November City

“Shoot for the Moon if you miss you’ll be among the stars.” Anonymous

I pronounce this manifesto as interfacing among History, Catastrophe, and Public Art. An inspiration driven from Krzysztof Wodiczko and an analysis by Walter Benjamin, allows for exploration on the notion that things go on despite uncertain turns in history; enable catastrophe and allow for public response, art and inquisition of a city of strangers.

The Location: Harvest Moon Brewery and Café, New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States of America.

The Problem: In a city that is enlightened by symbolism by a large scale university environment and the locals that carry the spirits of the past, present and future, The City of New Brunswick has grown, altered even; significantly to satisfy the spatial conveniences of citizens of this city and the college students. The examination of many places altered has a counterpart, those places that have maintained structure through the modernization/technological advancements within the city. ‘The sociologist Paul-Henry Chombart de Lauwe: [says] “an urban neighborhood is determined not only by geographical and economic factors, but also by the image that its inhabitants and those of other neighborhoods have of it.”’ The citizens of the New Brunswick are those who have their voices their histories connected to places such as Harvest Moon Brewery and Café. Discovering the hidden narratives within this community means locating a place where there is a relationship among these peoples history along with catastrophe and how that may be used to create/display public art. From the surface the Harvest Moon Brewery and Café is seen as a part of the visual order. It is a restaurant and a bar that brews the best beer in New Brunswick along with the antique mahogany, the smell of fermentation; a mixture of carbon dioxide, alcohol, and an assortment of flavors is in the process of cooling consumed in an enclosed space but is hidden with the chef’s kitchen antics and secrets for an all American grilled meal. However, behind these clear senses lie the unseen narratives of those who are new to the place, those who have a deep connection with the place or the “regulars” in bar terms, and those who build a relationship through their work experiences. The history is underneath the surface of this place and space and the modernity is built over the past. Here in there the problem emerges. The Harvest Moon Brewery and Café in memory of a lost Deputy Chief James D’ Heron, makes a brew in honor of all the firefighters in New Brunswick who have risked their lives to protect the people of New Brunswick. The following is the untold narrative.

The History: The Prohibition of Alcohol in the United States in the 1920s up until 1933 became a significant but often but on the backburner of history. The reference to prohibition most naturally means that the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol for consumption were banned nationally. The Volstead Act was another name used to describe the National Prohibition Act passed by Congress as the eighteenth amendment. The religious and political temperance movements were responsible for pushing this prohibition of alcohol. Religious fanatics, Christian Women’s Movements, African Americans, and those who were in the business of selling teas and other refreshments felt threatened for business purposes and for the future education of their children. The prohibition period however, was greatly challenged in bigger cities nation wide. Repeal to the original Volstead Act was greatly desired by many as there was an increase of social problems including crime, racketeering and a huge black market for alcohol was on the rise. Prohibition had an effect on the brewing industry in the US as well. At the end of Prohibition, only half the breweries that were previously in business opened up again. A loss for the alcohol industry in economic terms is not sufficient to tell the whole story. The protests yet to be mentioned but are displayed as public art at the Harvest Moon Brewery and Café. The stories of those who experienced the loss of business with this prohibition were never accounted for. But their demands were met and the Prohibition failed miserably by 1933. Through all of the politics, the stories and narratives were lost. Through this establishment, this place; we can discover these lost stories of the city of the vanquished.

The Catastrophe: To understand the catastrophe, Walter Benjamin suggests that things go on. The idea of things moving forward despite a tragic event/catastrophe may be based on “symbolic structures and a psycho-social relationship among its dwellers” (Wodiczko 5). Since this notion perpetuates on the idea that the city needs to be “saved” and escape from the bad dreams, the catastrophes of the future, and the horrible events of the past; designing a solution for moving further and not forgetting the impact of catastrophes but allowing the turmoil to be remembered and start a healing process for the city at large. Harvest Moon Brewery and Café allows the city of New Brunswick to show their appreciation and to open a window of remembrance and courage. Through this, the restaurant becomes a place for the city to begin its healing. This place and space provides comfort in for people who remember the firefighters of New Brunswick and how the unselfishly give their lives to save others in a catastrophe. One such man, Deputy Chief James D’ Heron lost his life on September 3, 2004 responding to a house fire. A plaque of memory is established in his name at the Harvest Moon Brewery and Café. A token of appreciation on behalf of this location, a brew has been named after Jimmy D, “Jimmy D’s Firehouse Red”. The Harvest Moon donates a portion of every sale of the Jimmy D’s Firehouse Red to the Children’s Burn Camp of Connecticut Burns Care Foundation which was an organization close to Jimmy D. Harvest Moon is not only just another place for people to grab a bear and a meal. Its structure represents a place where there are hidden stories like Jimmy D’s that are made public and forgotten as time continues. Walter Benjamin is surely right, things do go on, but just because people move forward, it does not mean their stories should be forgotten. Harvest Moon provides a place for narratives to be kept safe and remain as a memorial forever.

The Public Art: The appreciation/exploitation of public art allows people to engage in narrative. It allows for different interpretations and challenges the norm. The symbolic representation of Jimmy D’s Memorial and of the fight to abolish prohibition of alcohol allows people to see how narratives may be formulated. The notion of avant-garde as public art is “to believe that the city can be affected by open-air public art galleries or enriched by outdoor curatorial adventures (through state and corporate purchases, lendings, and displays) is to commit an ultimate philosophical and political error” (Wodiczko 27). Avant-garde public art deals with how the city engages with the art in their everyday life. This form of public art derives from self-critical manifestations. It is not art that is simply bought and sold and for viewing pleasure. There are always stories produced through Avant-garde art which allows us to dissemble cultural views and directly deal with the public and discovery media art. Through the writings on the wall to the portraits of the old aged beer barrels, Art is everywhere!

History, Catastrophe, Public Art; the unseen narratives are yet to be found, I urge all to go and discover them, challenge them, and never to forget them.

Compilation of Documentation: The Project is as follows: To begin, I decided to try to understand what I can attempt to get out of this place; after all, it is just a restaurant that sells amazing beer. Research, world wide web/cyberspace provides a homepage for the Harvest Moon Brewery and Café. There I found the memorial dedicated to Jimmy D’. At last, an untold story. Permission from the owner was required. Permission was granted, and a survey question was developed. The attempt was to try to see if people were aware that buying the beer “Jimmy D’s Firehouse Red” meant that a portion of their sales would be donated for a good cause. The Manager was very helpful and he passed out 30 surveys where people were asked this question, “did you know that a portion of your purchases to the Harvest Moon Brewery and Café donate a portion of their sales to the James D’ Heron Memorial Foundation? Please Circle One: YES/NO.” I analyzed the data, I had some people actually write an additional response, this one person circled YES and wrote “I think it’s the best thing that anyone can do for these people” (Anonymous). After careful observation, I realized that I forgot to mention the fact that if they bought the beer “Jimmy D’s Firehouse Red” but I made a chart from the data to show how many people knew and how many people did not. 19 answered yes and 11 answered no. Not a significant difference but enough for me to conclude that maybe the surveys given were to people who were regulars at Harvest Moon or people who have been there before. I stayed behind one evening and took many photos of the art displayed all over the restaurant and the historical meanings represented with the pictures became even more apparent. In addition, I have created a network based map that shows how three places are interconnected and what this connectivity represents. Class Participation is encouraged after project presentation. Instructions to make a Flyer to promote the cause will be the final part of the project.

A website will be posted to my blog that will have this manifesto along with pictures from flickr and my Google maps link will also be posted!