One Spark : A New Bridge Over the Ditch
How the World’s First Crowd Funding Festival is bringing Jacksonville
Together
Text by Abigail Wright
Last year, Jacksonville hosted the world's first crowd-funding festival.
One Spark’s inaugural festival was widely declared as a huge success, both in
the River City and internationally. Creators streamed in from all over the
globe to showcase their ideas, inventions and works. The projects' scope ranged
from the arts, technology and science to music and everyday gadgets. With One
Spark having such wide-ranging success, it’s clear to see the ushered change
that came with it. People walked with their children in strollers and ate
goodies from the popular food trucks, unafraid of change and not holding on to
past conceptions of the downtown area. Situated in nearly every space available
in the urban core, creators displayed their goods and ideas and the crowd voted
for their favorites for four days. People came in droves as creators and
spectators — some from as far away as California and some from just across the
St. Johns River. Jacksonville's square mileage is so vast, it's no surprise
that creators from the Beaches, the Westside, Northside, Southside and Downtown
had very different experiences.
Nadia Hionides, the
founder of The Foundation School at the Beaches was a creator in the inaugural
One Spark Festival. Her team took turns manning the booth and talking to those
who passed by or stopped in, hoping to convince them to vote for their project.
She and her team allotted about 30 minutes for the commute to get to their
venue. This year, her project is titled “Angles of Wonder,” a showcase in part
to encourage voters to view and gain insight into the learning styles of The
Foundation School. Teaching students in grades K through 12 through the method
of Project Inquiry Based Learning (PiBL), Hionides hopes to display the method
with a hands-on approach so voters experience the sculptures by the Foundation
Academy students.
Partially due to her
home base, Hionides says she and her students depend on a grassroots campaign
to get their voices heard. When asked if One Spark could happen anywhere else
in Jacksonville, her answer was fairly straightforward. “The Festival belongs
Downtown. The Beaches are an extension of our city, but it still needs to be in
the heart of Jacksonville,” she said. Folks from the Beaches may feel the need
to make more of a deliberate effort to become involved, however. There is that
"We don’t cross the ditch" mentality to overcome. “People don’t
always get diversity, but with the growth in Jacksonville, it’s easy to feel
included no matter where you live — even the Beaches.” Hionides’ project this
year is to promote her school's annual Jacksonville Science Festival in
Downtown Jacksonville (jacksonvillesciencefestival.com).
Over the ditch on Jacksonville’s Eastside, Niki Brunson owns a restaurant
that is generating some serious buzz around town. Celeb’s Corner Kitchen on A.
Philip Randolph Boulevard took One Spark by storm last year. Winning more than
292 votes which equates to about $1,300, Brunson and her right hand, Chef Sonja
Jones (aka Chef Love), made a name for themselves and for their section of
town. The Eastside hasn’t always had the best safety reputation. Since One
Spark 2013, it’s difficult to ignore the potential the area has acquired,
partially due to the promotion of Celeb’s Corner Kitchen for her neighborhood.
Unlike Hionides and her team, it took only five minutes for the Celeb ladies to
get to their Downtown venue, and that's including rush hour traffic. With no
long drive home, they were able to spend their nights at Brunson’s home in
Historic Springfield and were able to avoid the annoying long commute.
Interestingly, Brunson feels that the Beaches residents, even though they live
farther away, seem to be more plugged into One Spark and what’s happening in
the Urban Core. “Beaches residents seem to be informed. Our only cash donation
was from a Ponte Vedra resident, who had travelled 20 miles west of ‘the ditch’
to see what was going on.”
While promoting their own project, the Celebs ladies do stop to dwell on
their own ‘wow factor.’ “Urban Core dwellers are on the ground level of the
backdrop to our city’s brand. In the restaurant business, the front of house
sets the stage; the back of the house brings the wow. Urban Core dwellers are
in the back of the house where the magic happens.” Does that mean inner city
folks have an easier time getting around on the festival grounds? Participants
from all Northeast Florida areas are working on self-promotion, recognition and
fanfare. “Residents are challenged to find ways to capture the attention of our
local community. In my experience, being exceptional is part of the fabric of
our community. We expect ‘greatness’ and snub mediocrity.” In other words, both
businesses representing, from the Beaches and Urban Core, are ready for One
Spark 2014. Are you? To get updates, go to beonespark.com
http://firstcoastmagazine.com/wrightsnewdigs/
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