26 Downtown Phoenix City Blocks + 26 Photographers + 26 writers + 26 Sculptures + 26 Illustrations = “1 of 10 most amazing things to do in AZ.” (USA Today)
USA Today said that 26 Blocks was "One of the 10 Most Amazing Things to do in Arizona." (2017)
2010 - 2012:
26 photographers and 26 writers were challenged with viewing their downtown city in a unique way. 26 teams were created and assigned to 26 randomly selected downtown Phoenix city blocks. Each team was encouraged to collaborate for one month and produce one photograph and 500 words or less. Teams could work in any genre, but had to capture the past, present, or imagined future of their block. A sculptor was attached to all 26 city blocks and given six months to turn 4” wood cubes into sculpture. The ’26 Blocks’ exhibit was unveiled to the public on May, 7, 2010. Over 1,000 people attended. Overnight, a one month exhibit turned into a 14-month tour, was seen by over 500,000 people, and eager sponsors jumped in to produce a free iPad app.
2015 - 2018:
A graphic designer has been challenged to collaborate with the 26 blocks of artwork from 2010 and the 26 city blocks as they exist in 2015. Between January and May of 2015, illustrated postcards will continue to be added to the downtown Phoenix wall map, forming a single piece of art. Also, a new photographer and a new writer, along with the same sculptor and illustrator have collaborated to create a bonus ("Renaissance Hotel”) block. The 3-year installation will feature ongoing events and exhibit enhancements.
People have different opinions about their downtowns and how to improve them. Add different perspectives and varied world views and the potential for collaborating on projects that affect those city blocks, while blending our individual diversities into a uniquely new creation everyone can celebrate, are understandably rare.
26 Blocks solves this problem by assigning a wide range of creative professionals--with their own diverse perspectives and attitudes--to a random downtown city block and then challenging them to collaborate on an expression of art that captures the past, present, or imagined future of their block. They're given limitless freedom within specific boundaries, such that what they produce is something else, something the same, but different; something bigger on the inside experience than it is on the outside observation. 26 Blocks is teaching our guests to do what the artists have done.
Think Inside the Block.
This web page is owned and operated by 26 Blocks, a trademarked property managed by Wordsmith LLC, located in Phoenix, Arizona.
(1) 26 Blocks™: Phoenix
(2) iPad App
(3) 26 Blocks™: NOLA (in production)
