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The Hunting Park Community Garden Mural Project will overlook the Hunting Park Community Garden, a collaborative effort of many neighborhood residents, associations, and organizations over the last two years which has transformed a vacant, trash-strewn lot into a space for gardening and social interaction. The Mural Project will be led by Ayuda Community Center and will be our 4th work of public art created to beautify our neighborhood. The project begins on April 26th with a completion date of June 14, 2008.
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The Mural Project is the result of 18 months of collaboration between staff members at Ayuda and community residents who form the Friends of Hunting Park Community Garden. For this project, we will also partner with Youth Build Charter School which enables students ages 16-24 to work toward their GED or High School Diploma while receiving job training and engaging in community service. The mural will be painted on 12 Alucabest panels (exterior grade aluminum signboard) over the span of three Saturday Workshops and the finished product will be installed on the east wall of a row home facing the community garden. In addition to creating beautiful art for public display, the Hunting Park Community Garden Mural Project will educate participants on the benefits of gardening for individuals and communities.
Students from Youth Build and young leaders from our neighborhood will lead approximately 40 community residents as they contribute to the painting of the mural. During this time, architect Juliet Lee will make a 30 minute presentation from her 2005 ArchVoices award winning essay entitled "The Value of Architecture and Design as an Issue of Social Justice." Then the co-founders of the Hunting Park Community Garden, Jeff Manson and Andy Nolan, will give information about the history the Garden, its impact on our community, and how community residents can be involved.
A key word in the mission statement of Ayuda Community Center is "transformed." The community beautification projects completed by Ayuda accomplish this goal more visibly than any other activity that we engage in. The entire community of Hunting Park can see the tangible transformation of our neighborhood as we work together to complete and install these public works of art. Furthermore, a deeper goal of social transformation is being accomplished below the surface as neighbors work together strengthening the relational fabric of the community. Indeed, the redemption of the social canvas is a parallel aspect of working together on a physical one.
Since the completion of our mosaic project neighborhood residents and members of the Friends of Hunting Park Community Garden have enthusiastically inquired when the next art project will be. This previous art installation at the site of the garden generated momentum to do more creative work together as a community and fostered a strong sense of community pride among the participants. These results have propelled community residents toward this Mural Project and Ayuda is proud to facilitate the process. Our community, which is often publicized for acts of violence, drug related behavior, and urban poverty, longs to spend energy toward efforts that have a positive effect on our environment and attract attention to our community for good things.
By Michaelanne Harriman
Community Arts Director, Ayuda Community Center
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