I often awaken at 3AM with the inexplicable urge to write. I wrote most of my doctoral thesis at these wee hours in the night. Somehow, there is more clarity and a greater ability to listen to that creative inspiration at these hours. Early this morning I had a wonderful inspiration come through. For the past few weeks I have been seeing the apprenticeship aspect of the community houses from a new lens. Shop and car mechanics as one aspect, but also carpentry, and plumbing have been at the top of my list. I have so many ideas on how to incorporate some of these skill sets into fun creative art projects, like constructing PVC sculptures using plumbing tools. Creating fountains and the like. Carpentry skills could come through building boxes, or frames with traditional trim material. The possibilities are endless. The goal of this project has always been to build a healthy community. The way in which I hope to participate in this is through listening to what the neighborhood wants and needs. This neighborhood has gone from being nearly 70-80% owner occupied to probably 30% owner occupied. Furthermore, there are several unoccupied properties which are a haven for crime and abuse. Last summer, I had an interesting conversation with the grandfather of some of the kids. He had a new fence put around the front porch. At that time the Art Garage had been engaged in the Karma Award activities, and so I asked if he would like to have the fence painted. He said he was not the owner of the house, and if it were his place he would have done it already. Another neighbor spoke about not having had the blessing of owning his own place, yet. When I moved in several neighbors expressed so much gratitude that an owner was going to be living on the block. Home ownership is an important key to community. It truly makes a difference, in so many ways. One of the challenges of owning verses renting is paying for repairs. If you do not have the skillset to deal with small carpentry, plumbing or electrical issues, the results can be disasterous. I just had a plumber come to do some very minor repairs and it cost me over $600. In my neighborhood that could be most of your monthly income. But if our community members had enough skills collectively in plumbing, carpentry, electric and the like... What if the Community House Network was not just about entreprenurialism, but also about home ownership? Now that is a powerful idea. I will bring it to the community and get back to you.
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Abigail LarrisonEducator, Scientist and Art Maker. The purpose of all life is to spread joy. What brings more joy than making art? Archives
November 2023
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