Research Notes: PRONK at Dexter Park
Participant Observation
I visited Dexter Park in Providence, Rhode Island on a sunny Sunday in early October. I noticed a large gathering of people and tents, mostly in the area of the park delineated by a newly paved circular path. As I got closer, I could see that many of the tents were lining this circular path. I could also see that people were gathering in the center of the circle and facing in the direction of a small stage delineated by fresh flowers, two chairs and a large gold throne with crimson padding, and some musicians playing drums just in front of it. Despite there being roughly a couple hundred people gathering there, they were relatively spaced out with plenty of room to move and walk around.
Some people stood by themselves while others stood or sat on blankets in the company of others. Some people paid close attention to the music, nodding their heads and moving to the beats while others talked and interacted with those around them, not giving the music much attention. A man stood with his dog, a child carried a green balloon dog, an adult and child danced together to the drumbeats, a person with long red hair wore fishnet stockings and bounced to the beats while typing on her phone, a man walked past with a sousaphone, a large plush animal began to walk along the circular path with a person inside it walking on stilts.
The people there seemed to represent a wide range of ages: from children in strollers to people with white hair who looked old enough to be grand or even great grandparents. From their appearance, if I had to guess, I would say that the majority of people present would probably have fallen in the category of “young and middle-aged adults.” They also seemed to represent a variety of different racial backgrounds in proportions common to the park and the neighborhood overall: a majority of the attendees appearing to be white with the rest of the attendees representing a variety of other racial groups. I also noticed a number of pairs and small groups of people dressed in attire that seemed somewhat carnivalesque - brightly colored clothing, sometimes with patterns, stripes, or polkadots.
As I approached I also noticed five large yellow letters being carried around by a group of people. Together, they read “PRONK,” which, I happen to know, is the name of an annual music festival in Providence that usually has events in multiple areas of the city. Without doing any online research or without asking anyone, I was left to wonder if the festival was indeed that day or if this event was something else that perhaps involved people affiliated with PRONK.
I began to turn my attention to the tents, which didn’t have a clear theme that I could easily put together. One tent, that had some coffins displayed on the ground appeared to represent a nonprofit that focuses on the treatment of prisoners, while another sold earrings and necklaces made of foliage conserved in resin. I also saw a couple food trucks selling things like burgers, hot dogs, and fries. I saw a tent that focused on fighting against book banning and other tent where an energy healer appeared to be giving counsel to a couple attendees. Another tent sold homemade candles made by a woman named Mena. I stopped to talk a bit with Mena.
Interview
- Research Question: How do local residents experience Dexter Park?
- Interview Questions: How do you relate to the park? Do you come here often? What do you come here to do? What is the general feeling you have about the park? Does the park offer you any opportunities to be social or feel a sense of community?
Mena, a Black woman likely in her early 30s, greeted me with a friendly welcoming smile as she stood behind her table dressed in black with a thick camel colored coat draped over her shoulders. I asked Mena about her candles and she kindly explained the process to me. We then began to talk about some of her candles. One was named “Fuck it,” another was named “Queen,” and still another was named “Mature.”Mena told me this latter one was the most gender neutral, and the one most liked by men. I told her I really liked that one and decided to buy it.
I told Mena I was doing a project and asked her if I could ask her some questions about her experiences with the park. She agreed and said she lives only a few blocks away and never used to come to the park but had been coming recently because of her change of career where she began making candles and selling them at events like this one. Mena told me she sells at many events like this one that bring together different groups - PRONK (the music festival), Haus of Codec (an LGBTQ+ organization), farmers’ markets and other fairs in a few different areas of the city.
Mena told me that during the pandemic she decided to quit her day job after she realized that she could make just as much money making candles and selling them at events like this one. She told me that her largest motivation for making this change was to have more time for self-care. She realized that if she could work from home making candles and only needed to sell her candles occasionally at events that she would have more time for her self and to lower her stress levels. She said that compared to her bank job where taking breaks was only allowed if she had to use the restroom, selling candles at festivals is much better for her well being.
This is when Mena explained to me how her involvement with these events has gotten her to spend more time outside her home and in the community. Now her young boy loves coming to the park to play on the playground, which she said they do at least one time per week. She also said that she’s been impressed with how friendly people are at the park, whether at the events or in the afternoons when she comes with her son to play. She said the experience is helping her son socially, who has been diagnosed with autism. She said now that they’re coming to the park more, he’s become more outgoing - he’s engaging with others much more and even speaking more in his classes at school.
Mena said she’s grateful for these outcomes that she attributes to the pandemic. She says it made her think seriously about her happiness and what she is doing with her life.
After I thanked Mena for her time and told her that I hoped we would see each other around, more live music started to play and gain momentum. Musicians dressed in black and playing trumpets, trombones, a saxophone, two sousaphones, and drums began dancing around and the audience gravitated toward them dancing along with them.
Wondering
- The Festival. What is this festival’s official name? How long have festivals like this one been taking place in the park? How often does it take place? Where are festivals like this one advertised? Mainstream news outlets or social media? Have festivals at the park always taken place in this area circumscribed by a circular walking path? What was the purpose of the stage? Did people eventually become crowned and sit on the thrones?
- The People. What are the names of the different bands that played? Do these bands exist outside of this kind of event? What other kinds of venues do they play at and how do those differ from this one? What about the attendees? Were the people dressed in brightly colored clothing also musicians? Do they always dress up like this at these types of events or was there something special about this one in particular? Why didn’t Mena come to the park before she started selling candles? To what extent does Mena’s clientele at these events influence her business - e.g., what she makes and sells?
- The Venders. What brings these specific venders to this festival? Is it their proximity to the park or do they set up at other locations and events? Any other events where these same bands play? What are the criteria for participation and who decides? Do any of these venders know one another? How?
- The Space. How much do the people at this festival frequent this park on other days of the year and when no festival is taking place? How do the people and the activities in the park change with the time of day, day of the week, and season of the year?
People gather in Dexter Park to watch and listen to musicians play at the PRONK festival.
Images of Dexter Park
The park's footpath redesign involved the creation of five 'bump-outs' at different spots along the paths, denoted by benches and gravel. This one sits on the edge of the internal circular path, bordering the outfield of the softball field where dogs often play fetch.
With the Armory building in the background, a film set's tents and trucks give the park a different feel for several weeks in the winter months.
A few new visual displays in the park highlight the park's history. This one, on the west side of the park near the bocce courts, tells of the park having served as a camp for African American military recruits in 1863.
Multiple voices, official and unofficial, are registered on a sign on the west side of the park.
The park's footpath redesign attempts to erase 'desire paths' by planting grass seed (denoted by the light colored sandy gravel).
Statue of Ebenezer Knight Dexter, the philanthropist who gifted the acreage to the city of Providence for the creation of a park.
Research Notes: Dexter park FootPath Renovation
Participant Observation
Dexter Park’s footpaths have been redesigned and are currently being reconstructed. For the time being, the path lining the perimeter of the park has remained untouched and walkers, joggers, wheelchair users, kids on bikes, and the occasional scooter rider use it at all times of the day during daylight hours. Except for the earliest and latest of hours, it is a rare occasion to find not one person on the perimeter path. On the southeast corner of the park near the Armory parking lot stands a bulldozer surrounded by a tall, temporarily installed chainlink fence. Asphalt has been removed from most all of the internal paths by now, and either new asphalt was laid or topsoil and bright green grass seed was added for removal of the path altogether.
Wondering
What are we to make of these changes? As a walker, I can say that the path needing the most replacing is the perimeter path. It is the one used by most folks in the park and is cracked in many places due to the sprawling roots of nearby trees. I wonder if the perimeter path renovation will come next. Maybe the inner paths were renovated first because it would bother fewer people while the weather is still nice. Or maybe not. Maybe they don’t even have enough money to renovate the perimeter, and that’s not coming until a year or two from now. Or maybe the person in charge never even thought about it and just said, ‘do the inner paths first, ok?’ Assumptions abound. Who knows? Someone certainly does.
Given these observations, something else I could make assumptions about is why they ‘erased’ some paths by removing them and filling them in with dirt and grass seed but not others? The ‘erased’ paths ran from the northeast corner of the park to the north/northwest corner, but at an angle and with a few offshoots. Why would this choice have been made? Is this strategic? Could it be done to discourage people walking in a particular direction? If so, why? Also, if that were the case, it would be a mere suggestion because people can still walk across the grass and often do; or can take the perimeter path or walk along the sidewalk on the other side of the streets lining the the park. Maybe this choice wasn’t so strategic. Or maybe it was done for another reason? Maybe they are trying to save money by not leaving as many paths to maintain. By the way, who are ‘they’ anyway?
A couple years ago, I attended a meeting in the neighborhood that surrounded the question of what to do with the vacant Armory building. There I learned that it and it’s parking lot are owned by the state and that the green space of Dexter Park is owned by the city. Therefore, is it the Providence Parks Department that is responsible for making these renovations? I guess this would be important to know. It could help to understand lots of things like who makes decisions about the park and what funds go to the park and where those funds come from and if I, as a resident, have any voting power to influence what does or does not happen in the park.
I noticed today that one of the landscaping trucks near the renovations had writing on the door that indicated it was a private landscaping company. So has the city or the Parks Department outsourced the landscaping to a private company? If so, why and how does that work?
Workers maintain Dexter Park by removing waste and tending to landscaping.
Research Notes: What we do and do not know about Dexter Park
Participant Observation: We know...
- Today, from the park, the sky looks blue without any clouds in sight. It’s not the blueist blue, more of a light greyish blue.
- The sun is washing its morning rays on all that it can reach – parts of trees, whether London planetrees or pines; some of the trees’ desiccating leaves; some signage, portions of grass, asphalt paths, benches, lamp posts, and playground equipment.
- Vehicles are creating mechanical-sounding noises, those moving north and south along the two streets that flank the long sides of park especially.
- Some trees have more yellowed leaves that others.
- Temporary police-ordered no-parking signs have been taped to the London planetrees with blue tape along Dexter Street prohibiting parking.
Wondering: We don’t know...
- Who notices the sky and sunlight from the vantage of the park today and what impact it may have on them.
- How do different locations within the park offer different perspectives on the sky and sunlight at this time of day? Are some perspectives impacted by other aspects of the park or its surroundings?
- Do people in transit on foot pass through the park? How does this experience factor into their day? Is it just another space to pass through or does it conjure up thoughts and feelings? Does it offer a chance for some to take a little nature in through their senses before starting their day?
- Why London planetrees were planted in this arrangement that we see them standing in today.
- These trees remind me of trees arranged in lines in parks and along roads throughout France. Was the planting of these specific trees an attempt to model/reference other places or times? If so, why?
- How this park has changed over time in terms of how it has been used, populations that have frequented it, and how it has been cared for.
- Were all walks of life always welcome to use the park? Who had the easiest access to it and for what purposes? Who valued the park and why?
- Who the earliest walkers are each morning and why they get up so early to walk.
- How the painters working at one of the houses on the park perceive the park – if they enjoy it, pay much attention to it, have ever walked through it, or spent any time in it.
- Whether or not the rumor is true that the temporary no-parking signs on the trees are due to Hocus Pocus II being filmed at the Armory building and whether Bette Midler or Sarah Jessica Parker will be spotted in the park one of these days.
Temporary parking sign at Dexter Park posted by the Providence police department.
Research Notes: OosterPark - Amsterdam, Netherlands
Participant Observation
As I approached Oosterpark on my bike on a semi-cloudy Thursday afternoon in March, I quickly made the decision that I would begin my observations by riding around the perimeter so I could get a sense of the size of the park and its immediate surroundings.
Arriving at one corner of the park (it’s a large rectangle like Dexter Park), I first noticed “Bar Bukowski” directly across the street from the park. I think it stood out to me, not only because of the name - Was Charles Bukowski Dutch? Or did he live in Amsterdam? Or is this in reference to a different Bukowski? - but also because I think it appeared on the Google map screenshot I had taken of the park before arriving. It looked like many cafes in the city - outdoor seating with tables that were all occupied. I sped by with the other cyclists as soon as the light turned green. I began to wonder if every corner opposite the park had a cafe on it.
I continued straight ahead, taking note of the park to my left just across the street but also was trying to pay close attention to the road ahead and other cyclists. As I approached the end of the length of the park at the intersection ahead, I noticed that indeed there was yet another cafe on the corner opposite the park. I can’t remember what was on the other two corners, but if I had to guess, I would say residential buildings (though I can’t be sure).
I then turned left - a feat that I did most ungracefully as I was still learning the rules of biking in Amsterdam. I hopped off my bike and walked it across the crosswalk and then found myself on the wrong side of the street to go in the direction I was wanting to head, which was along one of the shorter ends of the park. Once I got all that sorted out, I noticed a couple cafes in the middle of the block facing the street (only one appeared to be open, with few customers). Then I approached the corner and again had to figure out how to navigate the streets and bike lanes when turning left. On this corner, on the park side of the street - essentially part of the park - was a large red brick museum that I hadn’t heard of that also possibly hosts musical performances - I saw a temporary event sign that said “BACH” outside the building.
As I continued on along the second long side of the park, I paid more attention to what was going on in the park than what was across the street. I think this is because this time, the bike lane was on the park side of the street. On this side of the park, I took note of lots of thick concrete bench-like structures that seemed to also function as short walls for flowerbeds and landscaping. And as I approached the 4th intersection, I noticed that on the corner, also on the park side, appeared to be a school - I saw students and a sign that read “Lycée” (the French word for "high school"). I then turned left and noticed a restaurant just beside the school that appeared to be closed and did not have seats facing the street like the cafes on the other corners. I didn’t actually even see an entrance to the restaurant from the street side.
Finally, as I rode along the final edge of the park and could spot Bar Bukowski again down on the left, I noticed an entrance to the park to my left at the center of the block. I nearly went into this entrance but suddenly considered my potential action and resulting thoughts. “I can go ahead and enter the park here. I’ve already seen the corner ahead and whatever I missed probably just looks like the other corners.” As soon as I recognized my thinking and possible errors/assumptions that could arise from this action, I decided to use it productively. I said to myself, “No. Now I will finish this last small bit of street, and when I do, I will look to see if there is anything of importance that I would have missed had I skipped this last part. As I did this, I looked around, and sure enough, I noticed something completely unique that set this corner apart from all the others of the park - on the corner opposite Bar Bukowski was a giant hospital with all kinds of workers and others coming in and out that I had completely missed when I first arrived to that very corner. I think this had something to do with the fact that upon first arriving, I was so focused on finding the park. Then, once I realized that I had arrived, cars to my immediate left may have blocked my view of the hospital, and when I faced forward, Bar Bukowski caught my attention.
Finally, it was time to go into the park itself. I returned to the side entrance that I had just spotted and locked up my bike because I wasn’t sure if I could ride it inside the park or not. The park was surrounded by a relatively tall black iron gate that would be difficult to climb over and there were multiple entrances to the park, on the sides and the corners. I forgot to notice whether or not there were gates that could lock the park closed at night. Come to think of it, I didn’t notice this at another park closer to where I was staying either. If they are anything like Amsterdam's largest park, Vondelpark, they are open all night at least for bicycles to pass through (though there may be signs saying you can’t hang out in them at night - something I either forgot to look for or couldn’t understand the writing on the signs).
As I entered the Oosterpark, I immediately noticed a large sculpture depicting slavery and what appeared to be the evolution of humanity characterized by freedom. The plaque accompanying the sculpture also suggested as much. I also began to notice just how much the park was below the level of the streets surrounding it. And then I began to think about how that seemed to be the case with all of the parks I had seen so far in Amsterdam.
Some additional notes about Oosterpark: lots of green benches, small bits of landscaping that seemed to need tending to (mud exposed, some dead foliage etc.), different areas with concentrations of different types of flowers - crocuses, daffodils, and at a couple small ornate bridges going over the pond in different areas.
As I write these notes, I realize that I remember much more about the natural and built environment than I do the people. I’ll need to return to focus on people. That said, my estimate is that the park at this time had a total of 80-100 individuals in it, and I did notice people of a variety of ages in the park: high school aged students, people who looked to be in their early twenties speaking with British accents, people biking through the park and others strolling, sole individuals sitting on the green park benches - some smoking, some sitting and talking with someone else, and some sitting and just looking around. I also saw some people who appeared to have met up on bikes as they were standing stationary with their bikes and talking facing one another. I also noticed 20-30 men, none of whom appeared to be white by Dutch standards, and they appeared to have lots of clothing/bag type items with them and be sort of camped out on the concrete benches near the gazebo and the pond. Many were talking to one another and the vibe felt a bit macho and loud when compared to other people and goings on in the park.
Slavernijmonument ('Slavery Monument') designed by Surinamese sculptor, Erwin de Vries.