Starksboro Art & Soul Project

Reflections after Advisory committee meeting--Jan 17 2010

2010-01-17T18:07:00.015-05:00

Link to Letter from Betsy
Here's the question that has settled in me from Betsy's comments and our discussion at Saturday's meeting: How do we integrate what we learned through A&S activities into the ongoing planning process? Municipal planning is not very sexy; yet we are all stakeholders in what happens in our community. The town invested in a considerable amount of public input in the early stages of the plan revision process (fall 2008). Much of that input made it into the draft plan, though some might argue the emphasis in the draft plan does not square with the intensity of the feelings expressed by townspeople; or that those who participated in the forums aren't fully representative. Art and Soul activities were always seen as a compliment to the town planning process--one that tried to explore important core values, especially from sectors of the community that are often not heard.

So now we are again talking about planning, regulations, envisioning the future of our neighborhoods and community. Over the last 2 years, we've tried a variety of tactics--public forums, story gathering, art, work with kids, roadside conversations. What of these experiences can we bring to the ongoing work of planning in our communities? Dan's comment yesterday got me going. He suggested that, as a visioning activity, we tell stories about the future we might imagine in our neighborhoods. This strikes me as absolutely the kind of thinking we need to generate at this stage! How do we probe our individual experiences with Art and Soul and think creatively about building on those experiences for the work of envisioning our community's future?

I can describe the conventional process steps. Organize (another) pubic forum. Talk about the town plan and the proposed land use areas, structure the discussion and feedback in a way that forces us to think collectively and constructively about the things we want to see (farms, affordable housing,elderly housing, jobs...). All good and perhaps necessary, but just the thought makes me weary

I think shifting the focus from general town-wide planning concepts to land use in our immediate neighborhoods would result in a much different (and necessary) conversation. The most concrete part of the entire town plan is these proposed land use districts (and the eventual zoning regulations that enforce the uses). Here is where planning impacts our rights! But how do we have excellent conversations with our neighbors about our farms and forests, about affordable housing for our children and elders, about traffic and growth and health? In my opinion, there is a significant characteristic that distinguishes this stage of the planning process from the current and previous stages: now we will have to compromise...now we wrestle with the tough issues face to face. A working high density zone may protect farms, at the expense of smaller house lots. If we want trails, we may have to pay for easements. Municipally sponsored (or church sponsored) housing will cost money. Developers might be convinced to retain open space in trade for a density bonus.

Art and Soul captured values. That's important for planning; but it also gave us rich experiences, closer bonds with our neighbors, the joy of stories, engagement of children and young people in art making. What of this can we bring to this next stage of the town planning process?? How do we use our A&S experience to integrate those values: inclusiveness, respect, creativity, caring. Even if some of these things found their way into a phase 3 project, I'd feel we were on the right track.

Orton Art of Action winners announced

2009-02-06T10:06:00.003-05:00

Check out the Seven Days article on Lyman Orton's Art of Action project (http://www.7dvt.com/2009artful-dodger). There's a sidebar about Art and Soul. Two local residents have been awarded art commissions--Annemie Curlin and Kathleen Kolb. Any way to dovetail their work with Art and Soul?

Advisory meeting follow up

2009-01-22T18:41:00.001-05:00

Masefield article

I'm going to throw an idea for a theme or unifying principle, but first--take a look at the attached Free Press article on Jamie Masefield. I know Jamie a little. He was one of Alan Robert's tenant-caretakers and has pretty strong roots in this area. The article describes his effort to create a musical/multi-media piece around the Tolstoy short story "How much land does a man need?" The article is from April 2006.

For whatever reason, thinking about this question and Jamie's way of bringing it to an audience got me to thinking about all the conversations I've had in recent months with friends around the current crisis. Most of these conversations have not been about hardship, but rather about realizing the potential of the moment as a catalyst for change; that this pain was necessary and purgative; and about a certain hopefulness about the opportunity to reassess and redirect. Have you all had similar conversations?

By now you can see where I'm headed. What if our theme was to embody community conversations and reflection around what do we really need to be happy? What do we want our community to be like? How much land might we need to supply our food needs, our energy needs? What actions could we take as a community that would make us proud? What do we want for our elders or our children? There could be a thousand directions...

Students could calculate how much land we have per person. Maps could help to illustrate it. How does zoning fit into these conversations? Can we come face to face with consumerism and figure out how to get along with less? Less square footage for our homes, less energy consumption, smaller footprints for our lives. More attention to the people and places we cherish. I know, it's a back-to-the-future sort of dream, but wouldn’t it be fun for each member of the advisory committee to have a pot-luck supper with neighbors to talk about it?

I think we could be really creative about how we might choose to engage the community around the questions. Visual arts, music, drama, literature. Celebrations and work parties. Community gardens in the mobile home parks. Trail building. The Midd students' work could be easily woven in.

Bryan Anderson’s comment at the artist selection resonated: art doesn't have to be physical to be enduring--it need only affect how we think about the future.

The main negative I can think of might be that it's too intellectual. Any thoughts?

The photography of David Plowden

2009-01-22T18:26:00.000-05:00

Back in July (soon after we were selected), I was inspired by a VPR broadcast of “The Story” (click here to listen) It’s an hour-long show, but I can assure you it’s captivating.

This was my email to the gang at that point:

It is all about David Plowden’s journey as a photographer cataloging disappearing American culture through the 40’s and 50s.
…he couldn’t deal with school (even though he came from a higher class family); he loved to work, but photography became his passion
…he has VT roots (blossomed at the Putney School and hung out at the train depots in Putney and White River)
…the interview is poignant, capturing his heartfelt sense of personal loss of human scale or human context
…his photos attempt to document history but also capture the pride of job and place.

It’s just a wild thought, but how about if photography were to be a mechanism kids could use to augment the Elder oral histories… Photos that document person, place or feeling. Photos that document changes in our human and natural past and capture what’s best about today! Portraits, landscapes, artsy or documentary…

With his VT connection, perhaps we could get Mr. Plowden to visit? His message is very much about community.