Songs of Place: Andrew and Tucker Return for a 48-Hour Residency
The Harrison Center’s 48-hour residency program, launched in 2014, has long offered a space for emerging and established musicians to respond creatively to neighborhood narratives. These residencies are brief but powerful—immersive creative sprints that invite artists to explore local history, culture, and community needs. This spring, we were thrilled to welcome two familiar faces: Andrew Christenberry and Tucker Krajewski, former Cultural Entrepreneurship Interns and longtime Harrison Center collaborators.
Andrew interned in the summer of 2013 before becoming a Fellow in 2014–2015, contributing blog posts, original songs, and instrumentals for our video projects. Tucker interned for three consecutive summers, from 2014 to 2016, and produced a podcast and wrote songs inspired by the Mapleton-Fall Creek neighborhood, including music for the Mapleton Crossing project. Both have remained engaged with the Center over the years, serving on the board of the Bloombox Festival and continuing to create thoughtful, place-based work.
For their residency, Andrew and Tucker explored Martindale-Brightwood (MB), one of the Harrison Center's key partner neighborhoods. They spent time in the Polklore micro-museum listening to stories, reading the MB Quality of Life Plan, and talking with artists and residents. Their inspiration emerged from a compelling mix of neighborhood history and serendipitous conversation. A portrait of Frederick Douglass hanging in the museum sparked curiosity. In their research, they learned progressive monk, Boniface Hardin, founder of Martin University often reenacted Douglass—a curious overlap. Over lunch, Harrison Center artist Jay Parnell shared that he had painted Boniface's portrait, currently hanging at Martin, and even brought in the original study as they discussed his impact. The story—layered, symbolic, and rich with identity—became the seed for a song.
Their performance at April's First Friday was a highlight of the evening. Their original song, Ora et Labora (prayer & work), was a ballad laced with subtle blues and jazz influences, channeling the spirit and wisdom of Boniface Hardin. They also performed older songs from their internship days, bringing their creative journey full circle. Tucker's wife, Laura, a previous Harrison Center collaborator, even joined in for a joyful reprise of one of their early pieces, simply titled Joy.
Reflecting on their time at the Harrison Center, both artists underscored the lasting impact of the Cultural Entrepreneurship framework. “It's hard to carve out time in our busy lives to have a creative outlet, so taking PTO to come and work on this creative challenge is an exciting opportunity,” said Tucker. Andrew added, "Don't come in expecting your creative journey to be dictated to you. Own it and explore." Their words, like their music, are a reminder of the power of listening deeply to place—and responding with creativity, curiosity, and care.
Listen here: https://soundcloud.com/citygallery/ora-et-labora