We envision a flourishing city.
Norwalk 2.0 exists to engage residents locally, enhance public space and improve city quality of life. We are a consultancy using economic development, data, and creativity to create public engagement projects that make cities better.
We do this by bringing art and artists to public spaces, sparking ideas about how to make the city better, and creating fun.
What is public art and what can it bring to a neighborhood?
Public art is permanent or temporary elements of a public space that are designed by artists, reflect an awareness of the site, and often involve community engagement and collaboration.
- Culture: Public art project contributes to the Norwalk’s identity as an arts and innovation hub and as a center for creativity.
- Community: Public art project fosters community pride, ownership and a sense of belonging.
- Design: Public art contributes to the quality of Norwalk’s built environment.
We engage residents, businesses, and community organizations to work together and create an authentic, creative, economically diverse, and sustainable future. We provide education and insights into supporting a new creative economy, organize events to encourage networking and the sharing of ideas, and promote organizations and initiatives in the greater Norwalk community.
Create landmark artworks that become part of the City’s cultural landscape.
We help make the most out of local experiences. That means getting past who has the best pizza, to understanding how to make sense of local issues and where to go for things that enhance the fun of living here.
We’ve been immersed in that journey ourselves, so we understand how to address this need. We realized that doing the same old thing over and over was a broken system. So we’ve made something different — media and experiences that are created by and with people, not just for them.
We are ‘hi-tech’ and ‘high-touch’ believing that community engagement is best achieved using a combination of in-person and technical interaction. Norwalk 2.0 serves area residents, businesses, and visitors.
Over eight thousand people have attended a Norwalk 2.0 project over the past nine years. Norwalk 2.0 has produced public art events, community-focused support for local non-profits, Street Beautification plans, and workshops, talks, explorations, and exhibits.
Big changes start with little projects and every project starts with a team. Norwalk 2.0 is here to get your journey started.
Why Norwalk 2.0?
Norwalk 2.0 is more than just another non-profit, non-governmental agency. Norwalk 2.0 represents a new way of tackling big problems and the little details, and a pragmatic approach to getting things done. We believe in social equity, we represent a reimagined future of Norwalk and its hundreds of neighborhoods.
TEAM MEMBERS
Jackie Lightfield and Maribeth Becker co-founded Norwalk 2.0 in July of 2010. Norwalk 2.0 is a 501(3)c.
Jackie Lightfield, Chief Problem Solver
Jackie is a civic entrepreneur who has lead tech startups as a writer, coder, designer, and futurist. She co-founded Norwalk 2.0 in 2010 and has led civi tech projects through The Stamford Partnership from 2013-2019. She experiments in digital media and develops strategic frameworks on how tech, the arts, and everyday living intersect.
Jackie is a hands-on technical leader whose expertise in IoT, AI, and ML blend practical applications with a civic focus. She has led and initiated projects that include; bringing Smart City applications to the City of Stamford and the City of Philadelphia. She designed an autonomous shuttle pilot project for the City of Stamford along with a LiDar and LoRa Wan backbone, introduced free public WIFI, and developed an IoT infrastructure pilot for real-time information tracking utilizing low powered sensors.
She is a strategic thinking troubleshooter with a track record of delivering solutions to complex problems. A background in tech development, management, and marketing allows her to easily work within a wide range of organizations and industries. Strong leadership abilities with a focus on amplifying the skills of those around her. She has worked with tech companies; MECA Software, blowtorch studios, US Daily Digital, AOL-Patch, Mainstreet USA, Inline Software, Microtech International, and SunStar on projects that helped companies like Schick, PowerSmart, Dun and Bradstreet, Iomega, Apple, and Disney, develop products.
Jackie Lightfield has produced interactive media applications including websites, mobile apps, and interactive exhibits. She specializes in information architecture and user interface.
Maribeth Becker, Chief Dot Connector
Leaving no stone unturned, Maribeth Becker uses her inquisitive powers to solve the eternal questions that stymie most organizations. A community leader with hands-on experience, Maribeth blends intuitive analysis with her unique style and a flair for strategic planning. Her experience developing and organizing various groups is based on facilitating communication, increasing participation and effecting change. Her stints on diverse boards such as Connecticut Friends School, Norwalk YMCA, and the Norwalk Arts Commission play to her strengths of strategic thinking, vision, and finding connections between seemingly unrelated things. She is the Chief Dot Connector for Norwalk 2.0 and irresistibly bossy. She speaks marketing, collaboration, and English fluently, and often finds herself turning impossible dreams into fabulous projects.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
PRESIDENT
Maribeth Becker
VICE PRESIDENT
Bruce Beinfield
CORPORATE SECRETARY
Diana Lenkowsky
BOARD MEMBERS
Suzanne Ancona
Lenny Dinardo
Jackie Lightfield
David Waters
News
Looking For Historic Wall Street Photos
Share Your History: Norwalk 2.0 looking for images and documents that tell the story of downtown Norwalk Norwalk 2.0 is collecting images that document the history of Wall Street and downtown Norwalk and illustrate its many changes. A selection will be chosen for reproduction in a walking history trail exhibit and map and website that will be installed next month. We are asking anyone interested in helping with the project to to bring old photos, maps or other interesting documents, to POP City (68 Wall
Creative Place Making
One of the reasons that we spend so much time organizing communities is simply because good things happen when serendipitous connections happen. Not so long ago, I was reading a Harvard Business Review article on the sense of place where Kodak was singled out as a company that was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Rochester NY is not exactly known for its tech scene is it? Yet Polaroid, in the heart of Cambridge, was in a fairly fluid tech scene, yet somehow
Looking To Do Something?
Hey, we’re all about connecting with people who do cool stuff. Our online submission process for doing stuff in POP City is open. We’re looking for innovative, cool and fun. All three would be totally awesome. The submission process is fairly simple. Tell us who you are, what you want to do and if you are an artist, show us your work! The rest of you just get to type. Not too many questions (we hope) and we’ll be in touch. Submit Here.
The before and after
The transformation of a vacant storefront is always exciting. This is a before and after shots Of the POP City space at 68 Wall Street.
The Art of the Pop Up
Jackie presents that Art of the Pop-Up during the first at Stamford Ignite. Watch the five minute overview on how to think about revitalizing downtowns with pop-ups and all sorts of different ideas.
A Movie about Sign Painters
SIGN PAINTERS (OFFICIAL TRAILER) from samuel j macon on Vimeo.
Norwalk 2.0 Plans Norwalk Downtown Revitalization
NORWALK – Norwalk 2.0, a community and economic development organization is starting work on a project aimed at bringing people back to heart of Norwalk’s downtown. Linking the past with the future, the project received funding support from the Department of Economic and Community Development, Connecticut Office of the Arts which also receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency (DECD Office of the Arts) as part of the Arts Catalyze Placemaking (ACP-3) Arts Leadership Implementation grant program. The grant
Pop Ups of a Different Kind
Lena Steinkühler New York Biotopes lovingly showcases NYC with abstract plants and creatures mutating before your eyes. Her film, a graduation project, was a reaction to, in her words, insufficient living space for plants and creatures. “These creatures and plants, partly mechanical, partly organically in appearance, spread more and more over the city and fill it up with life.” It’s a stunning film. New York Biotopes from Lena Steinkühler on Vimeo.
Check Out the 2.0 Survey Results
We were happy to report on the results of the Norwalk Listens Survey, and produced a music video to go along. For those that want to read a little data we’ve got you covered with a link here.
We’ve Spruced Up A Bit
Give our new site a whirl, we thought it time to create a more engaging web site.
The Winter Newsletter
the renaissance As we sit here writing this on our deck overlooking the Norwalk River, we miss the lazy days of 80 degree sunshine, but are appreciating the nearly 60 degree run up to Christmas. Well, we know it won’t last, but the crazy weather certainly has been on the minds of many this past fall.So many people have been impacted by Sandy, that we’re sure that you personally know someone who is still dealing with the trees, the sand, the debris and the water.
Calling all artists
We’re creating art inspired Norwalk 2.0 t-shirts. If you are an artist (or play one on tv), know an artist or wanna be an artist, we are looking for creative interpretations about what Norwalk 2.0 is all about. We will post renditions of our faves here and let the world vote on the winners. Then we create the shirts and they become a bonus gift for making a donation. All that, and nary a telethon on the horizon! How to Play: Fill out this form
Civility & The Press: A Discussion
We continue our support of community conversations. Civility and the Press: A paneldiscussion on March 29 at Fat Cat Pie Co. Wine Room. Tickets are $20 and include wine of course. Is the press part of the problem or part of the solution. Hear from Froma Harrop, Jerrod Ferrari and Thomas Mellana and join in the discussion.
City Hall 2.0
In the latest issue of American City & County, there is a great article about how government can engage the community it serves. Norwalk has taken some steps but clearly lacks a plan on how to get there. I’ve excerpted the start below: This article appeared in the February 2012 issue with the title, “City Hall 2.0.” Access to government drives engagement. The more opportunities residents have to participate in civic activities and discussions, and the more channels available through which they may participate, the
Thoughts on Civility
After the Community Conversation, the summary of the Community Conversation. Yes the link below leads you to the data collected on the over 50 participants who shared what they thought about what civility meant to them. Enjoy! click here -> civility_statement (pdf)
The Hour Covers Civility Conversation
A nice article by Danielle Calpalbo on what happened during the Community Conversation on Civility. Forum: “Bark less, wag more” at public meetings in Norwalk By DANIELLE CAPALBO Hour Staff Writer NORWALK — “Bark less, wag more.” That was among the suggestions put forth Wednesday during a salon-style conversation about civility, planned by Red Apples, an education reform group, and Norwalk 2.0, a community development group. The function took place at Fat Cat Pie Co., where upward of 40 people– councilmembers, political hopefuls and parents among them – chatted
