Changing our landscape

Lately, it seems I’ve been running across so many young people who aspire to make a difference. I happen to mentor a few young people, and I love watching them grow, develop and succeed.

Listening to their visions for Baton Rouge fires me up. More and more of them are gathering, networking and discovering new possibilities for their lives and the future of our city. From entrepreneurs and artists to doctors and marketers, these young people are striving to be true citizens with the vision and the power to create a culture of community, capacity, connection and care.

One new example is the BR Walls Project. Have you heard of it?

It started as a simple idea between two young people: Casey Phillips and Kathryn Thorpe, the co-curators of this ambitious endeavor.

After living in California the previous decade, they moved home to Baton Rouge and have already made an impact. They set their sights on funding a public mural project that will encourage artists to use outdoor wall spaces as canvases to attract more tourism and inspire local pride in our city.

The mission of the BR Walls Project is to stimulate creativity and economic growth in our city by having artists paint key landmark walls in our downtown area. Imagine the faded and empty wall spaces in the downtown area of Baton Rouge transformed into art. The BR Walls Project aims to do just that.

But quickly, BR Walls has blossomed into a creative movement fueled by the power of collaboration. To accomplish such a feat required commitment from artists, building owners, nonprofit groups, the business community and individual donors to the group’s Kickstarter fundraising campaign—all wanting to transform the urban landscape of the city.

Long-term, Phillips and Thorpe want BR Walls to not only foster creativity, but community change, unity and growth.

When the first phase of the Kickstarter campaign was done, more than 400 people had donated to the campaign, exceeding the group’s initial goal. The first walls will get some fresh paint later this month.

Explaining his vision, Phillips told me, “The painting of murals is the first step to a larger cultural evolution that will no longer be held beneath the concrete surface. Vision without execution is empty, and as we have seen for decades in this city, leadership operating without an all-encompassing vision is myopic and bland.  There have been many pioneers in this shift in consciousness locally, and we are proud to help continue what they have started downtown and beyond.”

Wow. I have to love his passion.

The best news is that we have a lot more young people who, like Phillips and Thorpe, are energized and passionate about moving our city forward.

Two of this month’s Our City features look at giving back through volunteerism and non-profit outreaches to impact those in need across the Baton Rouge community. The leaders of these efforts could not be more different. One is a former NFL star running back; the other a nun and a longtime educator. But what Warrick Dunn’s mobile bereavement program and Sister Adele Lambert’s Day of Kindness have in common is that both encourage a passion for putting the needs of others ahead of the needs of one’s self.

Both Dunn and Lambert are committed to finding those in our community whose problems and situations are too often overlooked and lending a hand. Read their stories beginning on page 42.

Just by looking at the majority of architecture in Baton Rouge, one can see that our city is largely conservative—at least, in terms of how we want our dwellings and our workspaces to look and feel. But with the opening of The Shaw Center for the Arts, the Louisiana State Museum and other contemporary structures, there is an emerging divide between a decades-long reliance on the look of our past and what some argue are the designs that will help us better embrace the present and foster more enthusiasm and optimism for the days ahead.

Should our city’s architecture look forward or look backward?

That is the question at the heart of the work of Trey Trahan. The Crowley native and LSU alum founded Trahan Architects in Baton Rouge in 1991. His designs have received national and international accolades, but here at home, his successes and contemporary constructions have attracted critics and converts alike. Jeff Roedel’s cover story about this forward-thinking architect begins on page 46.

Join us on Thursday, June 28, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Roux House on Third Street downtown for 225‘s latest Hot Off the Press party. It’s going to be a big one, because we’ll be celebrating the release of our 7th Annual Best of 225 issue. Our readers’ favorite people, places and food in Baton Rouge will be revealed. Hot Off the Press is a chance for our staff to meet and hear from readers and supporters alike, and we look forward to seeing you all at the Roux House this month. To RSVP to this free event, email [email protected].