"Awakening" is a one-day arts event in Charleston, South Carolina, which invites the local artist community and greater public to collectively re-imagine their underutilized public spaces. The event, hosted by the nonprofit group, Enough Pie, premiered in the summer of 2013. The first iteration took place in a large, vacant building at 1600 Meeting Street where 33 artists set up 17 different installations and performances in just two days. Around 1000 people from the community came out to admire and engage with the art, which helped to breathe new life into this once-forgotten space. Since its initial success, Enough Pie has continued its Awakening series with events such as Awakening II: Fieldwork, in which artists transformed the grounds around 1600 Meeting Street, and Awakening III: Solstice--another outdoor-focused arts event.

Awakening accomplishes multiple Placemaking goals: it brings the local community together in collective action, where artists, businesses and families can join in co-creation. Furthermore, the project has worked to spark more permanent improvements in the area. Since the first Awakening, 1600 Meeting Street has undergone renovations to become a hub for creative studios, nonprofits, small businesses, and even a food-truck festival. 

Photo credits, from left: Enough Pie via Facebook, Jared Bramblett via Facebook, Enough Pie via Facebook, Rebecca Hyatt via Facebook, Enough Pie via Facebook, Enough Pie via Facebook

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Website: enoughpie.org

Facebook: facebook.com/EnoughPie

Twitter: @enoughpie