story

"Hey, peace. My name is Brandan 'BMike' Odums. I'm a visual artist from New Orleans".

"I created this space, Studio BE, a couple of years ago, and from there we branched off into creating a non-profit called Eternal Seeds. It's just a way to think about the responsibility of art and how it can create impact in our community".

"I'm Derek Curry with Sneaker Politics, owner, CEO. What's going on? I'm Jalen, the community outreach for Sneaker Politics in New Orleans. So we're at Studio BE, 35,000 square feet of art. Now we're pushing a little bit over six years".

"And so it's just been amazing to think about how this warehouse could be used for community, for art, to bring people together, to challenge the way we think about ourselves as well the way we think about each other. New Orleans is a small community so …"

"… you always cross-pollinate with folk and you figure out where there's synergy and where you can build. It's been amazing to build with these two folks for the past couple of years. I knew immediately this guy was doing great things in the neighbourhood, the community, and I'm not here full time".

"So I lean on Jalen and people like "BMike" to help us make sure our brand means something in the city. Being able to give the youth we work with opportunities to work with a brand like Politics and the community that they have has been amazing for us".

"The upcoming court project that we're working on, like, the youth are super excited. And so their involvement has always been about amplifying what the youth are doing in our community, and we're just excited about that".

"So, yeah, we're on the Lafitte Greenway, a very multi-use space, and it kind of takes you through various parts of the city, from downtown you see to my left, to the right all the way down to Mid-City".

"This is an important part of the New Orleans community because it touches so many neighbourhoods. You know what I mean? So many different types of people from different backgrounds use this space. When Jalen approached me about that conversation around doing something on this court, it was like, okay, this is …"

"… definitely along the script of what I like to do. This is a heavily used space. Art can definitely come in and activate it. So it'd be like the group of young artists that we're leaning on to lead this project".

"In terms of they're, like, a part of our mentorship programme at Studio BE Eternal Seeds. And they're the ones designing, they're the ones conceptualising. They've been having meetings about what this court can look like. These are the types of projects I''m always excited about being involved with …"

"… working with community partners, working with talented young people to amplify spaces that are important to us. Allowing art, allowing community to come together to amplify that is just what's important to me. And I'm grateful to be able to take this ride with all of y'all. You know what I mean?"

Talking Shop: Sneaker Politics Part 2—The Community