Download - The Living Well 2014-15
L iv ing WellThe
A Center for Social & Economic Vibrancy | 2014-2015 Media Press Kit
Live well. Be more.
2 | LIVE WELL. BE MORE.
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTORPAGE 4
ABOUT USPAGE 6
OUR COMMUNITY IMPACT AT A GLANCEPAGE 8
Contents
LIVE WELL. BE MORE. | 3
ABOUT USPAGE 4
OUR SPACEPAGE 16
Contact UsThe Living Well 2443 N. Charles Street Baltimore, MD 21218 Telephone: 410.212.5953
Email: [email protected] Instagram: livewellbemoreTwitter: @TheLivingWell1Facebook: TheLivingWellPinterest: www.pinterest.com/thelivingwell
OUR RECURRING CALENDAR OF EVENTS AND ACTIVITIESPAGE 10
OUR CHANGE MAKING ACTIVITIES AND SERVICESPAGE 14
PHOTO CREDITS:
Stan Marrow
Jason Harris
Jennifer White-Johnson
Saddi Khali
Reuben Greene
Michael King
Tafari Melisizwe
Dominic Nell
Zizwe Allette
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W hen I hear people talk about The
Living Well, they often describe
how they have experienced the space.
Some may say it’s a yoga studio, others
an exhibit space, and many a banquet
hall ideal for baby showers or workshops
and retreats. We provide all of these
opportunities and more. We are a Center
for Social & Economic Vibrancy and have
been described as a place where dreams
thrive. Our motto is “Live Well. Be More.”
Our central location in the Old Goucher
neighborhood of Charles Village provides
us with a large reach of consumers that
represent the business and residential
sector. Our programs and services
are driven by what the community
supports and desires. As the needs of
our community members and patrons
evolve, so does our role in the community.
Our urban oasis houses a network
of community practitioners, social
change agents, entrepreneurs, artists,
and community stakeholders who use
our studio for a variety of events and
activities. We value diversity and support
individuals and organizations in their
efforts to turn their ideas into action.
In a society where our personal and
Friends,
A Letter FromTHE DIRECTOR
LIVE WELL. BE MORE. | 5
Maurissa Stone Bass Director
THE LIVING WELL STAFF
MAURISSA STONE BASS Director
JANELLE WILLIAMS Director of Communications
UKANA MCPHERSON Facilities Manager
JASON HARRIS Director of Creative Services, Sound and Lighting Engineering [email protected]
MENES YAHUDA Director of Musicology [email protected]
MICHELLE STAFFORD Director of Fitness/Wellness
professional relationships hold great value,
the leveraging of relationships translates
into what we know as social capital.
The Living Well provides a platform
for building individual and collective
social networks. Through a variety of
the networks we’ve created, individuals
and organizations gain access to skills,
services, and customers that may not have
been previously within reach. Through
us, they can maximize social capital and
economic opportunities.
At the Living Well, we view creativity
and social capital as economies that can
be used to build powerful and enriching
social and professional connections. Our
facility can be used to build individual
brands, businesses, and resumes via non-
linear approaches to education and career
development. We also welcome applied
learning internships.
We hope to share our space and partner
with you as you plan your next endeavor. If
you have an idea or need space to host an
event or activity, please give us a call.
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About Us
WHAT IS THE LIVING WELL?
We are a community development entity that uses art as a vehicle
for individual and community change and empowerment.
We subscribe to a Vibrant Community model using creative space-
making tactics and strategies.
We focus on building social capital while using business principles
to create economic outcomes.
We believe that using vibrant approaches to community building
creates a distinct culture of engagement.
WHAT IS OUR MISSION?
To build diverse communities and develop social capital.
To use a creative space approach to bring people together for a
variety of events, classes, and initiatives.
To remain dedicated to individual and community change by way of
conscious expansion, soulful expression, and optimal wellness.
Vibrant HAVING OR SHOWING GREAT LIFE, ACTIVITY,
AND ENERGY; VERY BRIGHT AND STRONG.
LIVE WELL. BE MORE. | 7
CONSCIOUS EXPANSION
Any forum, event or activity that increases
knowledge, conscious thought and action
towards positive change; a process by
which community dialogue circles/sessions,
workshops, and activities are used to impact
the human spirit and energy.
SOULFUL EXPRESSION
Any forum, event or activity that uses
movement, visual esthetics, yoga, dance
and or music as a vehicle for personal and
community enlightenment, physical and
emotional wellness and change. A process
by which yoga, dance, movement, music
classes and workshops are designed to create
opportunities to release stress and achieve
fitness and wellness goals.
OPTIMAL WELLNESS
Traditional and non-traditional methods
of increasing the human spirit, health and
energy. Any forum event or activity focused
on developing organization and community
wellness.
HOW CAN WE SUPPORT YOU OR YOUR
ORGANIZATION?
Our centrally located and open-space studio
design provides the perfect place to host
events meetings, workshops, and exhibits.
Everyone from instructors, facilitators, and
coaches/counselors to business owners,
organizations, and individuals can rent
space on a monthly, hourly and/or daily
basis. We also welcome partnerships with
social entrepreneurs and social enterprise
organizations using a cooperative business
model that promotes opportunities to build
social capital, organizational capacity and
the development of civic and personal
leadership.
Vibrant HAVING OR SHOWING GREAT LIFE, ACTIVITY,
AND ENERGY; VERY BRIGHT AND STRONG.
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Our Community Impact at a Glance
W e understand that one drop in the bucket can cause a wave of
change, and that real change always starts at the community
level. Since joining the Old Goucher neighborhood in 2008, The
Living Well has served as an impetus for positive change. We want to
continue to increase the number of visitors to this rich community,
which has one of the most diverse social, racial and economic
demographics in the city of Baltimore.
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Our location on Charles Street is at the center
of one of Baltimore’s most-traveled arteries.
Our neighbors, including major retail chains
and education institutions such as Safeway
Food Stores, CVS Pharmacy, PNC Bank, Johns
Hopkins University and various social welfare
organizations, provide a diverse stream
of business and residential traffic by our
storefront.
We also have had a direct impact on the
community by hosting a multitude of events,
classes, music forums, exhibits, community
meetings, etc. Find a snapshot below.
WE HAVE:
Incubated cultural arts, social enterprise
and wellness entities—3 martial arts, 5
yoga instructors, 30 dance instructors, and 1
vegan chef
Touched youth in Baltimore city
neighborhoods through youth leadership
development programs and workshops
Hosted financial wellness and professional
development classes using local financial,
marketing and business coaches
Supported emerging artists through
exhibitions, artisan markets, and pop-up
shops
Featured international and local performers
through our Living Room Concert series,
album release parties, and live music forums
Helped make impactful connections
between social entrepreneurs
Hosted retreats using interactive and
creative methods such as arts, music and
dance
Hosted community milestone events,
including retirement parties and baby
showers
Created an institute for the study of dance
and music of the African Diaspora
AUDIENCE:
Our platform represents diverse gender, ethnic
and racial backgrounds.
Average age: 28 yr. – 54 yr. old
Average salary: 38k – 72k
SOCIAL MEDIA:
6,500 followers across various social media
platforms, including Facebook and Twitter.
TAMARACKAN INSTITUTE FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
VIBRANT COMMUNITIES ACTIVELY PROMOTE THE WELL-BEING
OF THEIR MEMBERS AND THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE.
“
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LIVE WELL. BE MORE. | 11
THE LIVING ROOM CONCERT SERIES
The Living Well Concert series offers an
intimate, comfortable, affordable, and
convenient setting. It brings top-notch
musical performances to the neighborhood
and provides an opportunity for authentic
exchange with the audience and the artist.
URBAN FOLI
Urban Foli is a musical theater
performance group that expresses
traditional African drumming and dance
bridged with contemporary sound and
movements.
The focus is to cultivate a mixture of West
African and African American percussion
and culture. Under ancient tradition, each
ethnic group or percussionist develops
their own sound; Urban Foli encourages
its members to combine ancient teachings
with the evolution of R&B and hip-hop
culture.
The goal is not only to preserve traditional
music and history, but to continue the
legacy of percussion and movement that
has been passed down in the Americas.
The group’s mission is to expose as many
as possible to a Neo-traditional sound.
Urban Foli provides workshops for men,
women and children on topics including:
Dance of the African Diaspora
History of African drum and
dance
Drum construction and care
Hand techniques
Poly rhythmic assignments
Rhythms and African ethnic/
region origin
Summer day camp workshops and school
break sessions are available for individuals
and groups. Drum rentals, repairs and sales
are also available.
EMERGING ARTISTS EXHIBITS
The Living Well features photography,
visual art, applied design exhibits and
events throughout the year. We host an
annual Handmade Holiday event during the
winter season that allows artisans to sell
products as vendors. Our space also serves
as a gallery for emerging photographers,
visual artists, and applied designers. We
regularly feature the work of artists and
designers in an ideally located window
display on Charles Street.
Our Recurring Calendar of EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
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organizations and communities. Iona Concepts
provides the following change management
services:
Strategic Planning
Community Development/
Organizing
Non-profit Board Development
Career/Life Coaching
Retreat Planning/Facilitation
Motivational Speaking
Organizational Development Training
Iona Circles*
COMMUNITY FORUMS
The Living Well has hosted several community
forums aimed at increasing awareness
surrounding community issues, supporting
community initiatives, and other topics that
impact the community. Our community forums
often feature keynote speeches by experts in
the field and by representatives from the city
EMPOWERMENT RETREATS
We support and host retreats and workshops on
various topics, and can provide our expertise from
program design to implementation. The Living Well’s
Studio Director, Maurissa Stone Bass, is founder
of Iona Concepts, Inc., a Training and Change
Management Consulting organization and the
umbrella for The Living Well studio. Iona Concepts’
mission is to facilitate planned change in systems,
LIVE WELL. BE MORE. | 13
and state government. We have hosted forums
related to the following topics:
Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Eliminating Institutional Racism
Social Entrepreneurship
Resilience in the New Economy
Developing Healthy Relationships
Preventing Sexual Harassment
Domestic Violence
Breast Cancer Awareness
THE LIVING VILLAGE
The Living Village is a new Conscious Expansion
initiative for Baltimore City Public School
System (BCPS) middle and elementary students.
Workshops are designed to teach and reinforce
respect for leadership and authority and are
held during scheduled BCPS school closings.
Students participate in focused interactive
play and instruction surrounding Art and
Community. Exercises and discussions regarding
communication and self-expression will help
students to build effective communication and
team building skills. Each session addresses
a different aspect of citizenship as a student,
community and family member.
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Our Change Making
ACTIVITIES and SERVICES
Our studio space can be used to host a variety of events.
We’ve provided just a snapshot here.
• Retreats• Yoga• Youth Leadership
Development Programs and Workshops
• Financial Wellness and Professional Development Classes
• Multimedia Art Exhibitions • Artisan Markets and
Workshops
• Pop-up shops• Album Release Parties• Live Music Forums• Djembe Drumming• Dance• Wellness Events• Baby Showers• Birthday Parties• Retirement Parties• Educational Empowerment
Forums and Dinners
• Community Rallies and Vigils• Fashion Shows• Comedy Shows• Social Entrepreneurship Hour• Sewing and Applied Design
Workshops• Strategy Sessions• Domestic Violence and
Relationship Management Workshops
• Artist Exchange Meetings
CREATING COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
The Living Well has partnered with the following
agencies, institutes and organizations.
St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center
University of Maryland Carey School
of Law
St. Vincent de Paul
Speakerbox Magazine
Terra Café
Capoeira Luanda
MICA
Yelp
Grindhouse Juice Bar
Baltimore Rhythm Festival
Redlines Publishing
Just Advice Law Clinics
University of Baltimore
Dubscience Photography
Our business neighbors have been a direct
beneficiary of our success. Many of our
customers leave The Living Well and enjoy dining
at local establishments and our community
partners such as:
The Terra Café – Our community partner the Terra
Café provides food and technical assistance for our
events, meetings and classes. As a result many
of our customers in turn use the Terra Café as a
convenient, affordable and great place to dine.
Grindhouse Juice Bar –The Grind House Juice bar
expanded their Beet Trip series to our location.
Local young music makers had a place to expand
their artistic footprint and created a safe an artistic
space to come together around a common cause
and interest.
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St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center – This center
serves as our community liaison for services
such as financial counseling, home buying,
legal services.
Reflection Eternal – Reflection Eternal provides
facility oversight and management has direct
access to facilitate community gatherings
and lectures regarding issue that impact the
African American male.
Sankofa World Bazaar – This retail provider has
partnered with us to provide education and
artifacts from the African Diaspora.
Equity Matters – An organization founded in
Baltimore that has created partnerships and
currently houses the Dismantling Institutional
Rascism potluck meetings.
Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) – This local
college partners with The Living Well to help
students earn internship credits and to provide
workshop resources from local artist.
TELL US YOUR VISION, AND WE’LL HELP CREATE THE ATMOSPHERE YOU NEED!
PARTNER WITH USAre you interested in partnering with us? Email
us at [email protected] or call us
at 410.212.5953 to schedule a time to discuss
how we can work together. We would love
learn about you and the work you are doing to
empower individuals and communities.
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LIVE WELL. BE MORE. | 17
CREATING COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
Whether you are hosting a small meeting,
milestone celebration or a fitness class, The
Living Well’s open-space studio is the perfect
place to host events under 100 people. The Living
Well provides access to our large storefront
windows located on the North Charles Street
artery of Charles Village and is less than 6
minutes from Baltimore’s Penn Station.
Pedestrians from John Hopkins University,
motorists traveling North on Charles, and
community residents have daily visual access to
products, classes, and events that are marketed
and held at The Living Well.
Our customer service standards mandate that
all guests are provided the highest quality
of services and professionalism. Attendees
should be treated as honored guests at all
times during the registration and learning
process. We will collaborate with you to
achieve your vision of success.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
Our open space design accommodates 80 people
comfortably with room to spare.
Tables and chairs are included in rental prices
and will be set-up upon arrival with prior set-up
requirements. Our inventory of tables and chairs
include:
1 - 6ft rectangle table
1 - 9ft rectangle table
3 – 84 inch round tables
60 assorted chairs (35 black hard back)
1 glass desk
Accommodations for audio visual systems,
public address systems, and flipcharts are also
available, upon request.
Renters also have access to the kitchenette.
Alcohol: You can NEVER sell alcohol, however
you can serve it. Renters can obtain a temporary
liquor license by contacting the Baltimore City
Liquor License Board. Renters must ensure
patrons are over the age of 18.
RENTAL REQUIREMENTS AND INFORMATION
We welcome you to host your next special event
at The Living Well! We rent our studio space
on a first- come, first-served basis. We will do
everything in our power to honor your request.
PAYMENT AND DEPOSITS
Hourly Rate: $95
Facility fee: $40
Security fee: $50
A 50% deposit of your total rental is due to
reserve the space. Your total deposit includes
your $40.00 Facility Fee and $50.00 security
deposit, in addition to your hourly rental
cost. Your Security Deposit is returned upon
Our Space
Simple | F l ex ible | Affordable
18 | LIVE WELL. BE MORE.
inspection of the facility and will be returned
within 7 days after your rental. Trash and food
debris must be removed and the floor should be
broom swept. Patrons loitering out front with
open containers will forfeit their security deposit.
Music must be kept to a level that does not create
a disruption of peace for our neighbors. Music/
bass volume must be turned down at 12:00 am.
*Staff support: $15.00 per hour (by request only)
LIABILITY
The Living Well does not provide the renters
with liability insurance/coverage. All renters
must have liability coverage and provide class
participants with liability waiver forms. The
Living Well parent company Iona Concepts must
be named as an additional insurer on all liability
policies.
OUR VISIBILITY AND MARKETING REQUIREMENTS
Event hosts are responsible for self-marketing.
The Living Well logo must be included on all
marketing materials. Rentals that are booked
for public events must use a jpeg version of our
logo on marketing materials (un-amended). We
request a final approval on flyer designs before
flyers are reproduced and distributed. Flyer
designs scaled for 11x17 can be produced into a
poster for display in our front window. Flyers
should be submitted 30 days prior to event to
FOOD
We have a kitchenette for limited storage and
prep. We request that food be ready to go. The
Living Well strongly encourages renters to
purchase liability insurance and to use caterers
who are licensed and practice sanitary methods
for food preparation, storage and delivery.
CANCELLATIONS
Cancellations must be requested in writing 10
calendar days prior to the event to receive an
80% refund of the down payment and deposit.
Deposits are forfeited if cancellation is made
less than 10 calendar days before date identified
on the renter’s Space Rental Agreement. NO
EXCEPTIONS.
LIVE WELL. BE MORE. | 19
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Contact The Living Well at admin@livewellbemore.
com or at 410-212-5953 for more information about
long-term rental agreements. Complete a booking
application on-line at www.livewellbemore.com.
Live well. Be more.