Excerpt: Stories of the Ages: Artful Endurance: The Paseo District

Full article by Jordon Shinn, published in “The Oklahoman.” Summer 2010, Oklahoma City, USA.

Moving in

In the shadowed living room of his apartment, Tim Anderson, a.k.a. The Reverend, sits in a black armchair splattered with paint. His shoes — and the room, too — are splattered with paint. The wall to his right looks like a Jackson Pollock painting, red and black paint flung over white primer. He says that one is finished. But he is unsatisfied with the opposing wall across the room, smeared with purple and handprints. Near the top, the wall reads, “You are blessed if you tolerate this — The Rev.”

“If you live in The Paseo, you figure out and understand The Paseo, or you leave,” Anderson said. “I’m fortunate enough to live at ground zero — The Market.”

Hidden halfway between NW 30 and Walker on the west side of the street, Market on Paseo Apartments, 600 NW 29, is a haven to many young artists seeking a counter-culture environment. At this two-story, triangular complex, all the doors face the courtyard — a miniature forest full of trees and sunlight. The vibe here is bohemian.

“The Market is an amalgamation of musicians, artists, writers, college students and one clown,” Anderson said. “We are mostly people who moved here because of the free and loving nature of The Paseo. And we are free to live how we want.”

For Anderson and other residents of The Market, neighborhood development and renovation projects are seen as a threat to their way of life.

“We have a constant fear of gentrification,” Anderson said. “… If the rent in The Paseo goes above what the artists can afford — and most of us are starving artists — The Paseo will die.”

He cites Greenwich Village in New York City where art attracted development and, in turn, rising property values forced artists out.

“Art isn’t free — neither is rent.”

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This episode is also available as a blog post: https://jordonious.wordpress.com/2021/07/22/excerpt-stories-of-the-ages-artful-endurance-the-paseo-district/