Captain Janeway Collective – STEM Education & Statue
Sponsored in 2020-current
In 1995, Star Trek: Voyager premiered and introduced the world to a new captain. Created by Star Trek writer and executive producer Jeri Taylor, Kathryn Janeway (born in Bloomington IN, in the year 2336), beamed into living rooms everywhere and brought with her a new style of leadership. Over the course of seven seasons, she demonstrated authority, ingenuity, and resourcefulness – despite facing challenges that no Starfleet captain had faced, before – and brought her crew safely home from the furthest reaches of the galaxy. Since that moment, Janeway has been an inspiration for countless women to enter scientific fields to become engineers, astronauts, and astrophysicists, and has been a positive role model for people all over the world.
For many years, Star Trek fans in Bloomington, Indiana casually discussed, plotted, and joked about creating a monument to its future Starfleet captain, similar to the one for Captain Kirk in Riverside, Iowa. In 2019, unbeknownst to one another, three separate groups began planning to make the fantasy a reality. They eventually met and merged together, becoming the Janeway Collective. Due to the fiscal sponsorship of Artisan Alley, The Janeway Collective erected the Janeway statue and is now a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation.
https://janewaycollective.com/
Rotating Mural Project- Collaboration & installation
Sponsored in 2020-current
Members of Artisan Alley and local artists are partnered with students from local organizations, including Templeton Elementary, University Elementary, Edgewood Junior High, and the Boys & Girls Club. Artists will design and outline the mural based on ideas submitted by school staff and business owners, and students will paint these murals. We will then install the murals starting in early 2021 and rotate them every few months between the partners to create a flowing system of professional-grade murals for our community.
Bike Rack Project – Functional sculpture
Sponsored in 2020-current
In partnership with the City of Bloomington’s Local Motion Grant, Artisan Alley is proud to announce the creation and installation of an artistic bike rack along the B-Line Trail. Using discarded steel bike frames and tires, we are designing a kinetic sculpture that doubles as a place for bikers to park. It will be painted and created with a focus on “healthy living,” with an installed plaque highlighting Bloomington bike culture. The goal is to encourage people to bike around town, park, and explore Bloomington’s business sector.
Dangersplosion / Head Cannon – Podcast
Sponsored in 2013-current
Brent Owens. Corey Jefferson.
In a world where lawlessness rules, where darkness reigns supreme, where terror lives and hope dies, man’s only salvation may lay in a podcast. From the ashes of the fallen, two men emerge as valiant guardians of the light, noble protectors of decency, brave knights sworn to bring the world back into balance from the brink of oblivion. These two men are- Dangersplosion!
Sponsored by Artisan Alley
https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/dangersplosion
Bloomington Piano Project – Public Installation
Sponsored in 2020-2022
Chandler Bridges, the founder of the B-Town Piano Project, fell in love with the idea of public access to musical instruments ever since living in Florence, Alabama. The photo below depicts the public piano in Florence that sparked the idea that turned into a passion. Our vision and goal are to allow access to music and musical instruments to those who would not have access otherwise. With the help of Artisan Alley, we are now a team of artists, musicians, and audio engineers, and we strive to bring music to everyone’s world while also encouraging and promoting artists to display their work in a public fashion.
The core of our efforts is to put beautiful instruments, hand-painted by local artists, into the hands of our citizens. Through all of our endeavors, we hope to continue to make Bloomington a brighter and more musical place for everyone!
https://btownpianoproject.wixsite.com/website
WIFI Mill – Rural Internet Providers
Sponsored in 2020-2022
There is a problem in this country and around the world regarding internet access. Right now it is in the hands of those who can afford it and who live in towns or cities. This is called the digital divide and the poor, rural, and especially the rural poor are being left behind as the digital divide widens. This has only been exacerbated due to COVID where many children are not receiving the education they would otherwise have gotten in person, and now the next generation may be without education opportunities altogether, without proper internet.
As a fiscally sponsored project of Artisan Alley, The Wifi Mill has a solution to this problem. We can create a functional unit consisting of a modem, router, a sim card, and an antenna that can provide internet access anywhere cell service is available. This is especially useful for those living in the country, where hard-line cable internet can’t run and satellite is both very expensive and unreliable. This project’s mission is focused on helping the poor and rural poor of Bloomington, Monroe County, and other parts of Southern Indiana, once we test initial sites. We want to raise donation funds for sponsored hardware units and ongoing service where people of means, essentially, fund the internet for those who could not otherwise provide it for themselves.
Arts Alliance Center – Retail Gallery & Venue
Sponsored in 2019-2022
The Arts Alliance Center displays both 2D and 3D art for sale in the front gallery/retail space, and it is a place for artists to sell, perform and teach their craft. The initial concept of a gallery/store program for local artists was conceived and executed under the leadership of Board President Rachel Himsel in 2019. That concept which we called ArtBeat was originally founded at the Simon College Mall beside Macy’s and comprised over two-dozen local artists. Due to the restrictions of the pandemic, ArtBeat closed just a handful of months after opening.
In early 2020, the board decided the structure of our program needed to be rehabilitated. So, the space was relocated, restructured, and renovated under the leadership of President Adam Nahas, and was renamed “The Arts Alliance Center” (AAC) in the spring. Due to the collective help of the community, the AAC opened up to the public on August 7th, 2021. Since then, we have welcomed residents and visitors of Bloomington to appreciate the art of many forms and participate in events, taking home items and good memories.
https://www.bloomingtonarts.org/aac
Peoples Cooperative Market -Food Pantry & online Market
Sponsored in 2019-2021
We envision a market community driven by a set of values that reflect the highest aspirations for equitable inclusiveness in significant and meaningful ways. Cultivating a sense of belonging for all who share these values is the main objective. We strive to work towards intersectional anti-racism, create space for food justice work, create meaningful collaborations, build equity, cultivate liberation, and ensure access to local food, art, and education.
https://www.peoplesmarketbtown.org/