/>The Building
Alteration Project and last year’s Door and Window Project were both
organized by the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts as part of the Station
North Arts and Entertainment District’s winter arts event.  The Baltimore
neighborhood is a designated tax incentive district that’s made up of large
industrial buildings that artists own and/or rent, two turn of the century
commercial shopping strips with theaters, clubs and restaurants and a lot of
residential housing with a mix of home owners, renters and boarded buildings. 
Logan Hicks, who contributes to Wooster Collective, used to live in one of the
industrial buildings.

/>Both of these projects are looked at as a form of public art intervention. 
They are done very quickly and with no budget.  They’re also designed to give
the artists as much freedom as possible in making their piece for the site.  The
project is approved by the city, district board and the community groups in the
area but they don’t review the actual art.  They all agree that the first time
they will see the work is when it’s installed.  So far this process has worked
really well.  Much of this success is due to having the best mix Baltimore city
officials and community organizers I’ve ever had the chance to work with. 
Everyone is really interested in seeing things happen and know that things must
be streamlined to move quickly.  Of course, the success is also due to the
artists’ hard work but artists always work hard so that part isn’t a
surprise.