Public Art Installation
Context
The Greene-Hill Food Co-op is a 100% member-owned-and-operated food co-op in Brooklyn, New York. They provide affordable, locally grown, organic food for approximately 1300 members in Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, Bed-Stuy, Crown Heights, and Prospect Heights.
Opportunity
The co-op was interested in commissioning a mural on the back wall, and was having trouble galvanizing community support, collaborative creative decision making, and was losing time and value to unproductive dialogues. They were looking for an experienced lead to raise funds, facilitate the process, and engage the community.
Signage was created by Artist Melissa Godoy.
Volunteers Melissa Godoy and Julie Flynn staffed the activity station, explaining the activity and encouraging people to participate.
Attendees contributed over 100 ideas and comments about the mural through this engagement activity. Several key themes and common concepts emerged from the input attendees provided.
Primary themes emerged including: Renewable energy, Organic growing, Capitalism vs. alternative modes of consumption and societal structure, Farm/farming, Anti-gentrification.
Cultivating community engagement.
Through an open process of stakeholder and community engagement, we formed a committee through the co-op board including non-co-op community members. This steering committee was responsible for grant writing, ideation, supplies and materials, and organizing events and involvement.
Facilitated by a grant from the Brooklyn Arts Council, and the New York Dept of Arts & Cultural Affairs, we were able to host collaboration sessions, gather and distill community insights, and host a community painting day for the installation of the work.
Bryan Klein and his team of Veterans from Drop Cloth Painters volunteered to prime the wall together with a team of co-op and community memebers.
Gathering insights at the harvest farmer's market.
Through an on-going process of feedback, insights, and creative sessions, we partnered with local artists, residents, and a veterans group of professional house painters to accomplish the public art intervention.
Community painting day participants
Through publicity, outreach, and an open door policy, there were over 200 participants in the entire process from end-to-end. – Of all ages!
