Juan William Chávez presents at the 2013 Creative Capital Artist Retreat from Creative Capital on Vimeo.

Juan William Chávez (2013 Emerging Fields grantee) presented on his Creative Capital-supported project, The Pruitt-Igoe Bee Sanctuary, at the 2013 Artist Retreat. Read more about his project here: creative-capital.org/projects/view/745.

Luxembourg Conversation from Juan William Chavez on Vimeo.

An interview at the Luxembourg Gardens with a French teacher who taught in the Saint Louis Public School system for two-years. The film touches upon issues of public space and includes footage of the first Beekeeping School in world, Jardin du Luxembourg Apiculture founded in 1856 located in the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris France.

English Translation
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“I think that for me, the Luxembourg Garden is a unique place in Paris because it is a big green space dedicated for quiet rest and meetings, but in a very urban setting. It is not the lung of the city because it is not big enough or vegetated enough, but it is a peaceful respite in a very active, dynamic urban environment in the heart of Paris. And it was this idea that I found very seductive when I first discovered this garden when I was a student quite a few years ago.”

“There is also the aesthetic aspect. The Luxembourg Garden has been the subject of literature in the 19th century, notably for it’s aesthetic, architectural quality, but also for the theatrical scenes you can witness. Typical scenes with families and friends meeting, luncheons on the lawn, lectures, etc. There is therefore a sense of poetry around the Luxembourg that I like very much.”

Pruitt-Igoe Bee Sanctuary ( film ) from Juan William Chavez on Vimeo.

This 8mm film explores the land where the Pruitt-Igoe housing projects once stood in St. Louis, Missouri. After the demolition of all 33 buildings that comprised Pruitt-Igoe the remaining empty lot of several acres over time has naturally transformed into an overgrown urban forest. The film begins with the site-specific installation of bee hives referencing the Pruitt-Igoe high-rise designed by architect Minoru Yamasaki and concludes with a scene taken of the Man of Bicorp, a 8,000 year old cave drawing of a figure gathering honey.

This creative placemaking initiative aims to transform the urban forest where the Pruitt-Igoe housing development once stood into a public space that preserves the remaining 33 acres of green space and cultivates community through beekeeping and urban agriculture. Drawing parallels to the depleting population of bees (colony collapse disorder) and the challenges of activating vacant space in post industrial “shrinking cities”, the project intends to redirect the conversation surrounding Pruitt-Igoe by developing creative strategies that both memorialize the past and provide opportunity for the future. By working tougher, Pruitt-Igoe can end on a positive note by transforming one of the worst failures of public housing into a leading example of revitalization.

ABOUT the Artitst

Born in Lima, Peru, Juan William Chàvez is an artist and cultural activist who explores the potential of space through creative initiatives that address community and cultural issues. He has exhibited at venues such as Art in General, Contemporary Art Museum Saint Louis, White Flag Projects and Van Abbemuseum. Chàvez founded Boots Contemporary Art Space (2006-2010), a non-profit organization that offered support to emerging artists and curators. Since 2010, Chàvez has focused on socially-engaged projects and collaborations in North Saint Louis. Projects include Urban Expression for the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, Pruitt-Igoe Bee Sanctuary and Northside Workshop. He has received awards and grants from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, Art Matters and the Gateway Foundation. Chàvez holds a BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute and a MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Grantee Kindle Project Fund of the Common Counsel Foundation