creative placemaking

The Fish Market Project : Creativity Outside the City Center Update with D. Colin

November 2, 2023 By Corey Aldrich

Poet, artist, performer, curator and activist D. Colin wears many hats. Over the last year she has donned a newer one to add to her collection as Curator and Program Director at the Fish Market Project in North Central Troy, a satellite of the Arts Center of the Capital Regio n. As she wraps up the 2023 season, we thought it would be informative to get an inside track of what it’s like moving the boundaries of art and creativity outside of the city center and spreading it to areas that otherwise would not have that hyper local opportunity to participate.

D. Colin – Curator and Program Director at the Fish Market Project in Troy, NY | Image: Provided

Please state your name and role in the organization. How long have you been in this role?

My name is D. Colin and I am the Curator and Program Director for The Fish Market Project. Although my time at The Fish Market started in January 2022 as an artist in residence, I’ve been in this current role since March of 2023.

Poetic Visions Event at the Fish Market in Troy NY | Photo: Provided

Can you tell us more about what the FISHMARKET is and what type of programming you are running there? How long has it been in existence?

The Fish Market is literally a former fish market turned into a community arts engagement project by the Arts Center of the Capital Region. In 2021, ACCR offered two six-month artist residencies to launch the space. The second year an NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) grant made it possible for Meg Jala and myself, to offer a variety of arts programming in the space with Jade Warrick joining the team. Though they both moved on to pursue other opportunities, I’ve worked to continue the vision of community-centered arts programming. The Fish Market is a neighborhood arts hub for creatives and community members to gather, connect, and make art. Over the past year, there have been art exhibits, poetry open mics, and free workshops for a variety of art forms including acting, dance, drumming, and drawing. Every week, artists and community members have the opportunity to use the space to explore their own creative work during open hours which I like to call co-create time. I have also been able to have collaborative arts programming and special events in the space with a variety of partners including the Social Justice Artists Collective and Black Dimensions in Art, Inc. Now that The Fish Market is entering its third year and we have a better idea of what works most meaningfully there. I am excited to see how the community continues to grow.

Participatory Art Making at the Fish Market Project in Troy NY | Photo: Provided

As a satellite location for the Arts Center of the Capital Region, you have strong backing and institutional support. That said, this is a newer endeavor that will be carving out its own path in the neighborhood. What is the overall goal of the programming and what do you envision it becoming to the neighborhood?

The overall goal of programming is to provide a safe space for artists and community members to gather, to foster relationships between artists and the community, and to create together. I believe that it’s important for the arts to be accessible. A space like The Fish Market gives folks an opportunity to learn more about the arts and their own creative process while also impacting the neighborhood in a positive way. Personally, I see The Fish Market as a gathering space with the arts at its core, someplace where people can heal and grow together with creativity leading the way. When I was a young artist, I didn’t have spaces like this to help in demystifying the process of being an artist or even just in learning a variety of ways to express myself. I had to look for those outlets in other ways. My hope for The Fish Market is that it continues to be that space for others, especially those who live in North Central Troy.

Gallery Attendees Checking Out the Art at the Fish Market in Troy NY | Photo: Provided

As you try different events and initiatives, what are some best practice principles or suggestions you could share with other folks looking to replicate this model?

I’m often asking for feedback. Some of the ideas for workshops and events have come from folks who’ve walked in during open hours or who’ve attended other events. Keeping ideas community-centered whether through direct conversations or having a suggestion box helps not only with ideas but also with relationships. At the same time, I try to weave in programming that nobody suggested or thought about by asking what might be missing and how can I connect with the community. If people don’t know what to ask for, sometimes it’s useful to introduce experiences to see how it goes. Consistency is also a driving force in helping programming grow. When folks have an expectation of how an event will go and when programming will happen, it’s easier to promote and likely attendance will steadily grow. I think with any new project, it also takes time. The Fish Market is two years old, but I think that amount of time is necessary to get a more solid understanding of what makes the most sense in the space.

Jordan Taylor Hill Running a Drum Clinic at the Troy Fish Market Project, Troy NY | Photo: Provided

Any programming or events you have coming up that you would like to share?

We just had our Fish Market Festival, a 3-day end of season celebration. The Hudson Valley Writers Guild will be at The Fish Market in November. There will be an opening reception for their art exhibit on Friday, November 3rd starting at 5 pm. There will also be collage workshops, a poetry reading, and open gallery hours for folks to attend and see the art. I encourage folks to follow @fishmarketproject on Instagram or Facebook for schedule details. People can also stay updated by getting on the Arts Center of the Capital Region’s email list.

Caffé Lena’s Sarah Craig Activates the Power of Music to Heal Community…Literally

November 2, 2023 By Corey Aldrich

I have been a big fan of Sarah Craig for a long time. Several years ago, I was producing an annual music series in Saratoga for Universal Preservation Hall. The second year in, I reached out to Sarah to co-create the 2015 season. The idea was to have a feel good moment with some inter-institutional collaboration – a cross pollination of audience. Working with her and the Caffe Lena team up close and personal helped hone my idea of what true mission orientation is. It’s in their DNA.

Being a big fan of what the O+ Festival in Kingston is doing for creatives and healthcare, I was super excited to see a similar program being promoted last month (October) at Caffe Lena. I just had to hear more about it and get a general update on the good things we see coming out of Saratoga that have Sarah’s fingerprints all over them.

Sarah Craig, Executive Director at Caffé Lena in Saratoga Springs NY | Image Provided

Please state your name and role in the organization. How long have you been in this role? Can you share a little about your background?

I’m Sarah Craig, the Executive Director of Caffe Lena. I’ve held that title for 28 years, but the designation today bears little resemblance to the job I was first hired for. When I came on board in 1995, I had four years of experience fundraising for a nonprofit disarmament organization in Boston. I had also put in some years as an activist on LGBT and women’s issues and the war in Central America. Though I loved music, and in fact was totally immersed in the folk music of the late ’50s/60s Folk Revival at the time I applied to Lena’s, I wasn’t seeing the job as an extension of my peace work. I just felt like it was a nice way to make a living for a while. But over the years, my understanding of the role of arts in creating a healthy world has evolved. I’ve come to believe that, actually, the arts are our best hope for hanging onto our humanity in a world that increasingly commodifies and separates us.

Historic Image of an Audience at Caffé Lena in Saratoga Springs, NY | Photo: Provided

Historic Image of Performers Warming up at Caffé Lena in Saratoga Springs, NY | Image: Provided

When I first arrived, Caffe Lena was still finding its way as a nonprofit following the unexpected death of its owner, Lena Spencer, about five years earlier. We did an open mic and three shows a week. That was the entire output. The board hired me as the organization’s first Executive Director in an effort to move the Caffe toward more community service, develop a larger membership base, and find new ways to fund programming. We were on a slow, steady growth curve for about 20 years, but since the renovation and expansion of our venue in 2017, we’ve seen rapid growth. Pre-renovation, I had become an expert at keeping things going in a climate of extreme scarcity. Post-renovation, I struggled to manage our growing resources–both funds and staff. But I love to learn, and I’m doing a pretty good job now. I don’t have a direct role in managing shows anymore (I really miss it!) but having this fabulous staff has created very exciting opportunities to explore the potential of the organization to make a difference beyond putting on shows.

New Exterior of Caffé Lena in Saratoga Springs NY | Image: Provided

Can you tell us more about what the overall goals are at Caffe Lena what types of programming you are running there? How long has it been in existence?

The venue opened in 1960 at the peak of the Folk Revival, when folk was all the rage and there were hundreds and hundreds of folk clubs across the country. Most of that scene started fading in the late ’60s, and it was largely a memory by the ’80s. But Lena hung on in Saratoga, and when she died her friends decided to keep the place going as a nonprofit. Before she died, it achieved the distinction of being the longest running folk music venue in the country. Caffe Lena is a link to a hugely influential era in American music, and now it’s a fabulous venue full of new music, and it’s reimagining the role of a small music venue in creating healthy communities.

Caffé Lena Promotional Flyers | Image: Provided

The list of programs we run is too long to print here, but it all boils down to music, connection, and learning. Here’s a typical week: four+ concerts by nationally touring headliners, a very popular alcohol-free open mic, a daytime jam circle for seniors, after-school group lessons for kids, and ‘Caffe Lena On the Road,’ which is a program that sends national acts to play for free at shelters, our local soup kitchen, nursing homes and schools.

My daily reminder-to-self goes like this: embrace music as an antidote to division and a path to health, as an alternative to the embattled society. I know it sounds pie-in-the-sky, but it’s honestly the lens through which I see this work. So, to answer your question about our overall goal: heal division and create health by bringing diverse people together to experience something emotional, thought-provoking and genuine.

Live Performance at Caffé Lena in Saratoga Springs, NY | Image: PPP

Over the last few years, your programming has expanded into new areas that support a larger and more diverse communities. Can you share a bit about this evolution? I am especially excited about some of the collaborative connections you are making with other regional institutions like SPAC.

As far as collaboration among Saratoga arts organizations, I credit SPAC CEO Elizabeth Sobol with opening that door. Not too many people in her position would see a small organization like Caffe Lena as a valuable ally. But she does, and it’s mutual, and that has created wonderful cooperation between our organizations. We do an annual festival together, and we’re doing some off-season shows together in Spa Little Theater. And we get together and talk about stuff because we’re very much on the same page regarding the healing potential of the arts.

What’s a little more unexpected is our work with nonprofits outside the arts sector. We launched the aforementioned Caffe Lena ‘On the Road in 2018.‘ Our collaboration with social service organizations led me to realize that our community is packed with organizations that are trying to make the world healthier by treating addiction, supporting prisoners, housing people, building nature trails, preserving historic architecture, etc. I realized that we all have the same underlying motivation. And I also realized that the people these organizations are serving are like the characters our artists are singing about on our stage every night. Like folk ballads in the real world. So, that led me to launch an annual event called ‘TrueSongs,’ happening this year on November 11, as well as a ‘Community Classroom‘ series and a monthly nonprofit meet-up called ‘Serving Saratoga : Conversations with Community Leaders.’ This is how we’re drawing on our folk roots and reinventing how a small music venue can make an impact in its community.

Youth Programming at Caffé Lena in Saratoga Springs, NY | Image: Provided

The Grace Kelly Band Live at Caffé Lena in Saratoga Springs, NY | Image: Provided

Recently I was super excited to see you offer a health screening for creatives clinic for regional artists and musicians. Can you share a bit about this program specifically and how it came to be? How did you get the interest of your project partners lined up to make this a reality? Do you feel it was a success?

I go to music conferences where MusiCares, a project of the Grammy Foundation, funds dental clinics. Pretty much no working musicians have dental insurance, so the queue is out the door! After a show at Lena’s one night, Jill Burnham, who is a Saratoga blues singer and a nurse, approached me with the idea of doing something to address the health needs of uninsured musicians, and based on my conference experience, I knew what that could look like. The clinic we just held was the second annual. It got off the ground because Jill got Saratoga Hospital involved, and Saratoga Hospital got their Saratoga Community Health Center (free clinic) and Hudson Headwaters on board. And then the Caffe’s Operations Director, Mateo Vosganian, Drummer for Wild Adriatic, worked out a plan for holding the clinic in our performance space and he got all of his uninsured musician friends to show up and get checked out. In year one, the medical staff found some serious issues that needed attention, and they hooked those people up with meds and insurance. Amazing! After year one, Mateo and Jill realized there was no reason to limit the clinic to musicians. So this year, they put it out to all creatives, and attendance doubled. People are so terrified of finding out they have some medical condition that will require treatment that they avoid doctors. Well, this clinic is free, it’s in a familiar setting, the follow-up care is free, you can get free eyeglasses, you can get free custom ear protection that normally costs $200+. Again, I say amazing!

Caffé Lena Health Clinic for Creatives | Image: Provided

Is this a program that you are looking to continue? If so, how can other relevant organizations get on board to participate? Thinking specifically of sponsors and care providers…

MusiCares and BroadwayCares and O+ Festival in the Hudson Valley are organizations dedicated to this kind of service. Locally, Southern Adirondack Musicians Fund* (SAM Fund) has been helping out musicians with cash to address medical emergencies for years. We will keep our annual clinic going, and we would more than welcome medical and insurance providers to connect their services with our artist community through this event. Having a multi-year sponsor to underwrite the costs would be a dream come true. Just reach out to Mateo (mateo@caffelena.org) with ideas or offers or questions.

Any programming or events you have coming up that you are especially excited about and would like to share?

Check out ‘TrueSongs‘ on November 11. It pairs songwriters with local people who have been helped through some big life challenge by a local nonprofit. The person tells their story on stage, and the songwriter performs an original song that gets to the emotional heart of that person’s journey. So, we’ve got a night coming where Sean Rowe, Holly McGarry of Honeysuckle, and other amazing songwriters are working with a person who lost their sight, an autistic child whose life was transformed by working with horses, a person who nearly lost her family farm, and more. You’ll see the true story of our world, and it won’t bum you out. And if you want just a normal, fabulous night of music, the list of options is endless. Roots, Jazz, Global, acoustic music of every kind. Exquisite sound–really the best anywhere. A seat no more than 30′ from the stage. Caffe Lena is a wonderful place to see a show!

Live Performance at Caffé Lena in Saratoga Springs, NY | Image: Provided

EDITORS NOTE: *The Southern Adirondack Musicians (SAM) Fund is a not for profit (501 C 3) corporation dedicated to providing emergency financial assistance to musicians and their families who are facing serious, catastrophic health issues, injuries and death. A volunteer and locally oriented charity (serving Saratoga, Washington and Warren Counties), the S.A.M Fund’s mission is to keep the “wolf from the door” for those in need.

Leigh Wen : International Provenance, Local Roots

August 31, 2023 By Corey Aldrich

The first memory I have of meeting Leigh Wen was at an Albany Center Gallery gala held in the amazing Union Station building in downtown Albany. She had a live auction piece that went for I believe a couple thousand dollars. (I picked up an Averill Greene painting that same night and regretfully, missed out on a Nadia Trinkala painting…) Over the years I have had brief moments with her, once in her studio in Albany and a few years later I believe in Beacon, NY for a Friendsgiving event. Now a sought after international artist who’s work and commissions can surpass $100K, she once again is participating in the area with a fundraising collaboration with Tony Iadicicco‘s team at the Albany Center Gallery. A very busy woman, she was kind enough to share some insight into her work and process.

Please state your name, occupation and background.

Leigh Wen, Artist, I was born in Taipei, Taiwan and currently reside in New York City, I received my BFA from Washington State University and MFA from the State University of New York at Albany. I’ve exhibited nationally and internationally since the 1980’s.

Leigh Wen’s FIRE Series | Image: Provided

What would you say is the motivation or inspirational seed for your creative direction?

Nature is the motivation for my creative direction, I paint what I see and apply color intuitively depending on how I feel in the moment. A lot of my work relates to natural elements and themes of nature.

From the words of Independent Curator and Arts Writer Sarah Tanguy:

“Lines, in Leigh Wen’s art, are the defining agent. They form the hidden pulse and layered score of all the paintings, sculptures, and mixed media works…Etched deep into the surface, they spring and scamper across lush passages of graduated colors, distilling nature’s underlying forces into energized patterns of concentrated beauty.“

I find that while working I go into a deep state of concentration and meditation. Color is used to expand the work’s emotional range; my palette is drawn not from appearances but from the lyric and psychic necessities of my art. The uniformity of line, from edge to edge and painting to painting, implies suppression of the artists hand in favor of objectivity learned from nature.

Leigh Wen Working and Fire Dress | Photos: Provided

You have been involved with ACG for many years now…what keeps you connected with the gallery?

ACG held my first show after finishing graduate school and it was very well supported and received. I received a lot of recognition after showing there, including being awarded with the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, NYFA, and Helena Rubinstein grants all in the same year. I still have a lot of friends in the Capital district, and still consider it my home.

Leigh Wen’s ‘Iceberg V’ : 2019 Oil on Linen | Photo: Provided

Anything coming up that you would like to share?

I will be having a solo show in Chelsea, NYC at Fremin Gallery opening on November 16. I will also be participating in the Art Taipei and Art Miami Art Fair. Locally, I am participating in a sweepstakes with ACG as well to help raise funds for the gallery.

Leigh Wen’s Reproduction of ‘Peony,’ (2 of 10 Tables) is being offered in a sweepstakes to benefit the Albany Center Gallery | Photo: Provided

EDITORS NOTE: For those interested in a deep dive on Leigh’s amazing story I have included her official bio here below.

In 1979, she won the First Prize in Painting in the Ten Outstanding Young Talents Competition in Taiwan. In 1980, she was awarded Outstanding Merit in the Young Artists in Asia Now competition in Hong Kong. In 1995 and 1996, her work was selected in many national and international jury shows including the ninth and tenth Parkside National Small Print Exhibition, Large Small Work ’95 International, Small Works International and the First Annual National Juried Small Work Exhibition in New York, NY. These shows are highly competitive and are chosen from thousands of submissions.

Leigh won the SUNY Albany Purchase Award in 1995 the University of Wisconsin Purchase Award in the 1995 Parkside National Small Print Exhibition. She was also awarded an Artist Grant by the National Taiwan Art and Humanity Foundation in support of her solo exhibitions in the Taipei Fine Arts Museum. A catalog entitled The Harbour and the Open Sea was published by the Taipei Fine Arts Museum. Leigh was awarded a 1997 New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship. In 1997 she was honored with “The Artist Award of 1997” by the New York State Assembly.

Leigh Wen’s ‘Midsummer Glim V’ : 2019 Oil on Linen

In 1998, Leigh’s work was selected by juror Linda Weintraub to be included in The New York State Biennale Exhibition at The New York State Museum. Also, Juror Lela Hersh, Director of Exhibitions and Collections at the Chicago Contemporary Museum of Art, selected Leigh’s work for inclusion in the annual Mohawk Hudson Region Juried Exhibition. Leigh received First Prize. Her painting, Untitled #6, was purchased by the Albany Institute of History & Art for the permanent collection.

In 1999 and 2005 she was awarded Artist Grants by the Pollock-Krasner Foundation. Since 1999, her paintings have been selected to be part of the Art in Embassies Program of the United States Department of State and have been exhibited in the U.S. Embassies in Jordan, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Botswana, Barbados, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Namibia, Denmark, and Poland. Over 15 American Embassies around the world. In mid-2019 her works were inquired by US Embassy in Botswana for exhibition and a cultural exchange program with Botswana Culture Bureau is scheduled. In 2019 summer a solo exhibition is invited by Farglory Museum, Taipei, Taiwan. It opens on July 13, 2019. Additional international exhibitions include – America University Art Museum, Washington D.C. in 2021, and the Bangkok Art And Culture Centre, Bangkok, Thailand in 2022.

Leigh Wen’s ‘Midsummer Glim VII’ : 2019 Oil on Linen | Photo: Provided

Hundreds of her works were included in both private and public collections. Her paintings had been featured in many major magazines including Art in America, New American Paintings, Art in Asia, Sotheby’s Auction Magazine, Christy’s Auction Magazine, Better Home and Gardens, Harper’s Bazaar, Architecture, Water Front Home and Design, San Diego Home and Garden and Interior, Art Trade Journal and Marie Claire, Taiwan.

AVERY STEMPEL ON THINGS MYCOLOGICAL AND SUPPORTING UNBRIDLED CREATIVITY

July 27, 2023 By Corey Aldrich

I first encountered Avery about 10 years ago at a poetry reading event produced by a mutual friend, Maria Diotte of Bliss Arts at the old Fulton Street Gallery in Troy. He was hard to forget, a dynamic performance artist with a heart of gold. Impressively, he has found a way to combine all things art and community at his indoor urban vertical mushroom farm, mycological education center, and community gathering space. This includes live music, poetry events and creative making workshops to yoga, artisan dining and political activism, and that’s just scratching the surface. I would say unequivocally that he is one of the most renaissance creatives I have ever met.

Avery Stemple – *Owner / Operator* of Collar City Mushrooms in Troy, NY | Photo: Corey Aldrich

Please state your name, company and position. How big is your company? Can you also tell us a little about your background?

My name is Avery Stempel, I am the owner operator of Collar City Mushrooms, an indoor urban vertical mushroom farm, mycological education center, and community gathering space in Troy, NY. Our operation occupies 3,500 square feet on .33 of an acre in a structure that was originally built as a Brewery. We employ a mix of 10 part-time and full-time team members as well as run an internship program for folks interested in getting their hands into the mycelium as part of an educational experience. I grew up on a family sawmill in the Helderberg Mountains and was constantly immersed in the natural world. The secret lives of fungi have always fascinated me. I graduated from Siena College with a degree in philosophy and received two master’s degrees in education from Sage Graduate School. During my professional life I oscillated between performing arts and teaching. I’ve worked at Capital Repertory Theater, The Egg, and EMPAC at RPI. I’ve also hit the spotlight myself as a poet, musician, and actor.

Sam Armour – *Lead Mushroom Travel Coordinator* at Collar City Mushrooms | Photo: Corey Aldrich

All Books Mycological for Sale at Collar City Mushrooms in Troy, NY | Photo: Corey Aldrich

What is the mission of Collar City Mushroom? What type of clients do you serve? Partnerships and retail partners?

When CCM opened, it was important for me to combine all my passions under one roof. The three pillars of our mission are to educate, enrich, and entertain. We provide opportunities for people to eat nutritious whole foods, learn about the mushroom growing process, and enjoy creativity in all its various forms. Our gourmet mushrooms are used in many restaurants in the area and available direct to consumers through Albany’s Honest Weight Food Co-Op, Saratoga’s Healthy Living Market, the New Lebanon Farmers Market, and right from our farm store at 333 2nd Ave in Lansinburgh. We also produce a variety of value-added products and co-creations we’ve curated with other small businesses. We’ve partnered with Indian Ladder Farms to make both a cider and a beer including mushrooms, Primo-Botanica to create a non-psychedelic mushroom and cacao drink, and Kru Coffee for a canned ready to consume lion’s mane infused cold brew coffee. We are a “yes-and” company. We want our community to be able to share their products and ideas for experiences.

Collar City Mushrooms Collaborative Product with Primo Botanica | Photo: Provided

Collar City Mushrooms Collaborative Products with Kru Coffee and Indian Ladder Farms | Photos: Provided

You incorporate a lot of creativity and collaboration into the fabric of CCM. Can you share a bit about the creative side of what you have going on in the programming?

We have hosted poetry performances, makers markets, meditation sessions, yoga classes, knitting workshops, mycelium building activities, and a myriad of art centric events. Local creators such as Jade Warrick, Armando Soto, John Zoccoli, Lindsay Kirk, and Jonn Pau l have graced our walls, and musicians such as Sean Rowe, Jeanine Ouderkirk, Stokker, Nick Bisanz, the Deadbeats Duo, Kenyatta Emmanuel, and Malicious Offense have entertained our guests. Growing incredibly beautiful mushrooms is an art. Converting them into mind-bendingly delicious foods is an art. Crafting mushroom sculptures is an art. Life is art. We continually surround ourselves with creativity in process and welcome others to do the same!

Nicholas Waunsch – *Mycelial Maestro* at Collar City Mushrooms | Photo: Corey Aldrich

Outdoor Dining Event at Collar City Mushrooms in Troy, NY | Photo: Provided

I see your constantly connecting, touring and talking with legislators, what goals are you trying to accomplish on the political front?

In addition to growing a myriad of culinary and medicinal mushrooms, we are also advocating for legal access to psilocybin containing mushrooms. We founded the New York Psilocybin Action Committee and adopted leadership of New Yorkers for Mental Health Alternatives. We have met with dozens of NY lawmakers at our farm and in the Capitol as we strategize ways to end the criminalization of people attempting to heal using natural psychedelics. The wave of evidence pouring from hundreds of research projects around the world shows the efficacy of psilocybin to relieve stress, process trauma, ease anxiety, and even break the cycle of addiction. We are working towards a future where psilocybin containing mushrooms will be a legal option for people’s healing journeys and well care routines. We are also advocating for greater understanding of urban vertical farming in city communities. With growing interest in local-vore diets and shorter supply chains, more projects such as ours are opening across the country. The need to streamline approval processes and applications for support will be critical for the future’s food supply production.

Current Photo Exhibition by MYCO-Fox through 09.30.2023

Any exciting pieces of programming you would like to share with our audience?

Currently we have a show up by photographer MYCO-Fox that will be up through September 30th.

Coming up in August we have two Death Metal shows, one on August 5th and one on August 26th, a Poetry Open Mic on August 13th, and on Saturday, August 19th Chef Haseim Townsend from Organa Juice Bar will be curating a dinner as part of our monthly dinner program. A bit further down the road we have a dinner event at SPAC as part of their culinary arts program called “A Mushroom Experience.” This November 4th event will be a multiple course meal featuring mushroom music, mushroom photography, and mushroom sculptures! Follow our social media for all the latest updates.

Avery Stemple – *Primary Pleurotus* at Collar City Mushrooms | Photo: Corey Aldrich

Olivia Clemente : Synergizing Community One Event at a Time

June 29, 2023 By Corey Aldrich

I met Olivia in person earlier this year as I needed to coordinate with her for a series of events that I am producing in Franklin Alley in downtown Troy and wanted to coordinate with the BID. Personable and energized, I was excited about doing some joint promotion with her. Then came Troy’s first annual TROY PRIDE event, a new programmatic initiative that Olivia spearheaded with downtown business owners. The streets were packed, so many folks from Albany and around the region! I realized I needed to get a better understanding of what makes this capable woman tick.

Olivia Clemente : Executive Director at the TROY BID | Photo: Corey Aldrich

Please state your name, title and organization. What are you responsible for and what is a typical day for you on the job.

My name is Olivia Clemente, Executive Director of the Downtown Troy Business Improvement District. I am responsible for the overall administration, financial management, and day-to-day activities of the BID, but in a more simple terms I work for the people who live in Downtown Troy and the businesses that reside here. I work to help bring people to our downtown and explore all of the businesses and experience what we have to offer. If I’m not busy in event planning mode, I spend most of my days visiting Downtown Troy establishments, speaking to them about what makes them unique, how long they’ve been serving the community and what they would like to see in Downtown. I always like to ask, “What would make a difference? What do you want to see happen in this area.” I try my best to listen to everyone and make their suggestions and ideas a reality, whether it’s an event, block party or a new marketing campaign, I’ll always say “I can try!”

Chalk Drawings at Troy’s Riverfest | Image: Provided

Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you came to be in this position? In addition to working with a lot of creative talent as an event producer, how do you keep your creativity alive?

I’ve been in a lot of different industries since I was in college. I received a BA from Manhattan College and stayed in the city after I graduated, I spent about five years in Manhattan and worked in public relations, ad sales, events and political fundraising, I like to think I’m well versed in the changing media around us. I spent time as an intern at the Bronx Zoo with the Wildlife Conservation Society as their events intern, worked as an Ad Sales Admin at a start-up for mobile apps, went to a high-profile PR firm and my last hoorah in NYC – NBC Universal where I worked on public relations and social media for an ecommerce division of the Golf Channel.

I moved back to Upstate New York in 2019, and I decided to take a dive into the political world, I worked for the NYS Assembly where I started as a Press Coordinator for three downstate members and then I moved onto handling fundraising and events for the minority conference, I developed more fundraising initiatives for the conference turning a focus on the different regions of NYS and creating fundraisers that were more creative than your regular cocktail hour, I always try to make experiences fun for everyone involved and have them looking forward to the next one.

Contemporary Circus and Immersive Arts Center Performance at Troy Pride | Photo: Duncan Crary

I joined the Downtown Troy Business Improvement District in 2021 as the Director of Events and Partnerships. My first month on the job I was tasked with getting events that had been stalled due to COVID-19 back up and running, it wasn’t a small task to take on, but I managed to bring back Riverfest, Rockin on the River and Chowderfest. I went into 2023 taking over the Executive Director position of the BID. My main focus was to continue to hold “OG events” like the aforementioned in addition to retooling our popular Pig Out event. Additionally, I initiated additional events including the Hot Chocolate Stroll, Pride Night Out, Collar City Pop and a College Student Focused Block Party. I always have more up my sleeve, but for right now I’m working on getting people back to Downtown Troy.

When it comes to events or marketing I would definitely say I have a more creative approach to taking things on, I am always asking businesses or people in the community what they would like to see and then I begin to think like a consumer, so I try to think, “Would I want to see this at an event? Would this make me want to come back to visit? Is this appealing to me or people I know?”

Troy Glo in Downtown Troy. Installation by Adam Frelin | Images: Provided

Troy has a lot of creative economy businesses and arts / cultural organizations. How do you take advantage of the creativity of these downtown partners to raise awareness about how cool downtown Troy is?

Last year I worked with the Arts Center of the Capital Region during their exhibit ‘Troy Glo.’ We decided to bring business and art together by putting together a “bar crawl” that would get people to visit our downtown businesses. The BID created the bar crawl map to guarantee you walked past every installation of the ‘Troy Glo‘ project. Having an art pop-ups like this in our downtown is important to me as they can provide additional traffic to our businesses while creating quality of life for residents and out of town guests alike. People want to walk around and see art and as they’re walking around they can pop into a retail shop or a coffee shop and I love that.

I know another big thing for me right now is using our local artists that live in Downtown Troy to develop our marketing collateral for downtown events. I’ve currently worked with four Downtown Troy artists: to develop our Collar City Pop invites, Hot Chocolate Stroll poster, Pride Night Out and Pig Out collateral. All of the artist have been Troy natives and they are all so talented. I give them a lot of freedom in the design process. I’m going to continue using artists that live in Troy since this is an economy I care about.

Volunteer Day for Neighborhood Clean Up in Troy NY | Image: Provided

What are your current goals in the job, things you would like to do with it?

I have a lot of goals, I know an ‘Adopt-a-Block’ is on my plate of goals to accomplish, I’d love to work to do clean-ups block-by-block downtown and work with other organizations and businesses in Downtown Troy to make a difference, even if I clean one wall of graffiti tags, fix one store window, or work to get a beautiful piece of art on the side of a building, I’ll feel accomplished in my role of getting the community engaged in quality-of-life. Currently, this program is being implemented for 2024, so stay tuned for more information!

For things I am currently working on, I am hunkered down on bringing more tourism to Troy and making our downtown the place to visit. I can share we are currently working on creating better walking guides for the community that will showcase an easy to read map, a list of our businesses, a historical walking tour and a public art guide, all of this is currently in production and should be ready before the holiday season.

Olivia Doing an Event Install at Whiskey Pickle in Troy NY | Image: Provided

Anything coming up that you are especially excited about or want to share with our readers?

We have a heavy event schedule coming up. Pig Out returns on Sunday July 16. Our Rockin on the River series starts Wednesday June 28 and running every other Wednesday until August 9th, for the first time ever, we are putting together our very own College Block Party on Sunday, September 10 to welcome the students of RPI, Russell Sage and Hudson Valley Community College back to Downtown Troy. We are working to showcase to the students what the downtown has to offer while also having each school’s student organizations pop-up around downtown’s Monument Square to pass information out to friends, family and new students. It’s the downtown’s way of showing their love for the students who live and play here too!

Downtown Troy is on the rise, we have so much going on from new businesses, new public art programming and housing options, I’d say Troy is the place to be right now and it’s time everyone schedules a visit!