces chronicles two suburban émigrés' encounters with city people creating different kinds of local, public life. www.polidevo.com

  1. FEB 3

    Community organizing like Jesus

    You live in a neighborhood that’s been overlooked and oppressed for years. Neighbors are turning against neighbors, refusing to lend money or otherwise help one another out. Your neighborhood is a joke to the larger community. “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Come and see four inner-city neighborhoods in Birmingham, Alabama. Or hear them, rather, in this 18-minute podcast episode. Gerrel Jones has discovered Jesus as an effective community organizer, and his Renew Birmingham and its extraordinary team of staff members and volunteers are putting Jesus’s community-building principles to work in the four poorest neighborhoods in Birmingham. Renew’s story, its approach and its outcomes will challenge you to help communities in new ways—and perhaps to understand Jesus and his mission in new ways, too. Above: Gerrel Jones, Renew Birmingham Founder and Executive Director Resources: Makes Me Wanna Holler: A Young Black Man in America by Nathan McCall Gerrel’s plug for Makes Me Wanna Holler: Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl Gerrel’s plug for Man’s Search for Meaning: Jesus and the Politics of Roman Palestine by Richard A. Horsley Jesus and the Politics provides an excellent theological and historical framework for understanding Jesus’s work as a community organizer. From the publisher: “Learning from anthropological studies of the more subtle forms of peasant politics, Horsley discerns from these sources how Jesus, as a Moses- and Elijah-like prophet, generated a movement of renewal in Israel that was focused on village communities.” Renew Birmingham’s website Connective Tissue’s great interview of Gerrel Jones Above: Jason Williams, Renew Birmingham Youth Program Director Get full access to Political Devotions at www.polidevo.com/subscribe

    19 min

  2. 08/05/2025

    Neighborhood public media

    Wes Tank of Milwaukee and Dewey Tron of Arlington, Virginia have left traditional, corporate video directing behind in favor of showcasing their cities’ neighborhoods. As government funding for traditional public media and secondary media classes becomes uncertain, could such private media expertise at the local and micro-local levels create new means of audio and video expression in public spaces? Above: Still from Reimagine Milwaukee Day | Imagine MKE, video by Wes Tank. Our first video episode includes a ten-minute introduction highlighting Wes’s and Dewey’s community video work. The episode moves into an hour-long conversation among Wes, Dewey, and Bryce about their media work, their communities’ needs, and the trends in media production that affect communities at the neighborhood level. The conversation is also sprinkled with relevant portions of more media from these local talents, Dewey and Wes. Wes owns Tank Think, a media production company that supports Milwaukee’s arts, literacy, government, health, and social justice. He also co-owns with Sara Daleiden the Washington Park Media Center, which trains neighborhood media people through an audio-visual club and mentoring. Catch Wes’s Vimeo channel for his professional videos and his YouTube channel for his more insane videos, including his viral videos setting Dr. Seuss’s work to rap. You can watch the complete version of Reimagine Milwaukee Day / Imagine MKE here. Dewey is a director at Studio PAUSE, which serves two communities in Arlington with art studios, galleries, and educational centers for the public. Dewey has documented the diverse Columbia Pike corridor for many years as a member of the Columbia Pike Documentary Project. He recently directed the “We Are Barcroft” video series celebrating the lives of several Barcroft residents from different backgrounds. Check out his work on his professional site as well as his experimental work on his YouTube channel. You can watch the complete version of the Columbia Pike Documentary Project Video here. Above: still from Nazneen Aktar — Like a memory in a frame from the “We Are Barcroft” oral history video series by Dewey Tron. Above: Still from Reimagine Milwaukee Day | Imagine MKE, video by Wes Tank. Above, still from Ronald J. Smith — The thing I learned to do is relax from the “We Are Barcroft” oral history video series by Dewey Tron. Get full access to Political Devotions at www.polidevo.com/subscribe

    1h 11m

  3. 05/07/2025

    Turning tracks into public space

    (18-min. podcast episode.) Several American cities have done rails to trails projects. In many ways, Milwaukee’s Beerline Trail is like most of the projects. Train service through Milwaukee’s Northeast industrial corridor left, so Milwaukee has turned its tracks into an attractive trail for walking and biking, and the residents and city are still working on it. Get full access to Political Devotions at www.polidevo.com/subscribe

    18 min

  4. 02/22/2025

    The Pike: the power of humanity's kinship

    The Columbia Pike Documentary Project invites us to encounter one of the most diverse communities in the world. With people speaking over a hundred languages living together with little in the way of ethnic enclaves, Columbia Pike in Arlington offers what may be a unique experience in diversity. In this 18-minute podcast episode, I interview project team members Sushmita Mazumdar, Dewey Tron, and Lloyd Wolf about what drives them to document life on the Pike in videos, books, talks, and exhibitions. This episode has some great stories and insights about how a living diversity can make public life richer. Above: Columbia Pike at Walter Reed during the 2024 Columbia Pike Blues Festival Now in its 18th year, the documentary project has other goals besides letting the world beyond Columbia Pike in on this life-changing diverse community. The project * Holds a mirror to the various neighborhoods of Columbia Pike to help them understand themselves another way—as a single, beautiful community * Welcomes immigrants and validates their place in our society * Celebrates the activities of the various nationalities along Columbia Pike * Documents the Pike’s constantly shifting demographics and changing streetscapes for future research Above: my students work with materials on the walls from the Columbia Pike Documentary Project Here are some resources about Columbia Pike and the Columbia Pike Documentary Project, most of which are referred to in the podcast: The Columbia Pike Documentary Project website The Columbia Pike Documentary Project video Website for the book Transitions: The Columbia Pike Documentary Project Website for the book Columbia Pike Recipes for Recovery: Restaurant Stories from Around the World in One Zip Code The City of Stories project webpage Above: Columbia Pike Plaza Music and sound effects used with permission from BBC Sound Effects. bbc.co.uk – © copyright 2025 BBC. My thanks to Lloyd Wolf, Dewey Tron, and Sushmita Mazumdar for the generous gift of their time, stories, and insights. Above: car parked on S Highland Street Above: Lloyd Wolf talks to some of my students in his capacity as our Arlington project’s expert (more tireless volunteer work that Lloyd does for the Columbia Pike community) Get full access to Political Devotions at www.polidevo.com/subscribe

    19 min

  5. 01/08/2025

    Listening for a place's public calling

    20-minute podcast episode. Our neighborhoods are most often like America’s Third Coast, a flyover region on our way to home or work. What would it take for our neighborhoods — urban, suburban, rural, small-town — to become as vital to us as our home or work? Sara Daleiden works on the Third Coast, literally and metaphorically. She facilitates Milwaukee neighborhoods that wish to transform their public landscapes. She’s actually bicoastal, splitting most of her time between Milwaukee and Los Angeles; hence the name of her media strategy and production agency, MKE LAX. Besides media production, Sara’s work involves organizational, economic, and community development. But mostly her work involves listening to land and people. Above: Sara Daleiden Sara can feel like she moves between two cities even without leaving Milwaukee. These cities are stereotyped as “Black Milwaukee” and “white Milwaukee.” Besides racial tension, Milwaukee has suffered from the end of large-scale manufacturing and brewing over the last half century, turning many Milwaukee neighborhoods inward. Sara and her governmental and corporate partners serve some of these neighborhoods, and their service includes guiding citizens in democratic processes to discover their neighborhood’s public callings. Recently, I interviewed Sara at her media center in Milwaukee to learn how she helps to create public spaces. Our 90-minute talk was one of the richest I’ve ever had. I’ve curated our talk into a 20-minute podcast episode. If you’re interested in what it might take to make your neighborhood (outside of your home) a destination for you and your neighbors, including strangers, you’ll enjoy this podcast. In a separate episode, Public Spaces will explore the Beerline Trail, formerly an old rail line that once served Milwaukee’s historic beer industry. The community turned the rail line into a linear park, which is in use but is still in development. The trail intersects two adjoining neighborhoods that historically have kept apart because of differing demographics. MKE LAX helps to facilitate this project. Here are the resources mentioned in the episode (and some other resources): “The Milwaukee Movie” video by Mark Escribano Black Landscapes Matter, edited by Walter Hood and Grace Mitchell Tada The Beerline Trail website Rural Urban Flow’s website Sara Daleiden’s page on the Homeworks: Bronzeville site The three above photos: a home, a shop, and light manufacturing near Milwaukee’s Beerline Trail Static sound effects used with permission from BBC Sound Effects. bbc.co.uk – © copyright 2024 BBC. Our thanks to A. Wesley Chung for the licensed use of “An Evening” from Uppbeat. License code: TNIQXHGVV47YMDZC. Get full access to Political Devotions at www.polidevo.com/subscribe

    20 min

  6. 11/19/2024

    Liturgy, improv & power

    11-minute podcast episode. What could liturgy and mutual aid have in common? Both are actions that, when done creatively, give all parties the freedom to respond in life-giving ways and to discover themselves in community. This the second of two podcast episodes about a small Arlington church that sold its building and land at a discount to make way for Gilliam Place, a six-story affordable-housing building. The first episode examines the 12-year democratic process that resulted in the sale and, at the same time, transformed Arlington Presbyterian Church from an introverted destination church to an outgoing community church. Above: Rev. Ashley Goff leads a portion of a service at Arlington Presbyterian this past spring This second episode covers what happened to Arlington Presbyterian soon after they began renting a ground-floor suite in Gilliam Place, their old space newly transformed. Spoiler alert: Covid happened. With Covid, a different process started, one just as democratic and covenantal as the one that got them from "no" to "yes" on the land and building sale. But the process during covid wasn't procedural. It was improvisational. Victoria and I interview the church’s pastor, Ashley Goff, who explains the cross-pollination among liturgy, community organizing, improv, and social transformation. We also interview Susan Robbins Etherton, a longstanding church member who helped to guide the church to its new meeting place and self-understanding. Above: some of the folks at Arlington Presbyterian Our thanks to Matrika for the licensed use of “When We Were Young” from Uppbeat. License code: QE0XDGAX1L4G84BZ. Above: our daughter Bethany at the entrance to the church’s new space at Gilliam Place In the episode, I cite these two sources: Kohn, Jerome. “Introduction.” In Responsibility and Judgment, by Hannah Arendt. New York: Schocken, 2003, xxiii. Madson, Patricia Ryan. Improv Wisdom: Don’t Prepare, Just Show Up. New York: Bell Tower, 2005, 15. Get full access to Political Devotions at www.polidevo.com/subscribe

    11 min

  7. 10/15/2024

    From pews to affordable housing

    26-minute podcast episode. Most Arlington teachers can’t afford to live in Arlington. While Victoria and I were teaching there, we met teachers and other school staff members who were fortunate to find affordable housing at Gilliam Place, a relatively new, six-story apartment building at the corner of Columbia Pike and South Lincoln Street. The idea for Gilliam Place came at a retreat in 2009, when some members of Arlington Presbyterian celebrated the church’s centennial by seeking guidance for the future. During the retreat, they thought that they had found it: the church would sell its building and property along Columbia Pike to make way for affordable housing. But when they returned from the retreat, the congregation said no. That “no” started the church members on a remarkable, twelve-year journey of covenantal and democratic practice that led to Gilliam Place. This public journey also was the most spiritually transformative experience several people say they’ve ever had. The church sold their property at a discount to Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing, which built Gilliam Place. The church now meets in a modern buildout on Gilliam Place’s retail level. This podcast episode tells the remarkable story of how Gilliam Place came about and what happened to the Arlington Presbyterian members who stuck with the process. Above: Susan Robbins Etherton and Victoria The episode includes interviews with Susan Robbins Etherton and Jon Etherton, longtime members of Arlington Presbyterian who helped to steer the congregation through the process. Church members used democratic practice that embodies values and skills such as getting to know their neighbors, listening, becoming reflective and resilient, remaining transparent, and accepting “no” as well as “yes.” Above: Jon Etherton Victoria and I also interview the church’s pastor, Ashley Goff, who responded to her call to the church at a critical juncture. Gilliam Place was under construction, the church was meeting in a temporary space, and the congregation was grieving the loss of a significant minority of longtime congregants who chose not to accompany the church in its new direction. Above: our daughter Bethany enjoys the Adirondack chars in Arlington Presbyterian’s garden The episode explores the church’s slow (but nimble) democratic process and the spiritual fruit gained by those who participated in it. Above: Part of the Columbia Pike community gets together for a blues festival a few blocks east of Gilliam Place and Arlington Presbyterian Church this past summer Our thanks to Rahul Popawala for the licensed use of “Bhupali Raag Teen Taal” from Uppbeat. License code: BNS6H8ZOFUKYM0GI. Above: Gilliam Place from our apartment building (Westmont Apartments) along Columbia Pike Get full access to Political Devotions at www.polidevo.com/subscribe

    26 min

  8. 08/14/2024

    Statues riffing on statues: An interview with Zaq Landsberg

    Last year, two of my classes remixed prominent public messages in Arlington to critique them. Their model was Zaq Landsberg’s sculpture Reclining Liberty, a remix of the Statue of Liberty that has found her new site-specific home among Arlington’s permanent monuments celebrating freedom and public life. News shows in D.C. and New York City discussed why her pose resembles the reclining Buddha and why people can climb on this version of Lady Liberty. But my Arlington Tech students and I had other reasons for interviewing Landsberg. Landsberg graciously gave us two interviews (one for each class) over the course of an hour. He spoke with us about his approach to art, remixes, history, public reactions, and public spaces. This 17-minute podcast episode contains a lot of content from these exclusive interviews as well as remarks from Ms. Blair Murphy, the curator at Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington who worked with Landsberg to bring Reclining Liberty to the museum’s front lawn. Above: some of my students climb on Reclining Liberty during our field trip Packing up in the exurbs a year ago this month, I took Reclining Liberty's move to Arlington the same month as a sign. Victoria and I would be examining public life in our new town, and Reclining Liberty would be here, too, as a conversation starter about the nature and future of freedom in America. It was great honor to develop curriculum around this statue last year. Above: sculptor Zaq Landsberg at an artists’ talk in Arlington this past April. Above: my daughter Bethany and I visit Reclining Liberty My thanks to Zaq Landsberg for permission to use his interview for this podcast episode. My thanks also to Light Patterns for the licensed use of “Art of Play” from Uppbeat. Get full access to Political Devotions at www.polidevo.com/subscribe

    17 min
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About

Public Spaces chronicles two suburban émigrés' encounters with city people creating different kinds of local, public life. www.polidevo.com

Information

  • Creator
    Bryce Tolpen
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Bryce Tolpen
  • Show Website
    Public Spaces