2. COMMUNITY ART! What is it?

3. Community and participant-driven Can be any media Facilitates dialogue Process is important Product should benefit the community Tells stories about who lives, works & plays there

4. YepNot Quite

5. START FROM THE SOURCE

6. WHAT ARE THE COMMUNAL NEEDS?

7. These can be things like: Intergenerational dialogue Cleaning up litter Something for kids to do after school Opportunities for people to move or exercise

8. Ask – How can you engage the community in these issues using the garden in creative ways?

9. WHAT ARE YOUR RESOURCES?

10. What do you already have in your community? Big, beautiful trees Community members wanting to share certain skills Lots of plants that produce dyes Open space near garden A major bus line Tall, ugly fences to cover

11. IN ACTION

12. Community Need: Middle school-aged kids need something to do after school. Resource: Lots of tires from an auto shop that recently closed. Project: Once students start talking, they realize their families all come from different cultures. They decide to create ‘planter boxes” made from the tires, painted with with symbols that represent the different cultures. Kids meet every Tuesday & Thursday for a month, mentored by an adult with some construction background.

13. EXERCISE – What is a single need of your community? What is a resource you could pair with that need?

14. HOW DO YOU CREATE GARDEN AS CULTURAL SPACE?

15. Make these events Consider ongoing projects where participants can stay connected to the project and to the other participants Create projects where many members of the community feel invited Produce end products that can be enjoyed and shared by all in the community

16. IF YOU CREATE SOMETHING THAT ADDRESSES AN ACTUAL NEED OR DESIRE OF THE COMMUNITY, THEY WILL BE MORE INVESTED

17. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

18. By creating a garden you have already created a nurturing, communal site. Community arts projects engage the people of the neighborhood in a deep and personal way, and ask for their unique perspectives to be imbued into the site. Share your stories! They can make spaces even more beautiful! The can give neighbors different ways to experience the space (sitting on a painted bench, watching a poetry reading, viewing a mural) They activate the space and open it up to creative possibilities IT IS REALLY FUN