Spark Contemporary Art Space

Maybe you've heard the news? We are announcing our intention of launching Edible Marketplace Cafe @ 712 East Fayette St. as a worker, vendor, patron, member own...ed Cooperative! We wanted to publicly post the zoom link for a SBDC workshop we've booked to answer any basic Q's and to help get the process rolling toward forming our new, collective business in the coming weeks. Cooperatives, at their core, are worker / member owned and are democratically governed businesses. States, like New York, have cooperative corporation entities under which one can choose to form. The NY article (5-A) is linked for your review below: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/CCO/A5-A Although our early stage members have been solely focused on getting the "Pop-Up" shop open and functioning this fall (during Covid, mind you), attending regular meetings and collectively considering a range of strategic decisions, we haven't felt like we're acting as "employees" of a start-up business, especially when everyone is pitching in as the shops' co-founders, managers, cooks, dishies, baristas, retail vendors and first time share-holders. But, in fact, we, as a small "mom & pop" business, still need to provide ourselves with the same protections one would expect from a "regular" job from day one, like healthy workplace conditions, fare wages, insurance, vacation time and paid sick leave, for example. As a cooperative, we will pledge to work together to design and create a successful business that supports these base-line goals, while also creating a profitable platform for our own artistic and professional endeavors. We hope that this is just the beginning! If you have interest in learning more about our initiative at Edible, and the local Coop Movement, please join us on the Zoom call tomorrow (Thursday) at 1:30p - 3p as we get closer to making this dream a reality! To join our Edible Membership Guest List, please email us at: [email protected] Topic: Edible Cooperatives 101 Time: Nov 5, 2020 01:30 PM - 3:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85095556368

As is part of the mission of Crystal City | Creative Spaces, after a few months of seed funding, business incubation and menu R & D, we are officially spinning out Edible Marketplace Cafe as a worker / vendor / patron ~ owned cooperative enterprise in Syracuse, NY! If YOU think that you would like to be a part of an awesome new food-focused venture that honors the makers and the doers with an equal voice, an equity ownership share and the chance to craft a piece of the vision and dream of a more collaborative, democratic and mutually successful economic future, please drop us an email at: [email protected]

Thank you Don Cazentre for a wonderful expose in todays' The Post-Standard! We are admittedly still crawling before we walk, before we run! This new co-op cafe ...is a labor of love, an evolving concept and an amazing cast of characters wrapped all in one! We have no website, "ap", nor a formal menu - for that matter - but what we do have at this juncture is a desire to feed you some good, yummy food with quality ingredients from area producers and vendors and at a fair price, all while enjoying the vibes of the tribe! Together, we can care for one another during these harsh and uncertain times - help us help you gain joy, health and wellness!

Being that I was a cartoon contributor back in 1993, and this has been my "student newspaper" for nearly 30 years - yikes! - I may have a bias, but, the Daily O...range has dropped a wonderful gem on our new community wealth venture: Edible Marketplace Cafe Our initial operating group, business plan and start-up investment effort was torpedoed by the CV back in February / March and we've slowly been building ourselves back up from the initial debris pile. It's been a challenge, and still is, no doubt, but we feel that what we've begun to develop is something that will bring joy, health and happiness to our City, our community and region, while also supporting our other area businesses, vendors and entrepreneurs in growing their dreams and ambitions! Swing in and be a part of the evolution of our food scene in CNY! Go Cuse! #EdibleOrange

Coming Soon: An All Ages, All Wages Industrial Arts / Commercial Arts / Studio Arts / Digital Arts / Culinary Arts / Environmental Arts / Healing Arts / Revolut...ionary Arts Hub... located right in the mix of it all. Shhh... can you hear the buzzzzz.... ? #CrystalCity #CreativeSpaces #TheCommunityistheEconomy #Pollinators

Amid the darkness and bitter cold of late winter / early spring 2016, my life's journey brought me back to a special place where so much had begun for me as a p...assionate young adult attempting to find his way in an uber competitive and materialistic world, while also intentionally distancing himself from the childhood pain, financial struggles, bad influences and often dangerous teen aged trouble-making he was wrapped up in as a free-roaming GenX youth. One of my last acts in my home State of Massachusetts, before arriving as a SU freshman in 1991, was to finish a community service sentence for possession of a hand gun, aggravated assault and having alcohol as a minor. One of the first not-so-proud things I was recorded for when I moved off campus was being involved in a brawl that nearly ended someones life and sent someone to prison for many years... at 20 / 21 years old, I knew that I had to change my life and find a mission, discover my north pole - seek a guiding light. By the time I rolled out of Syracuse, NY in 2006, almost ten years from the date I left for a Buddhist Temple and Retreat in NoCal, I had put my nose to the grindstone and invested a decade in helping to build up the local, independent, grass-roots arts scene and representing the day-to-day, as well as future, needs, cares and desires of our area's "creative class" or "cultural workforce"; BSM (before social media). Through organizations, efforts and initiatives such as ThINC (The Institution of a Now Culture), ACLA (Arts & Cultural Leadership Alliance of CNY), 40Below, the Cultural District Commission, my mayoral campaign "YES!" (Youth Empowered Sustainability) and its' platform, dubbed "Sustainable Syracuse", I found that purpose. Between doing yoga and printing sutras in Oakland, Berkeley and Cazadero, CA; bringing visions of car-free living, eco-infill housing development and electric transit to Ithaca, NY; living and studying with plant medicine healers in the mountains and rivers of Belize; or working on organic family farms, opening a "creative lifestyle center" (Equilibrium), a successful vegan eatery (Superfresh! Organic Cafe), and managing the transition and future planning for its Downtown, "Main Streets", organization post Hurricane Irene, I have lived a extraordinary life with a sense of urgency and deep need for facilitating change. Upon my return to Syracuse four and half years ago, I told my friends and those who were closest to me that my next operation will be to launch an "Art Space Development Company" that is community owned, neighborhood supported and cooperatively operated. As an artist, activist and community volunteer (I rarely earn income), I know how important it is to build equity with creativity, effort and skills. Today I am proud to announce that we have just closed our 3rd Quarter of business for Crystal City | Creative Spaces, LLC, a local, multi-member Real Estate Investment and Development Cooperative that has officially attracted 50 Founding Members to join our fledgling "creative place-making" company! Together with those who are eager to join us in our second round of Membership, we are confident that we can actuate an inclusive enterprise model that offers our owner / investors / operators autonomous participation in a mutually supportive, networked consortium of partners that share the same passion for our community - and are eager to prove that the Arts and creative self-expression are amazing vehicles for positive social, economic and behavioral change. As we close up our 4th Quarter and finalize our initial portfolio of extraordinary projects, including Edible Marketplace Cafe, the Fringe Factory, Spark Contemporary Art Space, the Hive, 315Alive, and a few other surprises, please feel free to get involved, reach out, ask questions and stay tuned as we take off together! This all comes from a place of love and care for this and future generations - we firmly believe that the community is the economy! Thank you for having me back in this very special place, a place I call home, have family, raised wolves and started movements - a place I have envisioned living in love, unity and camaraderie for aeons. I greatly look forward to working with our new Crystal City Membership, our friends and associates in Syracuse / Onondaga to make this the most beautiful on Earth! Respectfully yours, Jacob Alan Roberts Founder and Managing Partner [email protected]

Dear friends, I know that during this global health crisis, it's not the most appropriate time to promote new business openings, public events or human gatherin...gs, but it's time that I un-bite my lip and ask for some love from our community, our co-workers and family. As many of you may know, over the past four+ years I have been hard at work launching Crystal City Creative Spaces, a local cooperative art-space development company, while also activating its first few spin-out ventures. It has been challenging, grueling and uncompromising work that, like all my professional efforts, is coming from a place of love and care for my community, my planet and my fellow humans... having it succeed commercially is up to us all. One of those new coop enterprises is Edible Marketplace Cafe, a new Farm-Fresh foodie cafe that features a range of local CNY product, area home-based food businesses and other brick-and-mortar store-fronts. We also feature retail items, such as house-plants, crystals, books, records, clothing and original art from area entrepreneurs, craftspeople and artists. Although we still have some kinks to work out and start-up issues to smooth over, tonight is our official Grand Opening affair and it would be a blessing to see a bunch of friendly, familiar faces (even if behind a mask) to swing down to Edible Marketplace Cafe at 712 East Fayette (across from XO Taco) to show our crew some love! We are also launching our 1st and 3rd Friday Gallery nights with an exhibit of paintings from Samantha JC Pierce, Anna Marie and myself Jacob Alan Roberts. Feel free to BYO. Open now until 10p. Live DJ tonight and tomorrow eve! <3

Doors open for coffee, freshly baked goods from our in-house baker, lunch being prepped by chef and all kinds of cool stuff to check out! Swing by today or over the weekend to say Hi and meet the team! Open until 10p

Is this community ready for the #Edible experience? Soft opening this Friday night with regular hours through September. Limited offerings but big vibes! October 1 grand opening!

Chef Jacob Alan Roberts cooked up some amazing vegan deep dish pizzas last night featuring Green Hills dough, tons of local veggies and PMA Foods vegan cheese! Tonight is his birthday, come down and enjoy another pop up tasting and some socializing!

i am #UnapologeticallyJosh and THIS is #TheUprising on Straight Independent Radio. i am LIVE TUESDAY 7/14 with Jacob Alan Roberts from Crystal City Creative Sp...aces in Syracuse, NY. Join us as we talk about his neighborhood and community development projects, as well as hear his reactions to our conversations about redistricting, #BlackLivesMatter, and much more! Season Sponsors: Harris Cosmetic & Modern Dental Crystal City Creative Spaces | ENTERPRISE Camp Talooli The Black Arts Studio

Imagine developing buildings, neighborhoods and districts from the ground up with your fellow community members... Imagine generating the ideas, entrepreneurial... visions and mom and pop storefront operators from the market area that the venture intends to serve... Imagine crowd-funding start-up and operating capital from a diverse body of local citizens to buy, rehab and revitalize dilapidated homes, forgotten streets and entire blocks, with creativity, innovation and environmental stewardship at heart... Imagine a new, sustainable economy of, by and for the people of Syracuse and Central New York, that supports and rewards local design and production, holistic planning, smart growth and makes it easier for everyone to have some equity. Syracuse-based Crystal City | Creative Spaces, LLC, aims to provide a path toward that dream. Incorporated Jan 2020 as a for profit, multi-member investment and development firm, it acts as a professional consortium of individuals, students, companies and organizations that represent a wide spectrum of interest, experience and skill, and who wish to collaborate and cooperate on bolstering our community and our economy through a process of "creative place-making". After a CV-delayed launch this Spring 2020, we have come to the end of our Inaugural 2nd Quarter and are now (officially) closing our "Golden Circle" Founders Group. If you have been interested in our work, our team, or purpose and our potential, please consider attending our Launch Event this Wednesday evening. We will also broadcast a Zoom link, as well.... but, PLEASE do RSVP either way, so we know who is to be expected on each platform - on the lake or on the web. Seating / personal spacing will force a capacity at Lakeshore and the Guest List is already at 30+, so make sure to check in through the Evite ASAP. This is a (cooperative) private company with a very public purpose and we are super excited to get the ball rolling. Don't miss this opportunity to get in with us on the ground floor! ****** ZOOM LINK UPDATE: Topic: CC|CS July 1st Time: Jul 1, 2020 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://syracuseuniversity.zoom.us/j/97548123710 Meeting ID: 975 4812 3710

It's Springtime (virus edition) ! The opportunity to get #315Alive! Season 4 started has now arrived. We have a ton of predetermined sites located all over the... City, multiple paint and supply donation agreements, a few immediate projects in the hopper, as well as a bunch of eager artists and neighborhoods ready for some color and beauty! If you'd like to join our core Administrative Team to help us organize, manage, fund-raise and make some awesome local art this year, please attend our first group Zoom meeting this Thursday May 14 at 6pm. Respond via FB or Email us at: [email protected] to get on the invite list. also, feel free to visit www.315Alive.com to learn more (updated soon).

Hey everyone!!! We are getting very close to launching the Edible: Chef's Choice Kitchen and if you, or anyone that you know, would like to participate, in any capacity, please take a moment to fill out our prospective Membership Form! Thanks for all of the support!

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Keep fighting that fight for what's good and right! This date will also be noted, officially, as the end of phase one of the "Westcott Nati...on" mural that I started about a month ago. In honor of the weather shifting to a more comfortable outdoor experience, and as a way to spread our wings after a long coup-up, let's finally call in the troops and re-convene a 315Alive public arts conversation, planning session, and course of action for Season 4. We still have a ton of ongoing projects in the hopper, have a long list of available walls, multiple material donation sites, a great base of artists / talent / volunteers, as well as confirmed desire to continue to fight blight with bright, lovely works of art. There is an official, City-ordained, peer-reviewed, public art process to complete in order to make art like this, and we've made strides in making the process as easy as possible. Our website www.315Alive.com is a tad out of date (we'll be updating it soon), but check it out and you'll learn more about our mission, goals and why we wish to make public art / creative place-making a staple process within local, community, neighborhood and economic development initiatives. Make sure to "like" our fb page and swing through the website to join our mailing list. We have a great team on hand and ton of eager artists ready to beautify Syracuse and the greater region. #315Alive #theartssavelives #ourcommunityistheeconomy