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.