Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Announcing the Bleecker Street Cooperative Memorial Project

Bleecker Coop Memorial Project is the creation of a large-scale mosaic artwork, created for and with community members who will act as contributing artists between November 2011 and March 2012.


WHY THIS PROJECT? WHY NOW?
Bleecker Coop is approaching its 20th Anniversary in spring 2012, and its impossible to celebrate Bleecker Coop and its accomplishments without recognizing Diane Frankling.


Prior to 1990, the rundown buildings on Bleecker Street were managed by City Home, and Diane Frankling was employed as the building manager. Diane worked with tenants to successfully campaign for conversion of the building into a housing cooperative, with Diane remaining as the co-op manager until her death in March 2011.


Diane’s involvement in cooperative housing movement spanned four decades, but it was here at Bleecker Coop that Diane’s best work was done as she set about working with the members to create an inclusive and vibrant community that offers safe and affordable housing, and much more. Diane didn’t just talk about diversity, she was fearless in taking a stand on issues of diversity and inclusion, and she insured that Bleecker set an example for the rest of the Canadian co-op housing movement. Under Diane’s leadership, Bleecker was the first cooperative in Canada to priority house people living with HIV/AIDS in the early 1990s, and Bleecker Coop has been recognized with more two dozen awards for excellence in management, social change, urban greening, diversity and inclusion, and youth leadership.


For more information on how to become involved please email Red Dress Productions at reddressproductions@gmail.com


We gratefully acknowledge the support of the citizens of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council.