Collective

As an extension of Fly Awake Tea Garden I began organizing events to build community. Studies show it is harder to get people together to do positive collaborative action than to protest or fight. So, how do we build or transform community? Have a vision, hold it in your mind as a goal, take direct action, and be responsive to group feedback. Simple actions for coalescing neighborhoods include borrowing tools, eating together, and making passageways in fences. Another fun way to build community is collectively making a street painting, also known as “intersection repair”. It is called a repair, because it brings the space back into the domain of pedestrians and friendly interactions instead of just being for cars. When I host an intersection painting there are lots of opportunities to share paint brushes and supplies, donate food, and joyfully take food breaks while not caring about looking grubby. Planning street paintings is a great way to get to know the neighborhood through decisionmaking about the images, and getting consent from residents. In addition to street paintings, we planted pollinators and native plants on curb strips (the bees were over the moon, especially enjoying catnip and Douglas aster). We built a bench with repurposed stones and concrete, and installed several “little libraries” (that can also be used for art and education). Painted intersections are a fun space to have neighborhood potlucks and require maintenance, ie repainting parties.

Letter images and add short descriptions. Add pics of little libraries, etc?