In Their Own Words

Already my last day in Seattle, Monday promised to go out with a bang as I was scheduled to meet with Claudia at Coyote Central in the morning, Kathleen at Urban ArtWorks in the afternoon, and a train to Portland by 5:30. Rested after a weekend off and a trip to the beach at Golden Gardens just outside of Seattle, I had picked my longed for shells and beach rocks and was ready to talk art-action. The weather did not match my mood as I looked outside and prepared for my four mile walk across town. It was coming down in sheets. Lesson learned from the debacle in Minnesota, I brought my rain jacket and pre-stored all valuables deep within my backpack before departing.

Over a hill, and a hill, and another hill, another one? ….really, you've got to be kidding me? one more....whew...ok so really great to finally see a mosaic rimmed Coyote Central. Being pretty wet at this point, I was thrilled to see the sun peeping out just as I arrived. Happy that I made it a few minutes early, I struck up a conversation with a young man waiting outside the building. Just so happens that he was also waiting to get inside, in fact he use to be a participant in the programs there had now returned with a degree in psychology to work as a leader with the current youth. He explained how important the organization was to the community, how it helped kids surrounded by gangs and tough family situations have a fun and meaningful alternative to other negative choices. He said he will regularly see kids hanging out on the opposite corner and go over to them, inviting them to participate, getting them involved, and insisting on the importance of using their minds. As the sun came out he gave me a quick tour of art work they had done on the block, a mosiac metal sculpture tree, a painting, metal work above the door at the community center across the street, their work was clearly a presence. Thanking him for the tour we tried another door to get in with more success, and went in the office to meet Claudia.

Claudia greeted me warmly and invited me to talk with her in what looked like a room for dance classes. Giving me a brief overview of how their programs are structured, she explained that they have tuition based programing that is on a sliding scale with available scholarships. Between their fall, winter, and summer programs they had over 1,000 participants last year. Classes offered include metal-work, wood-working, cooking, dancing, sewing, welding, music, glass blowing and bead making, and painting, and that is just some of the options. They also have a summer public arts program that specifically works with kids from low-income homes, and is made possible through scholarships. During this 3-4 week program youth work with professional artists to create a piece of artwork for a public space. City Works is their program for youth who have been through one of there other programs and demonstrated a high degree of talent and commitment to their artwork. In this program, when Coyote Central gets a call for commissioned art work, these students again work with professional artists to produce art for the designated space. One example of this was when Macy's commissioned art work to be hung in the windows of their downtown department store. Other departments stores and business also commission pieces, not only allowing the participants to feel the accomplishment of work being publicly displayed, but also demonstrating how the arts can be a serious and paying profession.

Overall Coyote Central's goal is to get youth interacting with the arts in as many materials as possible with professional artists, and have fun while building skills. Claudia explained that what drives curriculum is what will capture the attention and imaginations of middle school kids. They continue to do this successfully, and old participant return while new ones arrive. With safety precautions and the careful supervision of adults and professional artists, the youth get to try new and exciting projects that both challenge them and build their skills. Seeing their artwork in their community grows their confidence and sense of connection, while also building skills in that directed study as well as problem solving and creative reasoning. So how did they get it started. She explained that the founder of the organization started by operating out of her kitchen some fifteen years ago, and this was the case for years. Much of the work done with professional artist was and still is done off site at the studios and workshops around Seattle. It has only been in the past year that they moved into their own space, and the transition was exciting. The three permanent staff members work extremely hard, and funding continues to remain their largest operating challenge. But they have made it work, and not only have they been reaching and succeeding in their goals, but growing as well.

Yeah, it could take a while to get this thing going. I asked Claudia for advice. She suggested that I should try to keep overhead as low as possible and connect with as many youth providers as possible in the schools, community centers, and with social works. Being interested in the professional teaching-artist model, it would be a good idea to start making connections with the arts community, keeping in mind not all artist make good youth workers. She also suggested starting small and successful, and building up from there(good I'd heard this before). Lastly she advised having measurable ways to gauge success and having methods of evaluation, this is good for self-tracking as an organization and also helpful when applying for grants. And putting in a lot of hard work. Still sounding challenging, I was happy to find some things sounding familiar, and possible. With Claudia's warm words of advice and enthusiastic support, we said goodbye, and I felt ready for the rest of the day's events.

I headed back down town, by bus this time passing the many shelter murals I'd seen pictures of last week, to grab a final lunch from my favorite deli at the market. Bundled against the chill of a damp morning, I happily soaked up the emerging sun as I ate my harvest salad. The view of the Puget Sound below had given me a sense of peace throughout the week, in rain, cold, sun, wind, it seemed to be a source of connection to the larger waters just beyond it. The mountains were obscured by still lingering clouds, but I knew they were there, and was glad of their presence even though out of view. I would miss the sight, and felt the need to come back and actually visit the not so distant mountains and woods. But this trip was for something different, so I prepared to pack my bags and catch a taxi to Urban ArtWorks.

Running late in what seemed like rush hour traffic at 3:30 in the afternoon, I fretted as my valuable time with Kathleen got sucked up by the slow moving wheels of the truck in front of us. When I arrived, trundling down a flight of stairs in my double backpack get-up, Kathleen was more than understanding and accommodating, offering to drive me to the train station to give us more time to talk. What a gem. We sat in their front room which served as an office and reception area, and I could see their studio space through a glass window door. We started with the by now familiar dance of introductions; I explained why I was here and what I was hoping to do with the information upon return to Madison, and Kathleen gave me an outline of the work they were doing as an organization.

I couldn't stop smiling as she talked. One of the first projects the founder did to get the organization started, was a massive organized work event over the course of a weekend. With a grant from the city, hundred of people came together to paint 15 mural, and in the process pick up tons of trash. The city was so impressed with the results that they decieded to continue funding the project. As other community members and businesses saw murals going up, they also wanted to be a part of it and started commissioning artwork from the organization. In addition to these city grants and private commissions, the court system also got involved. Through the courts, kids are designated a certain amount of money for services, from this funding the youth at Urban ArtWorks are given a paycheck for the work that they do there. In this way kids are referred from the court to UAW for a job, the kids have to go through an interview process and show up everyday on time and ready to work, and when working somebody helps them figure out the financial responsibility of having a paycheck. Kathleen explained that they treat this like a job, the youth are expected to be respectful and work hard, show up on time, and work as part of a team. This helps them build life-skills, work training, confidence, financial literacy, experience to put on a resume, and when artwork is completed they get to see their name on something positive. Music to my ears. I had to stop and explain to Kathleen that I was smiling uncontrollably because these are exactly the goals I have been working with youth on for the past three years, and want to continue incorporating into whatever program I develop. I just haven't talked to anybody doing it with art. We agreed it is pretty cool.

Programs run year round in a series of eight week sessions. While UAW primary works with court involved youth, they do work with some other youth during their summer program, as well as adults doing community service. After youth complete their eight week session, funding is no longer provided through the courts, so they are encourage to continue volunteering or to apply for an internship that is funded through UAW. One of the most recent developments in programing is an all female group that meets on Saturdays. Kathleen explained that often if girls are the only female participants, they can feel very uncomfortable and stop showing up(it is still their choice to be there, but like a job they won't receive a paycheck without showing up). Seeing the importance of the girls' comfort and safety, they decided to create a day where the space was strictly female with female staff and case workers. The Saturdays have been a huge success and retention of female participants is way up. While they do projects they talk and share, a sense of safety and connection is created, and the girls love it. On the last day of their session they come together and celebrate. I want to do that.

Realizing there was a resident expert sitting in the other room, Kathleen pulled in a previous participant to tell me about his experience first as a participant in the eight week session and now as an intern. The young man who came in shook my hand with confidence and had great eye contact, he seemed confident and comfortable sitting at a table with two adults. He explained how the program had turned his life around, with qualifications that he didn't want to sound cheesy. It had changed who he was a home and school, he started to feel better about his life, and loved doing the artwork. He has plans to continue doing his artwork and telling his story through his art, he has already started building a name for himself. Now he enjoys coming to UAW and seeing new youth come through the doors, he is there to help support them and lead with his experience. Giving me his website address, I felt I was talking to a professional.

Nearly time to go, I had so many questions running through my head that there was not time to ask them all, most loudly was the repeated one of how do I do this. As Kathleen packed her bags I peeked around their studio space. The walls were lined with large wooden panels that could be installed at a variety of places. Some were commissioned for construction sights, some for businesses or city spaces. Participants sat working around a table in the middle of the room. They were working on pictures that would be part of an auction at the court house where staff would buy their pieces to have them permanently displayed on the courthouse walls. It was time to go, and I fired off questions at Kathleen on our short ride to the station. Kathleen described how their programs are constantly changing, adapting to the needs of youth and patrons. They are flexible while remaining committed to their vision and work with youth and the arts. Her advice was to find out who cares about this in my city and community, and gain support from them, to create high quality images that are successful in the community, think of a variety of funding sources. Again I heard the message that this is a lot of hard work and can take a long time to build as an organization, but it is possible and people do care about the work. Swinging over to the curb at Jackson Street, I barely had time to thank Kathleen enough for all her help and the work she was doing, and then I was literally out the door and running double backpacked to my train...that was leaving in ten minutes.

All's well that ends well, I made it. Huffing embarrassingly and wondering how it still felt I had a ton of bricks on my shoulders even after unloading my bags, I plopped down in my train seat. Now that I was dry and warm and not lugging anything, my mind traced back across the words and faces of the day. I found I was not only inspired but comforted, strangely by how hard this work was, and how much each person I met had put into the success of their program's mission and vision. It was hard, but they were doing it. In light of the challenges, the mountainous obstacles of funding and burn out, people were achieving their goals without superpowers or batman like devices. There are real and practical ways to go about making this change, and creative problem solving has is a power in its own right, if not glamorous. Watching the sun set over unknown rivers, hills dip and rise, and the shadow of trees shade to ebony between the red lips of sky and water, I relaxed into my departure from those thoughts, and prepared for the next leg of the journey.

Now that I am in Portland I know why it came so highly recommended, it's great! As this was an unexpected stop, I currently don't have any meetings set up here, but hope to before leaving for California. I will keep you posted. In the mean time I am loving exploring the city with its friendly tree lined streets, abundant coffee shops and interesting store fronts, and really nice public art and parks. I look forward to taking this time to gather my thought at the half way mark and start putting together a rough rough draft plan for RestArt. In the mean time I plan to check out Chinatown, the Japanese Gardens, river walk, and art museums. Thank you for the many who encouraged me to take a break here!

I hope you are all well!

Subject to Impressions in Seattle: Do all Americans Put Their Wallets in the Refrigerator?

Traveling can be a funny thing for a lot of reasons, one being the brevity of experience and the impressions or insights left by these encounters such as: a conversation with a taxi driver, the seemingly eccentric local person giving you directions, unexpected smells, irregular foods or foods that produce irregularity. Funnier still when you're not quite at your best.

On Thursday last week, I woke up with the feeling that sickness was sticking to me, annoying, gum-like in its persistent attachment, and most of all exhausting. I was happy to have a meeting with Dale Cummings at the Seattle Transit Route Facilities to give purpose and intention to my morning through the thick veil of sinus pressure. On my walk to Dale's office, I was inspired and increasingly geared up for our meeting as I passed a myriad of decorated bus stops. Dale and his team are largely the masterminds behind the city-wide program to bring art to the bus stops, and therefore throughout the city's many neighborhoods. If the concept sounds cool, the result is even more impressive.

It was great to finally be meeting Dale, I felt I already knew him to some degree from our emails and from his help in connecting me with other important contacts throughout the city. We started our conversation by going on a neighborhood tour of some bus stops in close proximity to his office. Heading down the block past wall-murals and decorated park trees, Dale began to explain some of the history and process of their program. Started in 1989, the mural program first partnered with high school groups to produce paintings for some of the shelters. What they found was that with the installment of murals, tagging and graffiti incidents dropped, and the community loved the art represented in their neighborhoods. By involving the community and youth in the process of creating the art, they found that their was a propriety interest and investment in the bus stops. In this way the program offered not only beautification of the streets, but a way for a neighborhoods and youth to take ownership of a commonly shared and used space. As acclaims and support grew for the program, so did funding, and eventually it was incorporated at the county level.

As we walked and talked Dale showed me some of the examples of recent growth in the mural program. While there are still paint kits available to community groups and youth to decorate stops, the program also commissions professional artists. At many of the bus stops there was a design on the glass as well as the base of the shelter. Artists were commissioned to come up with a design for the glass back boards, and then this design is printed in mass and used frequently throughout the city. One of the newer developments in the program is the use of photography around the base of the shelters. These photographs are professionally printed on the base board and then installed as repairs and refurbishing is done the the stops. I also got to see some of the painted shelters, and one that had images printed on tiles depicting the history of Japan-Town before and during World War II. Just in a few blocks it was evident that this program has and continues to make its mark on the city. When we got back to the office, Dale showed me images of work throughout the city demonstrating the many art forms used to decorate the shelters. There were images made of tiles, transparencies, lazer-cut steel, mosaics, terracotta, photography, and the painted murals. As we scanned through the multitude of images, it occurred to me that this was a special kind of gallery exhibiting community and professional artists' work displayed together throughout the city. What a very cool way to bring the show outside so that it can be a part of so many people's everyday life!

So....Madison bus-stops? I talked with Dale about how to possibly get something like this started from the outside in, for example if you're a Becky who doesn't work in the Metro Department. His advice was to start by gathering information and closely examine the layout and design of our shelters, looking at the logistics of where the images would go and if they would obscure vision for either passengers or bus drivers. In addition to the logistics of the shelter design, it would be important to gather information about material cost and application, as well as finding out as much information as possible about current assembly and refurbishing practices. The easier it is to incorporate into current systems of maintenance or assembly, the better for the program's acceptance and success. The next step would be to find who it is I should be talking to and presenting a well informed and researched pitch for the program. Then, when getting the go ahead, start by doing a few projects that are successful and easy to get excited about and build from there. I was already scanning my brain for images of Madison bus stops, and getting excited to go on some extended bus rides in December. I was already day-dreaming about a city wide competition at each of the Madison Area High Schools, and the winning contestants from each school creating a design for a shelter near their school. We said goodbye with wishes to stay in touch, and for this idea and art to grow successfully in our communities. I was so thankful for his positive energy, time, and helpful insights. The wheels are going, thanks Dale.

Wrapped up in the meeting and fascinated by what we had been talking about, I hadn't realized how much my body was telling me it was time to go to bed. I swung by the local market to get veggies and rice noodles at the nearby Indonesian grocer, knowing I would not want to go out later once I had given in to resting. I got back to the hostel, threw the bag of groceries in the refrigerator, and fell fast asleep for my early afternoon nap on my bunk-bed. People came in and out and I kept sleeping until dazed and slightly drugged feeling I felt I should wake up and make myself something to eat. Stumbling a little on the way to the kitchen, I opened the refrigerator and pulled out my bag. Yup, it was all still there, pepper, onion, carrots, wallet, noodles, pad Thai sauce...wallet? I stopped and had to smile, imagining one of the many international roommates I'd had in the last several days walking in at that moment. I couldn't help but wonder for them from the outside, do all Americans keep their wallet in the refrigerator? There I was, the strange lady from Wisconsin, outgoing, constantly napping, and keeping her wallet with her food. In that moment I encouraged myself to remember going forward that our interactions with most people are so brief, to be kind, and understanding, and judge only so far as we want to be judged.....in the moments we have lost our usual wits and kindness.

More to come about Monday's meeting with Coyote Central and Urban ArtWorks, two organizations shaking it up with artistic action. For now, thanks for reading!

Entering the City

After a couple of days denying the sickness creeping up on me, while also finding it utterly wonderful to take cold/flu medicine followed by unusually long mid-day naps, I was ready to get back at it. I was here to meet with people and figure this stuff out, so I was all to happy to have double booked meetings on Wednesday with people at Seattle's two cultural affairs organizations. I was meeting with Ruri Yampolsky and Kathy Hsieh at the Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs in the morning, and meeting with Tina Hoggart at 4Culture in the afternoon.

I set out mid morning down 2nd Ave, hopping every few blocks to the left as I made my way to 5th Ave. and headed deeper into the city I had barely explored. The buildings seemed to shoot up at brick and carved stone facades mingeled with mammoth pillars of glass and steel. Everywhere there seemed to be art, accents on buildings, images of the Salish Nation carved atop sewer caps, murals, sculptures, bus stops with elaborate designs(which I would find out about the next day), spray painted stencils on the sidewalks, and galleries on every block. My mouth was still agape as I found the soaring tower that would take me to Ruri and Kathy. Feeling a bit out of place, I made my way to the 17th floor and through the doors marked Arts & Cultural Affairs. Ruri was right there to meet me and immediately put me at ease, gesturing me into a conference room with a incredible view of the city expanding below.

Seated in the comfy chairs I explained what exactly it was I was doing there, and Ruri started with a general overview of Seattle's public arts initiatives and funding for projects. Kathy later joined us to flesh out exactly how projects get funded and what current funding sources there are for public arts. Together they explained that Seattle has more than 80 named neighborhoods and a lot of community activism happens within these neighborhoods. While Seattle has a flourishing arts community and provides funding from the city in relation to new development that supports commissions for public art throughout the city, community involved art projects are largely initiated by the community. There is some overlap however, as Ruri explained a partnership of the city with the library system that started with the central library and included some of the branch locations as well. In this project professional artist were paired with neighborhood community artist to create artworks throughout the city's library system. There has also been work done in new community centers being built throughout the city.

However there are a number of ways that communities can get funding for art projects, including a neighborhood matching fund program as well as through smArt ventures grants. With matching funds, communities apply for event or project money and the city requires that they also match some percentage of the funding. In this way the community needs to be fully on board and invested in the project, as it can not just be an individual who wants to see the project done. The smArt ventures grant was largely created on the initiative of Kathy and her team, who looked at barriers to certain groups or people getting funding, and came up with a program that would make funding of community art more accessible. Some of the barriers she found consistently come up were: individuals who were not professional artists or non-arts organizations/groups who wanted to do an arts-based project, language barriers, and organizations who would do arts events as opportunities came up but due to the nature of their programming were not able to plan ahead for grant deadlines. In order to address these three barriers to eligibility, smArt ventures accepts grant applications on a rolling basis and can be applied for by anybody who has an art project that is appropriate for the city to fund. Grants are generally for around one thousand dollars and are for projects doing something innovative and generally working with the under-served communities. These grants are designed to encourage non-professional or emerging artists and centers to use the arts as a strategy and tool to archive larger goals, such as engagements, participation, and education. smArt ventures also aims to make grant money more accessible to a more diverse applicant pool. As many people applying for smArt ventures money are new to the grant writing scene or may not speak English as their first language, each applicant is partnered with a project manager. The project manager helps them through the application and grant writing process step by step, and does a number of reviews before submission, basically ensuring their success in receiving the grant. About 50-65 grants of this kind are given a year throughout the many neighborhoods of Seattle.

Ruri went on to explain projects they had done with community centers, parks, some fire stations, projects in streetscapes and right of way, police precincts, utility facilities, as well as civic buildings – such as City Hall and the Seattle Justice Center. She also expressed interest in having art in the community gardens that are popping up throughout the city. I was glad to hear that some of my ideas were on track with what they had already done, or were hoping to implement in Seattle. I was impressed with these two womens' dedication to seeing the arts flourish in their city, on all levels, and throughout their many diverse neighborhoods. As it was time to say goodbye and be off down the 17 flights to my next meeting, I had the feeling that I’d gotten a glimpse of another level of how things all come together. Most importantly, I got to see how the money moves towards arts throughout a city for both professional and community artists. I was happy to see a model that encouraged communities to use art as a tool for their growth, and provided the support to make this achievable.

After grabbing a plate of beans and rice at a nearby deli I was off to find 4Culture and the lovely Tina Hoggart. Distracted by the increasing frequency of murals as I approached 3rd Ave and Yesler Way, I stopped frequently to take pictures, careening at awkward angles to capture fish spray-painted into a fantastical reality, and hands that etched the history of the Salish People along brick walls. Taking the long way around a highly decorated block, I arrived at 4Culure. 4Culture is a 'Cultural Development Agency' which means it is not a government organization, although that is where it had its birth, and it is not a non-profit either. It is an organization that serves King County, and therefore Seattle, focusing on Grants for other programs, heritage, Preservation, and arts programing for organization, individuals, and groups. They are involved in large scale city wide projects, as well as community based projects, and work with individuals and community artists. Tina actually explained all of this well into our meeting though, as soon after I told her what my project was she immediately mobilized her thoughts towards helping me create a how-to plan. So appreciated!

Her quick and experienced mind started tackling how the heck I could go about doing this. First it would be helpful to have by-in from the city, this would allow for leverage of larger donations and partnerships. Framing the funding ask with the city as an already on board partner could prove to be very powerful. She also encouraged me to look for organization partnerships looking to government agencies, the university, anybody who is focusing on sustainability, and businesses large and small, and then offered suggestions of possible projects with these partners. She encouraged me to start thinking about developing these partnerships, keeping in mind that it is nice for partners to also get something in return whether that is a mural, some money, or recognition for their community participation. Ultimately the deeper the partnerships go, the more solid the funding and participation is. This was resonating deeply with my years of builders development at my previous job, I might actually know how to pull that off, great.

She recommended that I create a project methodology, thinking about a design model for the organization/project and then transferring it to scale, bringing vision to reality step by step. I could start with projects with achievable success and build from there. I should have a website, 4Culture's is an excellent model which is easy to access and visual, this way funders and partners can easily check out what the program is all about. Thinking about space, how about a floating space to start out with at partnering community centers or neighborhood partners, again building from there. A mission or vision statement would also be important, something to focus the purpose and objective of the organization, something concise yet capturing a full and easy explanation of the program. Yes! This is exactly what I need, the framework for a PLAN, and knowing it is possible to accomplish it!

We went on to talk about more ideas for projects, and some of the projects 4Culture had been a part of throughout the years. Throughout it all, the importance of strong partnerships was a reoccurring theme. While these partnerships could take months, years, decades to build, they have proved to be a cornerstone of successful for community development, and the possibly success of the program I am envisioning. With the clarity of Tina's grounded and poignant advice, I felt I was walking out the doors of 4Culture with the blueprints for success. Somewhat baffled and amazed at Tina's swift ability to cut a path through the thicket of vision seeking fog, it started to really sink in that practical means could achieve this lofty goal I am after. Along with the newly cut path towards clear action, there was the much needed reminder to plan out the steps and then take them one by one. Now I just need to start working on some of these new tasks, and continue doing others I have been doing for years, one day at a time.

A new fog was overtaking me...congestion. It was time to head towards my hostel twin bed, and continue my new tradition of an extended afternoon nap, letting the information of the day filter through drowsy brainwaves. Thursday would bring my meeting with Dale Cummings at the City Transit office to learn about those spectacular bus stops. Until then, thanks for reading.

Another Piece of the Puzzle

So here goes the long overdue report about the folks and the mission of Kulture Club Collaborative in Minneapolis(I will try to keep it brief in light of the past two gargantuan post).

Way back last week's Thursday, seems like eons ago now that I am sitting in the abundance of Seattle, Jeff and the other staff members working with KCC were generous enough to show me around and include me in their programs. It was a special night as they were having a gallery opening celebrating the completion of a large garden project done at a transitional housing site nearby. Again, it was not without difficulty that I stumbled in the doors of Youth Link, the larger network of youth services where KCC is housed. After many phone calls to Molly, the woman at the front desk, I found the correct 'building with paintings outside' and was happy to finally be plopped down in their sitting area and ready to meet with Jeff.

Jeff swung through the doors and his energy practically bounded over to great me before his handshake. It was not hard to recognize immediately how his spirit and enthusiasm had suited him to work with youth and the arts. Before the gallery opening started in full gear, Jeff gave me the overview of who and what Kulture Club Collaborative is. As a part of the larger Youth Link, KCC works with youth experiencing homelessness or who are transitioning out of homelessness, and on average has 60-100 youth drop in each day. At Youth Link the people dropping in can receive a warm meal, a place to hang out, access computers, receive help with employment, get connected with counseling, have a place to play games, and overall have a place to feel safe, respected, and connected. Jeff distinguished that KCC is not a social service, but is rather meant to connect professional artists with youth, and create a sustained relationship between youth, those adults, and the arts. KCC uses a long term artist residence model, where professional artist are involved in workshops ranging from two weeks to six months. Workshops are project focused which allows youth to really dig in to a specific and achievable goal while building relationships with an artist who has a specialty in the medium used for that artwork. Jeff also explained that their program does something called Art View when youth and the KCC staff go out into the community and do something art related. This could be going to a movie, play, or going to museums, and beyond relating to art allows more time for youth to talk openly and make connections with staff.

While taking a tour of the facilities youth mingled, ate, hung out, played, and showed a lot of respect for staff and adults, including me who they'd never seen before. Our tour ended at the gallery where the exhibit of the garden project was in full swing. Garden lights rimmed the ceiling, and bundles of sage, rosemary, and other herbs picked fresh from the garden lined the floor of the room. Youth kept coming in and commenting on how good it smelled. The gallery space was set up to be a live representation of the actual garden space. A tent stood in one corner of the room where the shed is, and pictures of the project to create a garden bench-swing were placed where it would have been in the garden plot. There was a photo journal of the various projects lining the walls, and a table with veggies from the garden. I had the chance to talk with the welding artist and youth participant who worked on the bench project. They had taken a class together at a local school to learn how to do some specific welding for the project. Together they had sawed, sanded, and welded the bench to successful completion. In speaking with both of them, you could tell they had a lot of fun doing the project, and had a special connection and pride because of the work they had done.

After talking with them I asked if I could see their work, thinking it was on site and I could just walk outside and take a tour myself. However, the garden project was actually a ways a way at a transitional housing program. My disappointment was fleeting, as Anne a woman who works at the housing program and was attending the gallery that night, immediately offered to drive me there. After the shock at and initial refusal of such a kind offer, I agreed and we were off. On our way to the site Anne explained that she had gotten involved with the garden project because many of the youth in the transitional housing also spent time at Youth Link, being a foodie herself she loved the idea and the space it provided for the community living there. Arriving at the garden space, I was shocked at how huge it was. In the rapidly diminishing light, I could see a large garden shed with a mural wrapping around all sides. The bench, fortress like and sturdy enough to last many years, stood in an honored and well used spot in the garden. There were also numerous large raised bed box plots throughout the backyard producing a variety of vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Having some appreciation for how long all these activities can take, especially when done as a learning experience with youth, it was a testament to the the dedication of the youth and adults working on the project. Anne explained that the tenants used the garden frequently and in their own ways. Some were actively engaged in keeping the garden, some started eating and recognizing different foods in the garden, and one girls just likes to spend her time doing homework or reading there. Overall it was a huge success and youth continue to connect and learn from it.

Heading for the car, I saw a group of girls gathered around the front entrance were talking passionately about something. One girl called out to Anne and asked her a question, get this, about writing grants. For what you ask? Composting!!! Yeah, that's right, she wanted to organize a composting project that would engage the community and educated them about the how and why of composting. In the car Anne explained that this girl was totally psyched about composting since she had found out about it, and was on a mission to spread the word. As Anne drove me homewards, again bending over backwards, she shared with me all the other organizations and trainings she knew of or had participated in that may be helpful for what I'm doing. Filled with the power of the nights experience, and Jeff and Anne's expert service to their community, I said goodbye with gratitude and with Anne's well wishes.

Jeff's book recommendation:
What We Want is Free by Ted Perves

As I thought about the night's experiences, I was again struck with the profundity of community power, and youth power. Along with that was the question in my mind, how do we recognize and grow that power positively in youth? How do we make it a priority that kids have faith in their own competence, which seems to be increasingly doubted by the society around them? What I saw in the girl who was so excited about composting, was hope. Hope backed with confidence, and with the unique perspective and energy of youthful minds. This hope in the mind of youth is so necessary especially in these time, when we face global warming, water shortages, and a future wrought with global challenges. Youth like the young woman on the steps will be our innovators and caretakers, and it will largely be left to their minds and creativity to manage these problems. So how can we stop at the expectation that they learn algebra and English? Is it not also necessary to expect them to believe in and use their own competence, to have confidence that they can challenge and change their environment for the better, and maintain resilience and hope that this is possible?

With those questions in tow, I packed my bags the following day and headed out late in the evening for the Amtrak train station. Over the next 37 hours lets just say I shared a lot of air(of all kinds) and living with a lot of different passengers. Sometimes delightful, sometimes aromatic, prone to interesting conversations, and allowing for extensive boughts of thinking, the ride was all I wished it would be. I woke up from night two, expertly curled in a fetal position at this point perfected from night one's restlessness, to indigo mountains and rushing rivers. As daylight chased us westward, the leaves revealed their colors in shades of gold blushing crimson, and the rivers gushed over long ago tumbled boulders. I was reminded of scenes from A River Runs Through It, one of my favorite childhood movies that remains a favorite today. As we pulled into Seattle, the small voices of the kids in front of me got even more excited as they spotted the space needle, we'd made it.

Much more to report on the lovely city of Seattle and this week's meetings, but due to a stubborn cold I'm off to bed and will keep you filled in tomorrow. All my best wishes, hope you are all well!(ok, so maybe not that brief of a post, thanks for reading!)

Starting to Come Together:

Wednesday was the first morning I woke to find less than prefect weather outside to greet me for my morning run. It was the kind of dark and stormy that looked like it could really let loose. There was a greenish tint to the clouds hanging just over downtown Minneapolis, and a wind that whispered of a possible wickedness. Throwing caution to a mounting wind, I decided to walk the three something miles to the Mill City Museum. I had attempted to see this museum on Monday, as it came highly recommended for it's unique history and design, but found it closed after taking the longest rout possible to get there. But I was ready to give it another shot, and thought it would be the perfect thing to do before my meeting with Nancy Riestenberg that afternoon at a nearby coffee shop.

Now looking back, I'm not totally sure why I didn't bring my rain jacket, I guess I had built up a false sense of security after so many gorgeous days. About half way there I started to smell the rain, and felt the first few drops, leaves started ripping through the streets in huge yellow clouds. I quickly tucked all electronics into the inner belly of my backpack, and started to pick up my already fast pace. And then it totally ripped. Looking a lot like a hurricane on the Mississippi, it probably would have been a good idea to just follow what others were doing and duck inside some nearby building. However, encouraged by the few other reckless souls still skittering about, I headed across the bridge that would bring me to the museum side of the Mississippi. I was soaked within minutes, so by the time I reached the museum I looked more like I was ready to go swimming in the river than tour this cities' tribute to their history of grain production. The receptionist's face looked like she was in agreement, but there was no way I was turning back now especially after Monday's debacle and the effort of the last half and hour.

I resolved to buying a sweatshirt from the gift shop to change into, and hang up as many layers of wet cloths as was socially acceptable in the coat room. I ended up in just my soaking leggings, sans skirt, and newly purchased sweatshirt. Embarrassing or not, that was the plan and I was sticking to it. The museum itself was really well displayed. I was impressed that the first exhibit I looked at was a photo journal of a homeless woman who had occupied the mill with many others before the final fire that destroyed it. The entire museum was set within the ruins of the old grain mill and allowed for a good sense of just how huge the whole production was. Some of these ruins were still intact and part of the tour was going up an old elevator to the eighth story of a grain tower to see some of the remaining equipment, and go out on an observation deck with an incredible view of the river and city below. It was about this time that I realized that my undergarments were soaking through my sweatshirt, most notably across my chest and in excess under my armpits. It was time to go.

Questionably dry, still wearing my new sweatshirt, I headed back across the bridge to meet with Nancy. I faced this meeting with a similar disbelief as my meeting with Denise, especially because of my trouble getting to her the day before, but all in all this interview thing was starting to feel a lot more natural. So when she she showed up, it was with excitement that I introduced myself and settled into a booth with warm drinks. I started with a brief overview of what I am doing and looking for, and the experiences that have brought me to restorative justice. Immediately she knew what she wanted me to get out of the meeting. I very quickly realized and felt thankful for the fact that I was getting a one-on-one crash course from the woman who the Department of Education has hired to teach this stuff professionally to people all over the county. So I scribbled notes as fast as possible, and tried to keep up with the quite strength and conviction of her expert words as she presented a spirited crash course on RJ 101.

First things needed to be set straight. What was the difference between mediation and restorative justice, and what is the continuum of restorative justice? Nancy described the difference between mediation and restorative justice as being one of power. Mediation is used in a situation where two parties have equal power(i.e. both parties have grievances), and come together in a process that is facilitated with the goal of coming to a win-win situation. Restorative justice is used in a situation where harm has been inflicted by one party, which means there is an imbalance of power between the victim and the offender. Methods of restorative justice therefore try to even out this imbalance by first requiring that the offender acknowledges and recognizes the harm they have inflicted.

She explained that at its core restorative justice is about relationships, and repairing damaged relationships. This varies greatly from the traditional judicial system which is about laws and rules and the main issue is about the enforcement of laws and punishment for breaking laws. Restorative justice takes a different approach that sees the main issues as the harm done by an offense to the individuals and the community and is therefore based on individuals' interaction with the crime. This method recognizes that the harm done by an action is different every time according to who the victim, offender, and community is. In this way the victim is seen as an individual, not just a victim of vandalism/rape/murder/theft but so-and-so who experienced vandalism/rape/murder/theft. This approach takes into account how the individual received that harm; was it monetarily, physical, emotional, psychological, was there secondary harms such as shame, exclusion, isolation(only the victim can provide this information)? Through careful consideration and involvement of the individuals, there is room to acknowledge that while these acts are never ok, people respond to them differently and so need different measures to feel like the harm has been mended. This reasoning is also applied to the offender, and looks at the offender as an individual as well as the reasons for that person committing the harm. By separating the action from the person, there is room to hold offenders accountable while maintaining that they are good and needed members of society. By seeing victims as individuals who are more than just the harm that was done to them, there is room to separate the shame, guilt, and rage caused by the offense from the possibility of leading a full, healthy, safe, and respected life in the community.

In order for this to work restorative justice requires that the three parties, victim, offender, and community, are represented and participate throughout the circle process. In order to find out what harm has actually been done, there needs to be conversations with the victim, and this information is central in all else that happens throughout the process. There also needs to be conversations with the offender and the community about the offense committed. The process requires that all parties willingly agree to participate in further communication and action through the process, and come to a consensus about the action that the offender needs to take to restore the harm done. Nancy clarified that while there are programs and models that call themselves restorative justice, if they do not involve these three parties and come to a consensus about the action that needs to be taken it is not truly RJ. These other court systems or approaches may be alternatives to traditional judicial avenues but unless they include the voice of all three parties at every level of the process, they are still punitive by nature and are focused around the punishment placed on an offender. The involvement of the offender in coming to consensus about the action they must take creates a much greater sense of by in, commitment to, and engagement with the mending of harm. It allows them to see that they are fixing what they did wrong. Because this is supported and agreed upon by both the victim and community, the offender sees that they are forgiven and welcomed back into the community by the very people they hurt.

Essentially there are three parts to the restorative justice circle process. First is preparation of the three parties through individual meetings where the facilitator asks and answers questions. These questions include asking what the participant needs to feel safe and comfortable, whether that be the presence of a safe person or object that will put them at ease and allow them to engage. Participants are also informed about what the process will look like and how it will go so that they can be as much at ease as possible during the process(this is dramatically different from the punitive system we are all use to, so if you're having a gut reaction to the idea of being concerned with an offender's level of comfort please take a deep breath and a big step back. Remember that the goal of this process is to have this person engage as a healthy part of the community, not keep them down 'where they belong' forever paying for their action without the chance of reconnecting. Interesting how our incarceration system constantly worries and talks about recidivism, but offers no real way for offenders to find the acceptance, connection, and forgiveness that is necessary to re-enter their community successfully). The next step is the actual circle process where everybody is in one room and meets to discuss each person's experience of the offense. The way this is conducted is in a circle and a talking piece is used so that everybody knows that whoever has the object is the only one who is speaking, no exceptions. This way everybody is hears what is said without interruption, and will be heard by everybody else present. The offender starts first by acknowledgment the offense, and it goes from there that the victim, community, facilitator, and offender take turns voicing their thoughts and responding to the others. Through this method a consensus is reached about what action needs to be taken to mend the harm. Four things this agreement needs is: ways for the offender to make amends with the victim, a plan to not recommit the offense, a way to give back to the larger community that was harmed, and anything else besides those things that the victim may need to feel ok with moving forward(like for real feel ok, all out on the table, to the point where they can walk away and feel good about continuing their life, wow). The last part is following up with everybody to see what their experience was during the process, and talking with the offender to plan out and help them take the steps they need to take the agreed upon actions.

This all seems too good to be true right, but it is happening right now in real life, and it is working. And not just for small ticket able offenses, but big-time dirty, scary, terrify offenses like abuse, rape, and murder. This approach is being applied at all levels taking into consideration the level of experience and skill of the facilitator, and again as always, on a case by case basis. This led me again to my reoccurring question, how do I USE this extremely powerful information?!!!!! Nancy?

Great, she had an answer for me, whew. We talked for the remainder of time about principles of the circle process that I can start applying to my work with disengaged youth, people who have been through trauma, and general community members while working on art projects. One way to start incorporating this model is simply to start each art session with the circle process and a talking piece In this way I can start to ask simple get to know you questions that lead to more challenging get to know you questions throughout our time working together. The first session may ask questions like where are you from, what is your name, what is your favorite color? The second session may ask questions about their experience with art, views on tagging, community art, and how the community may feel about tagging. By using this model of the circle process positive and strong relationships can be built very quickly by holding the standards of common respect and acknowledgment of individuals and creating a sense of security and being valued. As Nancy pointed out about half of any group is introverted, and the circle process slows everything down so that everybody has a chance to participate with no one person dominating. It also allows for acknowledgment of everybody even if they don't talk, when they are holding the talking piece that is their time to be recognized as part of the group. For those of you who have worked with youth, perhaps specifically teenagers, you know that questions like “what is your name” are perfect grounds for a power struggle(what more perfectly infuriating thing than refusing to say your name). However the circle process bypasses all of that by making the goal something different entirely, the goal is to respect, see, and welcome each member to help them to feel safe to engage. Its not about forcing participation, its about getting them to WANT to participate(again going back to switching the win-lose paradigm). From there we get to go do whatever fun project we're working on, but this sense of by-in to their own self-worth and respected place in the community is the real objective. Add to that the power of art and the act of creating with teenagers' incredible energy, and BAMO I think it could be pretty amazing!

Parting ways with Nancy, I had the sense that there were so many more things I didn't even know to ask about that she had knowledge of. What an incredible participant in this movement, and excellent teacher of restorative justice as an applicable model. I feel so fortunate to have revived such direct guidance and help in understanding the basics of the restorative justice model, and walked through the ways it can be immediately applied to community involved art. So thank you Nancy!

Nancy is currently in the process of publishing a book through Living Justice Press called Circle in the Square. Her other book recommendations are:
Heart of Hope
Reengaging Disconnected youth
Unlearning Violence
The Little Book of the Circle Process

Tomorrow I get the chance to talk with another organization, Kulture Club, which is an arts based program that works with disadvantaged youth in downtown Minneapolis. I look forward to talking with them, and adding another piece to the puzzle.

Taking it to the Streets:

I set out on Tuesday ready to meet Nancy, another woman in the restorative justice field referred by Denise, across town at a small coffee/ice cream shop called Sebastian Joe's, but it was not to be. Through a number of miscommunications on my part, and an extended cab ride that seemed to rely on my knowledge of the city(which I found funny), I missed my meeting with Nancy. To my great relief, Nancy agreed to meet me the following day a spot closer to me. However, I was still on the south side of Minneapolis with a full day ahead of me, and no meetings, so I decided to hatch up a plan B. I looked through my spreadsheet of contacts and emails to see if I could rig something up on the fly. Voila, an email from my cousin Adam pointed me in the direction of Julie Kurtz, a friend of his and activist-artist working for an organization just a little over a couple miles away. I called her up and introduced myself as Adam's cousin, told her what the fast and tinny scoop was about what I am doing and why I'd like to meet with her, and was thrilled to hear she could meet with me that afternoon. She warned me that she was going to be pretty busy that day, but if I could be flexible about when we met she was in for it. This was fantastic news!

With the time I had till our meeting I set out in the direction of another organization I wanted to check out called Intermedia Arts. As I walked through the Uptown neighborhood a store front caught my eye, and I pressed my face nearly to the glass before realizing it was actually an art gallery. As I stood there peering in awkwardly, I saw a slender shadowy figure. Realizing this wasn't my own image somehow reflecting back at me, I sheepishly backed away from the door as the owner approached from within. The woman who greeted me was Carolyn of Soo Visual Arts Center. She welcomed me in, even though they were closed, and not only turned on all the lights allowing me to take a look around, but set me up with an extended list of other organizations working on projects similar to mine. After taking a look around, we said goodbye warmly, and with genuine gratitude on my part for her unexpected help.

Heading down the street a few blocks I had no trouble spotting Intermedia Arts, as the building is largely covered in spray-painted images and graffiti, rawesome. While I had tried to get in touch with the organizations Ex. Director without much luck, I still wanted to see the space they had created. Immediately I was struck by the viby accessibility of the layout. There were places to chill, but also a nice flow that lead from the organization’s work space, reception area, and open gallery of youth art work including an instillation area, and everywhere there was info about the organization's mission and programing. They even had a chalkboard wall! Very, very cool. I left daydreaming about creating a space in Madison that is something between a community center and art studio/gallery(and as long as I'm dreaming large it would at least have one chalkboard wall with a set of big chalk).

Not long after I got a call from Julie letting me know she'd be ready shortly to come pick me up outside the Wedge Co-op. She warned me there was one qualifier, she was headed to a candle light vigil held by anther organization called Breaking Free and we would have to talk en route. I didn't ask many questions about the vigil, but quickly agreed to whatever time she was able to talk with me. It was with a sense of familiarity from our phone conversations throughout the day, that I met Julie, in accordance with her self description wearing red flowing pants and shortish brown hair, myself being tall blond and wearing jeans. Tossing poundage of bulk items from the Co-op amidst her bike in the backseat, we were off and talking. I gave her the full scoop about my trip and why I was so excited to be talking with her, and she gave me the low down on Breaking Free and the work she had done with them. I learned that we were headed to a protest and candle light vigil in honor of women and children who had lost their lives to the abuse of prostitution and sex-trafficking. On the drive there I drilled Julie about the work she was doing with art in the community, specifically low income communities, and with victims of trauma.

Julie explained how she had started the Aldrich Arts Collaborative because she recognized the space at her church as being well suited for some kind of community art project with kids. The first round of classes held were done without funding, but soon after they received grant money from Minnesota's extensive sponsorship of the arts. They started holding two rounds of classes a year, and each session ended with an open gallery night. The classes are held once a week for four weeks, and the fifth week is the gallery night when parents/guardians, family, friends, and community members are welcome and encouraged to come. Community artist also participate in the gallery night, so that youth art work is hung side by side with professional artist's work. Julie shared a story of one boy who made his art out of found objects, his piece was hung next to a professional artist who made a quilt out of similarly recycled material. At the end of the evening, this boy went up to the artist and told him he was really happy their artwork was hung next to each other. I was happy Julie shared this story, as it is just one example demonstrating the power of art to have ones self expression openly appreciated and validated, and to make connections with positive adult role models who understand and practice the love of creating. This appreciation, acknowledgment, and support is also furthered by the presence of a young person's community at gallery night. All in all the youth as well as everybody involved in the classes and gallery get to celebrate expressions of youth creativity, and come together around something positive which strengthens and engages their sense of community.

Looking back on the role artwork played in my own experience throughout grade school, I think it was this sense of acknowledgment and appreciation through the arts that kept me engaged in all other aspects of adolescent life. Where I as largely check out of my academic ans social expectations, the arts kept me grounded to a sense of purpose and belonging, and fueled my motivation to interact and participate. As I talked with Julie I realized to another degree what I've come to believe, that the arts are not just a thing done to create a finished product, feel good, or provide escape, although all these things are and can be true. Art is a tool for survival both as individuals and communities. Artists of all disciplines regularly use their craft to express the most extreme elements of the human condition, including pain and love, to continue engaging in their life. Through this expression, they remake and re-imagine the world that they live in, they can acknowledge and release unbearable pain and injustice, they can celebrate and focus on their favorite aspects of life, and honor their self-worth by creating a place in the world for their art – and then bring something into that space. As these visions and transformations occur for the individual, the community can likewise be affected. In this way bringing a community together in the creative process has the power to unity, uplift, and transform the community at a whole. I thought about this as we approached Breaking Free, and how Julie had done a theater workshop with the women working to provide and receiving services there, women who had been through unimaginable heartache and trauma.

As we approached the house, a group of women had formed in a half circle almost spilling out into the street. At the center was a woman with a microphone rallying women to memorize the chants we would use as we walked down the street in protest, “We will not be bought, sold, or traded at any price!”, “Pimps and johns go home, leave our women and children alone!”, “Tricks are not for kids!”, “Stop the demand, stop buying our women and children!” The woman with the mic reminded us that we were here for the women who had lost their lives to murder and suicide from this life of abuse, and urged us to find our voices and use them loudly as we spoke for the women who could no longer do so. We were off. Some women had signs, some held hands, some including myself yelled until our voices started to break. I felt the power that comes from the strength of unity, felt connected as a woman, and felt that this was just one more face of the social/cultural monster I am trying to get a finger on. Just recently Minnesota has changed their laws so that a girl under the age of 16 can no longer be charged with prostitution, but is considered instead a victim of a crime. This change comes with the recognition that children do not choose this life for themselves but are forced and coerced in to it by larger social injustices and adults profiting from the world of prostitution. This awareness largely comes from the work done by the women at Breaking Free to educate law enforcement and officials about the underlying issues that lead to and perpetuate the abuse of prostitution.

When we returned to the house we each received a candle and gathered to commemorate the women who had either been brutally murdered, or committed suicide in the past year. Other women, friends, and family members came up to speak about these women, and in honoring their memory helped heal the community they had left behind. It is the hope of the women at Breaking Free that they will have a year when there is no candle light vigil, but that year hasn't come yet.

As Julie drove me back downtown, she told me about her own desire to continue using her art to work with victims of trauma and to build community. Eventually a non-profit? I can only hope so, her dynamic strength and vision are much needed, and I was so happy to have found guidance in her experience. Her pieces of advice were: find a mentor you can talk to regularly, if you're going to be a non-profit get a board to help brainstorm and support decision making, keep your eyes out for 'magic-miracle-money'(an organization she worked for got a large one time donation that made their start up much much easier), and you're not crazy so keep going for it. As she dropped me off we hugged goodbye and she bounded off to yet another socially engaged arts meeting, seemingly tireless. I on the other hand walked home, head spinning and expanding, attempting to reassemble the days experiences into meaningful lessons. Beyond Julie's encouraging words and vision, I was strongly impressed with the broader idea of art being a way to heal and restore communities and individuals who have gone through trauma. This connected immediately in my mind with the goals of restorative justice, to recognize the harm, and take actions to heal the hurt. Although not entirely sure how this will manifest in the mission of RestArt; I feel that working with a broader community of people who have been or continue to go through traumatic experiences is an important piece of the work that needs to be done to heal our community. I am hopeful that this can be addresses through community art.

Julie's book recommendation was:
Girls Like Us by Rachel Loyd

Organization websites:
www.breakingfree.net
http://aldricharts.wordpress.com

I'd like to end on the note that the Twin Cities rock, I like them a lot. In the midst of trying to find various museums, organizations, and galleries, people have shown extreme generosity and patience with my lumbering tourism. Thank you all that have helped me find food, bathrooms, and the ever illusive Mill City Museum, it is very appreciated! All of this is also topped off with the beautiful view of the Mississippi river running along the edge of downtown Minneapolis, crested with a series of bridges, and lined with trees and boardwalks. As I walked home from my meeting with Julie, I was accompanied by a full moon reflecting off the river, and shinning brightly over numerous architectural wonders. So if you get the chance to visit, it's just a train ride away.

Thank you for reading, I hope you are all well!

A Quote

This week, wheew, what a week. Many more words to come about the interviews and experiences of this past week, but for now I would like to share a few quotes I read today from Peacemaking Circles and Urban Youth. These words are from Carolyn Boyes-Watson, and are an eloquent summary of why we so need restorative justice.

"Today we are waging war on our youth, and most concertedly, on poor youth of color. Policies of zero tolerance and a youth justice system modeled after the adult punitive system attack young people, as if they are the cause of the problem rather than the bearers of its most disturbing symptoms. As a result, we do not respond to troubled behavior with connection, support, listening, responsiveness, caring, compassion, or love. Instead, we increasingly rely on surveillance, detention, suspension, expulsion, and incarceration. In the name of discipline, security, or safety, we intentionally destroy young people's futures."

"...walking the talk of peacemaking Circles is about learning to live in a better relationship with oneself and others. It is about learning to "be in a good way" - to develop respectful, mutually supportive relationships - within families, organizations, communities, and governments. Ultimately, Circles are about justice and the profoundly hopeful possibility that we can - together- create better, more just ways to live with each other. At the end of the day, sitting in Circle is about learning a different "way to be" in the world."

"...Circles could help us learn how to be "good relatives" to each other. Certainly the gift of Circles reflects the deep wisdom that we are all in this together."

" With the gift of Circles comes a growing awareness that, despite all of our profound differences, we are also - as human beings - one and the same."

Tomorrow I leave the Twin Cities, with regret to leave the lovely people who I have met and stayed with this week, and head westward towards Seattle. How long is the train ride you ask?...37 hours. I look forward to taking this time to write about the events of the last week, the people who shared them, and the inspiration and ideas that have bloomed in the process.

All my best,
Becky

Words from the Twin Cities

It is another beautiful day in St. Paul today. Since I got here on Wednesday evening it has been lovely, the leaves are in full change, there is an abundance of crisp fall sunshine, and a strong warm breeze that brings the leaves of the trees in crunchy waves. It has made walking and running the spacious outer neighborhoods of St. Paul and Minneapolis a delight.

Earlier this week on Thursday morning Laura, the friend I am staying with, brought me to my first meeting with Denise Brenton at Living Justice Press(LJP). The initiation of our meeting looked a lot like Laura dropping me off outside a beautiful house with my backpack, water bottle, and pen in hand, and me walking up to the door with an Alice in Wonderland disbelief that this was actually happening. In preparation for this trip, I had researched LJP online, been emailing Denise for months, and talked with her on the phone. As she answered the door to usher me in to take a seat opposite her in her comfortable and classy living room, it all seemed a bit surreal. This is also when it dawned on me that I haven't done anything like this before. So when she asked what she could do for me, I felt the awkwardness and inadequacy of most first experiences. What had I come all this way for..ah..ah..(oh man I'm stammering).. got it... can you tell me about your organization, how you got LJP started, and your views on restorative justice in the community. Big smile from Denise, no problem starting a conversation with that, this is what she has focused her considerable intellect and passion on for years. I should mention that she is a dynamo at articulating.

Within sight of starting our conversation she had clarified and expounded upon the reasons why restorative justice has ignited such a fire in my belly. Coworkers, friends, family, and strangers have been asking me for month what this restorative justice stuff is all about, and why the heck am I so jazzed about it. Denise seemed to be able to speak to this point much better than I have been able, so I will try to do due justice to our conversation, and the concepts we talked about(I do want to qualify that none of this is directly quoted, and Denise again if anything sounds inaccurate or misconstrued please correct it openly here).

We talked about restorative justice fundamentally being a method of acknowledging harms done to individuals and the community, and then coming together to with all members of the offense to take action and start repairing what harm that was done. This was sounding familiar, and then the big top got blown. Denise talked about the need and potential for this to be applied to systems of inequality, looking at the big picture harms that have and continue to be done nationally and internationally. She talked about our nation's mindset as being based on a colonizing win-lose paradigm, and that this way of functioning requires one race to be successful(win) and others to continually struggle(lose). Essentially the feeling is that I(white person/person in power) should be on top, and there is only room for me to be on top which means you(person of color/person not in power)is someplace lower, many times significantly lower. This has been repeated and evidenced throughout not only our own nation's history, but globally for centuries.

Denise has spent the majority of her time working to repair harms done to the Lakota, Nakota, Dakota, and Anishinabe Peoples through centuries of massacre, land loss, and cultural genocide, but sees RJ as being necessary and applicable to all histories of violence and inequalities. While restorative justice circles that work with victim and offender crimes have taught the restorative justice world a huge amount about how to repair harms and build community, work needs to be done on a larger level to bring about real and lasting change. We need to ask the larger question of why people of color are more often a part of they RJ circles to start with, and then come together to acknowledge larger cultural paradigms of a win-lose mentality that necessitate the harms of racism and white privilege.

We talked about restorative justice's power lying in the required acknowledgment of the harm that has been done and willing participation of offenders to take action to repair it, without this basis the process cannot move forward. Once that acknowledgment is made, all parties can move forward with a common agenda, ultimately to build a healthy community by including everybody in the consideration of how people should be treated. This approach has the potential to go to the root of the issue, as it necessitates open dialogue, a sense of cooperation, and …ta da... productive action!

Whew, not sure how to do that on a national and cultural level honestly. At this point I, and my suspicion is I am not alone, start feeling the impossibility of such change. My mind jumps easily to the need for a systematic overhaul, and the kind of mass cooperation and like mindedness that has troubled many good causes, i.e. world peace. Good news though, there are steps to getting there, thank goodness! Whats more, some of them can seem quite small while being largely significant. While the challenges we talked about are daunting, a large part of my conversation with Denise was focused on the power of acknowledgment and education, and that to me seems hopeful and applicable at many levels. This can take the form of a conversation, being open to seeing disparities and daring to be curious about why they exist(even though you may currently be on the 'winning' side of the situation), thinking about what would make your entire community healthier, and then acting on one of those changes(somebody said something that is uneducated, now’s the chance to educate, and even if you don't think you know enough to have all the answers don't let it stop you from having a respectful conversation, it gets easier with practice and gets the ball rolling towards awareness).

And if you would like to keep reading more, Denise and the others at Living Justice Press have been working hard to make sure there are words in print to tell you about it. At the end of our meeting, she generously donated two books to my traveling collection, and those have made the top two in the list of below. The other books in this list were ones she was inspired by, wrote, or strongly recommended. Please let everybody know what you think if you pick one of them up. Also books can be purchased at LJP's website www.livingjusticepress.org.

Books:
Peacemaking Circles & Urban Youth
In the Footsteps of our Ancestors
Mystic Hearth of Justice
Paradigm Conspiracy
No Contest – The Case Against Competition
Punished by Rewards

Thank you all for reading, I look forward to seeing more of the Twin Cities this week. I will be staying in NE Minneapolis in the Arts District until my train leaves Friday to take me westward. Hope you are all well!

Here it Goes!

Welcome to The RestArt Program...thank you for tuning in.

Here it Goes: the wheels are rollin, I just got on the train and I am headed northwards to the Twin Cities. This is the first of five stops(round one of my journey). I will be in the Twin Cities, westward to Seattle, and then northern California, San Francisco, L.A., and then home. Round two of my trip will begin early next year, plans are yet to be solidified but will include NYC and Phili. I will keep you posted.

The Plan: is to travel around our nation by train to meet and talk with people/ organizations who are doing work in and around restorative justice and community art. I made calls to people in the cities I will be visiting and they have responded graciously to my request for their time, expertise, and a series of informational interviews. The plan is to return home with a toolbox of ideas, inspiration, and advice on how to generate support and momentum for my vision of The RestArt Program that will focus on community created art and restorative justice. As of right now, Madison does not have a formalized program that brings these two actions together, and does not have a city wide arts program dedicated to murals as a primary source of community art.

It is my thinking: that such a program would be a tremendous resource for community building and restoration through engagement and solidarity of members of all ages, races, religions, genders, sexual orientations, and economic backgrounds. Such a program would also be a resource for racial justice starting with an alternative solution for punishment of ticket-able offenses. This alternative can decrease disproportionate minority contact with police(DMC), and therefore a disproportionate number of criminal records and negative interactions with community authority figures for adults, and youth of color(School to Prison Pipeline). Ultimately this program would address larger systemic causes of inequality by creating a safe and creative space for dialogue about these problems, and solutions reparing the harm done by these systems.

At this point: in conversation questions normally turn to logistics: are you going with a group, are you being funded by a grant/school/work(anything!!!!), are you on sabbatical from your job, where are you staying? Some of the answers are less than comforting I realize, but I am going alone, I left my job at a non profit I love dearly, and I am self funding the trip (which is again largely made possibly by the generosity of friends and acquaintances who have agreed to share their homes with me along the way). Mostly I am going with a passion for community building and racial justice, and lifetime compulsion to put images and color on paper/walls/trucks/t-shirts/you-name-it, and a whole lot of love and support from amazing people in my life. It is all out and in, and it feels great to be going for it. This is the plan, so it won't happen that way exactly. I am just as excited for that unknown as for the program's potential success.

Soon to Come Now: is my platform in the twin cities, and the arms of a good friend to greet me. Tomorrow I will be meeting with a woman at Living Justice Press to talk with her about her know how and around the word wisdom. I am really looking forward to this first meeting, and to start uncovering the questions that will lead to helpful answers.

A Note: it is my intention for this blog to be informative, a way to stay connected, a way for others doing this work to get connected, and an educational tool for anybody interested. Hopefully it is sometimes interesting, well edited, and occationally funny, but I would like to qualify that these are all ideals. I will be posting links to interesting articles/videos I find and am refered to, as well as as a list of recommended books. Please always feel free to contribute, ask questions, or simply say hello, as all are welcome and enjoyed. I hope you find this helpful.