Category: Art Contest

Art Contest Submission by Kenneth Leaning

The Cyclopedia of Sustainability

by Kenneth Leaning

My submission idea, The Cyclopedia of Sustainability, is a large book, a book that has the form of and appearance of an alchemist’s log, or a sorcerer’s book of spells.  It would be approximately 36” tall by 24” wide with a binding made of recycled cardboard and covered in canvas or hemp fabric and held together with earth-friendly adhesives. The pages would be made from, again, recycled paper, or of handmade papers and would contain, written by hand, in biodegradable, non-toxic inks, a series of stories, designs, theories, and practices which convey and promote sustainability. The pages would be illuminated as were the texts translated and transcribed by medieval monks and educated elders. The mysterious appearance of the text is intended to show the irony of how accessible the ‘secret formulae’ for sustainable living is to all people. It is not some quaint antiquity, or lost art, but instead, a state of mind easily achieved if one breaks free of modernistic, blasé consumerism.

This book might be the centerpiece of a compendium of information on how to spare the planet our overbearing presence. It would have, of course, all of its contents and resources available simultaneously on the internet – that great saver of paper. Its component information will be gathered from many sources, making it a book written, ultimately, by the community, for the community. It might be one original volume, or their might be sequels, as developed out of the Foxfire series of books on Appalachian folklore.

My background is in architecture and, as such, I am accustomed to team building. I imagine this Cyclopedia being created by a collaborative of artists, students, scientists, academicians, et al. whose involvement would be rewarded with publicity and honor. The materials and coordination costs would be easily covered by the $5000 award. My role would be to design, delegate, organize and, generally, produce the finished work.


PROFESSIONAL OBJECTIVES
To create spaces, landscapes, artifacts & artworks which function beautifully and invigorate the spirit and the planet.

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS, APTITUDES AND EXPERIENCE RANGE
Architectural, landscape, furniture, product and tradeshow exhibit design; Existing buildings measuring and drafting; Construction and personnel management; Computer literacy in CADD (AutoCAD 2005 &’07, Cadvance), Microsoft Office, Photoshop, Corel; Carpentry (all phases), interior finish work (tile, painting, lighting design, trim, space planning), architectural modelmaking, cabinetmaking, mechanical repair, plumbing, light electrical; Landscape, hardscape and garden installation and maintenance; Art and real estate/construction photography; Writing, editing and proofing.

WORK HISTORY
Sole proprietor, Elysian Arts 1992- Present Greater New England
Ongoing operation of a small, independent, art, design and fabrication business creating works involving:

  • Residential projects, garden development, out-buildings, stone wall and walkway design and construction;
  • Furniture (built-in and free-standing) design, construction, installation and finishing;
  • Restoration of antique (or collectible) architectural details, furniture and decorative items;
  • Photography (with as-needed, computer retouching) for sale at art shows and for professional portfolios;
  • Exhibit and display installations designed and executed for corporate administration buildings;
  • Co-produced, wrote, directed, edited, narrated a 1997 grant-funded, documentary film. Wrote grant proposal.
  • Independent Contractor to Solpoints, Inc. Dec.’06- Sept.‘07 Wilbraham, MA
  • Designed tradeshow exhibit booths and component details using 3d modeling and rendering in AutoCAD 05 &07
  • Independent Contractor to Regional Builders, Inc. Mar.- Nov. 2006 Monson, MA
  • Designed several renovations and worked at all phases of carpentry for residential building company.
  • Project Designer/Job Captain, Architectural Insights, Inc. 1998-2005 Palmer, MA
  • Ran three multi-million dollar VA Hospital renovation projects. Acted as designer, project manager, detail
  • drafter, specifier and estimator. Personally responsible for creating all architectural construction documents
  • and coordinating project development with client and all consulting engineering teams;
  • Designer and/or cadd drafter on over 90 residential, commercial, municipal, ecclesiastical and hospital/health
  • care projects of varying scale, bringing code-compliant, approval-ready construction documents to completion;
  • Proofed and edited public media releases and marketing materials; performed most office operational duties;
  • Trained all new employees in office procedures and computer software systems. Cabinetmaker/Antiques Restorer, Beckerman Antiques, Inc. 1993-1998 Boston, MA
  • Managed daily operation of high quality antiques restoration and sales facility;
  • Restored antique furniture, frames, paintings, accessories and artworks using techniques, which included: carving, casting, turning, gilding, welding, distressing, color toning, machining, finish matching and more.
  • Modelmaker, Trip Tech Models, Inc. 1990-1991 Waltham, MA
  • Constructed highly detailed architectural models for international clients in costs ranging between $20-250K
  • Team leader on model for Philadelphia’s 30th Street Railway Station.
  • Draftsman/Modelmaker, Archtellic Architects, Inc. 1987-1989 Boston, MA
  • Carpenter, Alex Skene, builder 1986-1987 Brookline, MA
  • Program Supervisor, Palmer Associates, Inc. 1981-1986 Palmer, MA
  • Managed community based residential program, with a staff of ten, for alternatively capable adults.

EDUCATION
Boston Architectural Center (B. Arch program) 1986-1993 Boston, MA
University of Massachusetts (Liberal Arts, Regional Planning) 1977-1981,’98-‘99 Amherst, MA
Institute for American Universities (French) Fall 1980 Aix-en-Provence,
France

Art Contest Submission by Trish Crapo

GOOD NEWS!

Sustainability Thrives in the Pioneer Valley
A Photo-documentary by Trish Crapo

Gas prices break $4.00/gallon, global temperatures hit landmark highs, fuel supplies at near record lows – too often, we hear only bad news. The problems we face seem so large and all encompassing, it’s easy to get disheartened. But in communities nationwide and right here in our own Pioneer Valley, people are taking matters into their own hands – helping each other install solar hot water systems, teaching teens to grow food without chemical pesticides or fertilizers, riding bicycles to work, advocating for solar and electric cars…

I want to broadcast this good news.

These grassroots efforts aim to create sustainability in our food, heating and fuel systems. At the same time, they forge connections between individuals that build vibrant, sustainable communities. It’s win-win — and I’d like people to know about it.

Through photos and interviews, I will bring the good work of people in our region to light. Some organizations I’ll approach include:

  • Seeds of Solidarity, Orange, MA, a sustainable farm and educational center that “provides people of all ages with the inspiration and practical tools to use renewable energy and grow food in their communities.”
  • Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, Greenfield, MA, promoting energy conservation and non-polluting, renewable energy technologies.
  • Gardening the Community Youth Agriculture Project, growing organic food and promoting bicycling as sustainable transportation in Springfield, MA.
  • Co-op Power’s Member to Member Program, helping people to install solar hot water systems at their homes.

Good News! will take two forms.

One, an exhibition of 30 large (16×20) photographs printed with environmentally friendly black and white inks on salvaged or recycled paper. The show will include printed excerpts from interviews with people involved in the sustainability projects and music (on DVD) by local musicians. Potential exhibition spaces include A.P.E. in Northampton and The Pushkin in Greenfield.  I will seek a Springfield exhibition as well.

Two, a digital multimedia show made available to local access cable television stations or linked to the website of one or more of the organizations featured in the show. The multimedia show will include more images and interviews than the print exhibition, plus incorporate music by local musicians. DVDs of the project could also be made available to schools and libraries.

Good News! is a portrait, in words and images, of sustainability in the Pioneer Valley. The project is documentary at its heart – it strives to accurately describe the state of sustainability at this specific time. But because I believe in the power of seeing, in the tendency of good ideas to generate more good ideas, Good News! has the potential to be a motivational force toward the creation of future projects.

I hope people will look at my images and say, “Hey, look at what those folks are doing. We could do something like that too.”

The enclosed photos from Franklin County’s Relay for Life event provide a sampling of my work.

 

See Below for Experience

TRISH CRAPO
Writer, photographer
Telling Stories with Light

www.trishcrapo.com

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT
I am a writer and photographer living in Leyden, Massachusetts. I’ve recently completed the intensive 10-month program at Hallmark Institute of Photography in Turners Falls, MA. Hallmark gave me the professional photographic skills I was seeking in order to put imagery and text together to create compelling photo-documentary stories. I’m most interested in spreading the word about grassroots efforts to affect positive change. As a published poet, I bring my respect for the power of the image to photography.

PHOTOGRAPHY EXPERIENCE

Summer 2008 Part-time staff photographer, The Recorder, Greenfield, MA
Spring 2008 Event photographer, Hallmark Institute of Photography, Student Open House, Turners Falls, MA
June 2008 Event photographer, Hallmark Institute of Photography, covering Relay for Life, Greenfield, MA
May 2008 Event photographer, WGBY, Paradise City Arts Festival, Northampton, MA
March 2008 Event photographer, WGBY, St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Holyoke, MA


PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS
Proficiency on the Mamiya 645D medium-format camera, both film and digital capture
Proficiency on 4×5 large-format cameras, both film and digital capture
Portrait studio, including lighting and posing
Commercial studio, including product and still life photography
Photojournalism projects, including environmental portraits and event coverage

EXHIBITIONS

  Summer 2008  Doctors Without Borders Benefit Exhibition, Hallmark Museum of Contemporary Photography, Turners Falls, MA
Spring 2008 Open House, Hallmark Institute of Photography, Turners Falls, MA
Fall 2007 Altered Realities, Cooler Gallery, White River Junction, VT

WRITING & EDITING

  January 2004  Founding member of Slate Roof, A Publishing Collective, Northfield MA. Publishing Franklin County poets in limited edition chapbooks with letterpress covers that feature the work of local artists. Received Massachusetts Local Cultural Council awards from nine out of ten Franklin County towns applied to in the 2005 and 2006 funding cycles.
2005–present Fiction columnist for The Women’s Review of Books, Wellesley, MA.
1999–2007 Editing and manuscript consultation. Tutoring in writing. Clients include: The Center for Research on Women and The Women’s Review of Books, Wellesley, MA as well as local poets and writers.
1989–1999 Co-owner of Word of Mouth, a desktop publishing company offering research, writing, editing and proofreading, as well as design and layout of newsletters and brochures. Clients included: Organic Trade Association; Northeast Sustainable Energy Association; Western Massachusetts Enterprise Fund; Pioneer Valley Folklore Society (all in Greenfield, MA); The New England Small Farm Institute, Belchertown, MA; Ozark Small Farm Viability Project, Bass, AR
  Researched and wrote a guide for journalists to understand the Organic Foods Production Act, brochure copy on organic products and articles for the Organic Trade Association’s monthly trade magazine, as well as articles for Northeast Sustainable Energy Association’s The Northeast Sun.

PUBLICATIONS

  2004–present  Fiction review column, The Women’s Review of Books, Wellesley, MA.
Winter 2006-07 Learning by Heart, essay with photos, New England Watershed Magazine, Hatfield, MA.
July/August 2006 You Don’t Have to Take a Dog, poem, Bark, Berkeley, CA.
November 2004 Walk Through Paradise Backwards, poetry chapbook, Slate Roof: A Publishing Collective, Northfield, MA.
Winter 2003-04 Salt, poem, Southern Poetry Review, Savannah, GA.
Winter 2002-03 Surfacing and Gong, poems, Southern Poetry Review, Savannah, GA.
Fall 2002 The Conquerable World, poem, Crossing Paths: An Anthology of Women Poets, Mad River Press, Richmond, MA.
Fall 2001 These Are The Words, and Ordinary Epiphany, commentaries aired on WAMC, Albany Public Radio.
Fall 2001 Homing, poem, Sanctuary: The Magazine of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, Lincoln, MA.
June 2001 First Love: Nine Reasons Her Heart Was So Agitated, poem, A Kiss Is Still A Kiss, Outrider Press, Crete, IL.
Fall 2000 A Couple of Things You Might Like to Know About Me, poem,
The Anthology of New England Writers, 2000, Windsor, VT.
November 1999 Ceremonial Breakage, poem, Sanctuary: The Magazine of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, Lincoln, MA.
August 1998 Burning Home, novel, accepted by Richard Parks Agency, New York, NY.
July 1998 My Husband’s Clover Plants: Or Why We Farm Organically, essay, in Taste Life! The Organic Choice, Vital Health Publishing, Bloomingdale, IL.
June 1998 Moon Poem and Desire, poems, Five Minute Pieces, Arms Library, Shelburne Falls, MA.

AWARDS

  February, 2008  Finalist, Photographer’s Forum magazine’s 28th Best of College contest
September, 2007 Creative Concept Contest, Hallmark Institute of Photography

EDUCATION
Hallmark Institute of Photography, June 2008, Turners Falls MA
MFA in Writing, May 1989, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
BA, January 1980, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA

Art Contest Submission by Erica Wheeler

Sustainability in Place

by Erice Wheelerwww.ericawheeler.com
Singer/songwriter, workshop facilitator, speaker

Goal: To foster engagement in sustainability by engaging peoples hearts. This project generate stories of place through a series of “free” writing workshops, to be followed with a public presentation of the works created. “Free” writing workshops will be geared towards all residents from all walks of life, all ages, incomes and levels of experience.

My work is dedicated to connecting and re-connecting people with their sense of place. Songs I have written help to evoke a sense of place in the listener, while my hands-on writing workshops provide the opportunity for participants to uncover their own stories of place and belonging. I have significant experience in organizing, offering and promoting public events, having been a full time touring singer-songwriter for over 15 years and, for the past 8 years having presented my workshop “The Soulful Landscape” at conferences, events and learning centers across the country. In addition, I have a career as a keynote speaker, offering presentations focused on the importance of emotionally connecting people and place. I combine my background in the performing arts and my life-long interest in the environment and cultural history to offer relevant and inspiring presentations.

This current work has brought me full circle to when I was new to the valley, as a student at Hampshire College. The bulk of my work there was a project entitled “ A Sense of Self, A Sense of Place,” which focused on how we effect our environment and how our environment effects us.  Living in the valley now for  almost 25 years, I have lived here long enough to witness changes, both positive and negative.   My most recent CD has songs about people and their relationship to place from different perspectives, and several are about the valley itself. “Good Summer Rain,” is a song, which tells the story of a valley farm sold and developed. “To Deep Water,” is a song I wrote about a lake near my home in Colrain, reflecting the beauty of this area and what it means to me.

I believe our current state of environmental degradation comes the disconnection we have between our surroundings and ourselves. When we get caught up in our individual needs and busy modern-day lives, we make choices that have immediate rewards with dire consequences for the future.  Wendell Berry has written: “ You don’t know who you are if you don’t know where you are.” I believe we can reverse our course of disconnection in several ways. You can give people the information, skills and tools they need to make new choices, but we cannot create lasting change without first creating a change of heart. Our stories of connection from the heart are a crucial spoke in the wheel sustainability. As author Terry Tempest Willams wrote “Story bypasses rethoritc and pierces the heart.”

 I teach “The Soulful Landscape” so people at any age, with any level of experience, can gain the skills needed to communicate effectively what it is they love most about their  “place,” and what it means to them. These workshops help to generate memories, imagery, and metaphors, which can be crafted in, to song, stories, essays or poems. I would like to help others find and express their voice, so that everyone can be part of the sustainable conversation. Often the word “sustainability” conjures up ideas of elitism: being something only for those with the income, education or liberal leanings to create and enjoy. Our future demands our “whole community” participate. For those already engaged in sustainability, our stories will help keep us inspired and focused on the deeper meaning of the work we do. For those unfamiliar with sustainability we can give them the “how’ and “why”, but only they themselves can find the reason in their own hearts to change. The opportunity to find and give voice to our stories of place and belonging may be just the incentive some people need. Remembering what we love about the valley, we can make sustainable choices for its future.

Our imagination is the key to a sustainable future. To be able to know and communicate the relationship we have with our surroundings is foundational in our ability to re-imagine our future.  We them can begin to embrace the notion in Aldo Leopold’ wrote about in  “A Sand County Almanac” that “when we see the land as a community to which we belong, we can begin to use it with love and respect,”

 My proposal is to offer  “free” writing workshops for towns in the valley. This will attract people from all age groups, all levels of experience and all walks of life. This will generate songs, stories, essays and pomes, which will help us, understand the diversity of what we love about “our place.” An outcome of Sustainability in Place (proposed title) could also be open mics and potlucks at town meeting halls to create community and share our works.

An additional outcome or direction for my involvement in this project could be to produce a video/audio component, in collaboration with a videographer and/or photographer. This would highlight some different aspects of the valley and include a soundtrack of original songs. An outcome could be a video for PBS or a CD to benefit a local organization.

Ultimately, my project could go three directions or have three components:
1. A series of free writing workshops in valley towns to generate stories of how people lived in a sustainable way here before, and still do.
2. A video honoring of the ways people have lived sustainably off this land and still do.
3. A CD cycle of songs about the valley.
A public presentation of works generated from this project. The public will benefit from this project by a public showing of the work, be that a video on PBS, a CD, chapbook, concert or a reading.

This project will also involve partnership with another organization. Perhaps with The Trust for Public Land, who co-sponsored my current CD, or other organizations like CISA, HCI (Highlands Community Initiative) or the American Farmlands Trust.
Funding will be used for expenses such as: room rentals, publicity, production of concert, video or CD, and for personal income while creating the project and offering it to the public.

Click here to see video of Erica singing “Good Summer Rain”

 

Art Contest Submission by Joe Edelman

*Groundcrew* – Sustainable Community and Sharing Resources in the Pioneer Valley

Joe Edelman
www.nxhx.org

*Groundcrew* is an internet project at www.groundcrew.us based on a collaboration economy — sharing our belongings, time, and skills — using cell phones, the internet, and an alternate currency.

*Groundcrew*:  Sustainable Community and Sharing Resources in the Pioneer Valley

Achieving sustainability will mean reducing consumption, sharing resources, reducing isolation, increasing community, and creating networks of mutual trust.  Groundcrew is an internet project, aimed at making the transition to a sustainable society adventurous, easy, and fun. *Groundcrew* creates a “collaboration economy” — sharing our belongings, time, and skills — by using cell phones, the internet, and an alternate currency.  Text-messaging and live maps can make community into a game.  Participants are encouraged to create positive experiences, help each other achieve goals, share resources, and have fun!

 

 

 

 

How does it work?

  • Individuals join *Groundcrew*, and configure their cell phones to become mobile Agents.
  • Agents organize themselves into Squads, specifying preferred activities or interests.
  • Community Organizers use a web-based map interface, coordinating Agents on the ground in real time.
  • Any *Groundcrew* member can post Wishes, Challenges, or Physical Resources to share.
  • Organizers connect Agents and Squads with postings, giving them Assignments.
  •  All *Groundcrew* members use an alternate, local currency, called “POSX” (positive experience), to reward community goals.  Members gain points when someone reports having a positive experience with them. POSX points are a reputation currency, similar to eBay’s seller point system.  This economy gives Groundcrew members an incentive to honestly help each other, since high-POSX members gain advantages.

*Groundcrew* will improve the world by:

  • Increasing availability and accessibility, to more easily address issues like transportation, resource-sharing, and adventurous fun.
  • Supporting a Wish-realization co-op, granting Wishes, solving community problems, reducing loneliness, isolation, and anxiety.
  • Restructuring economic incentives. Working to create positive experiences leads to higher quality, sustainable lives for all. Businesses will Eventually join the POSX economy.
  • Relying on the pre-existing information infrastructure: cellular phones, the internet, and electricity.  *Groundcrew* has zero extra environmental Impact from material-use or waste.


Global goals:
Achieving a sustainable world involves provisioning six billion people with basic needs and respecting the global ecosystem.  With *Groundcrew*, communities can organize public action, share physical resources, and care for the commons.  City life will change radically, as people engage productively without money. Actively participating in community life can be designed as an adventure, rather than a chore.

Art Contest Submission by David Fessenden

Art Contest Submission

by David Fessenden

The traditional Silversmith has practiced recycling since the art’s inception.  Patrons typically brought their old flatware, vessels and coins to the town silversmith be melted down and hammered into new more fashionable pieces.  This aspect of Steve’s work was recently documented by the Discovery Channel when they included a segment on his work for their “Green Planet” channel with begins airing in June 2008 ,taped in Ashfield at the last week of May.

I met Steve when writing a newspaper story about the chandeliers he made for Sanderson Academy and for the Ashfield Town Hall.  I was struck by Steve’s almost evangelical commitment to rediscovering and preserving the lost techniques of hand wrought silver, copper and brass. Together committed toward  filming a detailed video diary documenting the evolution of Steve’s commissions along with workshops hosted by The Paul Revere House in Boston and Historic Deerfield. We call the gave the project the working title “Painting With A Hammer”  Some of our footage can be viewed on Google video.  A link is also on Steve Smithers web site http://stevesmithers.com/

We were making record time on or project, but we have no idea where we are headed.  Steve and I approached WGBH, Museums and commercial cable outlets and came to the conclusion that in every case we would have to compromise our mission in one way or another in order to fit their programming needs.

 

  1. Concept description:  A twenty minute film on Steve Smithers and his work.  Possibly with narration and defiantly with original music created with local talent.  Subliminally embedded in our film is the supposition that American craftsmanship and locally based, entrepreneurial fabrication of goods has fallen by the wayside in our country.
  2. Final work will be a DVD with all intellectual property rights secured with releases.
  3. Concept of sustainability: The work of a traditional metalsmith, as practiced by Steve Smithers, encompasses many concepts of sustainability.  Since the inception of metalworking more than 5000 years ago, metalsmiths have been recycling their material. Patrons typically brought their damaged or out of fashion vessels, utensils, and coins to be melted down and fashioned into new objects of function and beauty. Steve works with his son to create new objects as well as repairing and conserving antique metal pieces.  They use the classic hand tools of the ancient art, which require human energy, as opposed to the energy intensive process of mass production by machines. Their work is typical of, and well represents the many small art and craft studios throughout the Pioneer Valley  The work produced in these shops is carefully  and well made, destined to be passed down as heirlooms, as opposed to poorly made products which eventually find their way to the landfill.  Steve’s small shop is made of native and local lumber.  He teaches and demonstrates his art in museums, schools, and other locations, helping to foster interest and enthusiasm for this earth friendly movement among the next generation.
  4. Materials to be used:  Existing footage, music yet be purchased, possibly narration and the editorial talents of Harry Keramidas.  Harry is a retired to Ashfield three years ago after a career as a feature film editor.  Harry and I have since collaborated on only what we consider worthwhile film projects such as our 90 minute concert documentary on Village Harmony and an in progress  project for John Bos on the creation of a local hospice choir here in Franklin County.
  5. Our project can be completed within the award amount because most of the footage is shot, we own the equipment and have the technical experience to finish our film.
  6. The film would be available for screening, without charge and distributed for a nominal charge.  Copies would be offered to local libraries and schools free of charge, as I have done with all my locally produced films.
  7. Specifications: A twenty minute film, possibly longer.

I have a BA degree from Ohio University (Communications Radio/TV)  and two years post graduate study toward a MFA in film.  After college I worked as a cameraman in Los Angeles, until 1989 when I left the commercial film industry in order to peruse interests in woodworking arts and crafts. In 2001 I came back Ashfield, MA  to be with family and build a homestead..  The films I make today are projects worthwhile and mostly documentary in nature.  Most of the profits gleaned from video production go toward camera gear and editing hardware. 
 
My five minute short called “The Three Seasons of Winter”  took first place at the First Annual Ashfield Film Festival  last year.   Ongoing and completed video projects this summer include a yet untitled documentary for John Bos’ Rural Renaissance about the formation of a hospice choir group in Franklin County. Recently completed is a 90 minute concert video on Village Harmony’s leaders concert here in Ashfield.  Earlier this spring I recently shot a documentary  video portrait of Sonya Kitchell which is now in post production.

Art Contest Submission by Megan McDonough

Sow the Seeds of Victory

by Megan McDonough

Brief description of submission: Encourage people in the Pioneer Valley to make compost and plant
Victory Gardens to provide food security, combat global warming and address the underlying issue of
sustainability – creating systems that are life-giving and regenerative. Sustainability is about more than
maintaining the status quo, it’s about learning from the past and discovering the possibilities of the future.

“Contemporary Art embraces the maverick and the traditionalist. No topic, no medium, no process, no intention, no professional protocols, and no aesthetic principles are exempt from the field of art …”
– Linda Weintraub, In the Making: Creative Options for Contemporary Art

“The Stone Age did not end because humans ran out of stones. It ended because it was time for a re-think about how we live.”
– William McDonough, architect

William McDonough in his book, Cradle to Cradle, jokes that if someone told you their marriage was
“sustainable” you’d ask them what’s wrong. The environmental movement in its search for equilibrium
in a changing world has gotten stuck on sustainability for years, but many are looking beyond what
sustains us to what is rejuvenating and regenerative. How can we learn from nature and create systems that are self-renewing and create no “waste”?

 
 
One basic example of this goal of regenerative cycles is compost in your garden. The waste from your
food becomes the fuel for creating more food, and thus starts a cycle of regeneration and growth.

During WWI and II, the US government encouraged the populace to plant “victory gardens” to help do
their part to win the war on home. Now as we find ourselves amidst a seemingly never ending war on Terror and the crisis of global warming, the time for Victory Gardens has returned. By planting gardens we can increase food security, combat global warming and begin to learn from regenerative systems.

I propose to give Victory Garden Kits to people in the Pioneer Valley. These kits would include a combination of informational literature, supplies and promotional signage. The promotional signage would be made of reclaimed or locally harvested wood. The signs could either be displayed near a garden or used as part of a raised bed.

The goal of the kits would be to give people information to make their own victory garden, supplies to start immediately and signage that would let others know they have started a victory garden. These kits would be distributed at seed swaps, farmers markets, green fairs and through other relevant events and community organizations.

OUTREACH PLAN
The Pioneer Valley is a great location to promote Sustainability through Victory Gardens. There is a long
legacy of farming in the hills and valleys, access to knowledgeable people and activists with a sense of purpose. In Northampton activists have turned parking lots into parks, so the idea of planting food not lawns is an idea whose time had come.

I will let people know about the project through a combination of advertising, grassroots networking, victory garden signs and by contacting key organizations in all three counties of the Pioneer Valley. Advertising may include running ads on buses, in newspapers or something more creative – like doing a mural on a farmer’s barn. My goal will be to coordinate Victory Garden distribution points in Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties by partnering with organizations or events in all three counties.

 

See Below for Experience

EDUCATION
January 2004 — May 2008 UMASS Amherst Amherst, MA
• Masters Degree in Regional Planning with a concentration in housing & social issues

Fall 2002 – February 2004 UMASS Amherst Amherst, MA
• Self-Designed degree in Arts-Based Community Development.
• Graduated with a cumulative GPA of 3.96.
• Earned a professional development certificate in non-profit arts management from the UMASS Arts Extension Service while an undergraduate.

Fall 1999 – Spring 2001 Oberlin College Oberlin, OH
• Completed two years towards a BA in Visual Arts with a concentration in Community Arts.

CONTINUING EDUCATION
February 17, 2006 UMASS Amherst, MA
• “Housing Within Reach” conference on affordable housing put on by the UMass architecture and wood technology departments

Summer 2004 Bard College Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
• Internationally attended week long conference on “local currencies” put on by the EF Schumacher Society

August 3-9, 2003 Smith College Northampton, MA
• Summer Institute by the Center for Popular Economics – Internationally attended conference about economics.
• Received scholarship to attend.

June 19-21, 2003 UMASS Amherst, MA
• “Work Smart Build Community Arts” – Internationally attended arts management conference put on by the UMASS Arts Extension Service.
• Received Venman Fellowship to attend.

June 30, 2003 UMASS Amherst, MA
• “Creativity Sparks Economy” – one day conference on cultural tourism in western MA put on by the Arts Extension Service of UMASS and the Western Massachusetts Arts Alliance.

WORK EXPERIENCE
May 2007 – Present Valley Community Land Trust Colrain, MA
Administrative Consultant
• Organize records and facilitate projects and committees

August 2006 – Present Center for Ecological Technology Northampton, MA
Builder Services Administrator & LEED for Homes assistant manager
• Administrative & managerial functions in support of green building program

June 2005 – May 2006 GEO/UAW Local 2322 Amherst, MA
President of the Graduate Employee Organization – a unit of UAW local 2322
• Elected president of 2,500 member labor union
• Supervised staff of 10 graduate student employees
• Responsible for facilitating the creation and execution of campaigns, overseeing union operations, public representation of the union, and running meetings

September 2004 – May 2005 GEO/UAW Local 2322 Amherst, MA
Family Issues Advocate
• Identified issues facing graduate student families on campus and developed strategies and campaigns to address these issues
• Worked as a part of the GEO staff to answer member questions, hold office hours, and work on our contract campaign

September 2004 – August 2005 Commuter Services – UMASS Amherst, MA
HomeSharing Coordinator
• Facilitated matches between “home seekers” and “home offerers” which often involved a rent reduction for services like childcare or eldercare
• Coordinated the successful operation of the program with a Franklin County Elder Coordinator and the Commuter Services office staff
• Helped with initial conflict mediation when problems arose between homeshare matches

July 2004 – September 2004 Cooperative Development Institute Greenfield, MA
Interim Office Manager
• Maintained and updated Microsoft Access database
•Trouble-shooted computer and office machine problems
• Acted as a point person for the office – doing intakes, planning for events, submitting grant applications, etc.

May 2004 – July 2004 Northampton Planning and Development Northampton, MA
Intern
• Assisted in the research and writing of an Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing study
• Assisted in the completion of a Commonwealth Capital Application and a recreation and conservation space accessibility inventory

January 2004 – May 2004 Environmental Design Dept. UMass Amherst, MA
Teaching Assistant
• Grade papers and maintain records for 90 student undergraduate course.

February 2003 – December 2003 Amherst Cinema Center Amherst, MA
Office Assistant & Volunteer
• Did research for grant applications and promotion of the center.
•  Assisted in database management for mailing list and donations.
• Used Gift Maker Pro software, Microsoft project, Word & Excel on a PC.
• Assisted in office organization, filing, and planning.

May 2001 – August 2001 Child at Heart Art Gallery Newburyport, MA
Intern
• Used various computer programs on both an iMac and a PC to enter inventory, create invoices, signs and labels (File Maker Pro, Apple Works 6, Microsoft Word, Excel, & Publisher).
• Acted as a reference point for customers, answering questions about the art on display, the artists, and the store.
•Assisted in research and display.

Jan — May 2001 The Henry Street Settlement New York, NY
Visual Arts/Arts in Education Intern
• Learned about the structure and organization of a large non-profit.
• Clerical duties: Typing (PC & Typewriter), Filing, Faxing, Photocopying, etc.
• Assisted in the planning of educational arts programs for youths and seniors.
• Assisted with display of their Annual Student Art Show.

Jan – May 2001 The 16 Beaver Street Group, Inc. New York, NY
Intern
•  Learned about how a small grassroots non-profit is run.
• Developed an organizational system for future interns to manage mailing lists, press releases, and other contacts with the public.

VOLUNTEER LEADERSHIP
Spring 2003 – 2005 The Earth & Sky Collective Amherst, MA
• Founded the Earth & Sky Collective for cooperative exchange (EarthSkyExchange.org).
• Organized workshop series with Collective on cooperative economic strategies such as barter and local currency.
• Press contact and spokesperson for the Collective.
• Led meetings and facilitated workshops.

Spring 2005 – present United Auto Workers Local 2322 Holyoke, MA
• Elected to the Joint Council of UAW Local 2322
• Responsible for personnel, financial and campaign decisions made between bi-annual membership meetings

Fall 2005 – present United Auto Workers Local 2322 Holyoke, MA
• Elected to the executive board of UAW local as the “guide”
• Entrusted with maintaining compliance with union bylaws and constitution
• Responsible for personnel, financial and campaign decisions made between monthly joint council meetings

Art Contest Submission by David Maynes

Concept Description Submitted by David Maynes

Sustainability in the Pioneer Valley Art Competition

Concept
The idea of sustainability is vast and multifaceted.  At the core of sustainability are the so-called “three E’s of Sustainability”; Economy, Equity, and Environment.  Within each of these lies the elements that define them; clean water, renewable energy, localized food production, land/resource preservation, working, living, prospering, etc.  Although vital in fostering sustainability, these elements are only catalysts that allow for the evolution of resilient systems, systems that respond, adapt, and react to one another over time.  The earth has been following this ecological flow from the beginning, and will continue to do so with or without human influence.

The anthropocentric idea of sustainability is born out of the human exclusion and actions that have impacted the system we have forgotten we are a part of.  The western world view dominates society and continues to imagine an ecology separate of humans, one that is its own entity, only existing for the manipulation and exploitation of human need.  This view is accelerating earth-systems decline, and has created an ecology characteristic of human disconnection.  The human species disconnect has polluted watersheds; raped natural resources; changed natural systems by land manipulation; created poverty, suffering, and desperation; prioritized efficiency over effectiveness, and technology over environment.  It is not surprising that the plagues of this disconnection are the very things that have the power to once again connect people with the system(s) we are participants in.

David Maynes Contest Submission sample

   
I am proposing that the essence of sustainability in the Pioneer Valley is people.  There is no remediation; no economic, social, and environmental solution; no future for the human species without the reconnection of us with one another, and the ecological flows we are a part of.  Cleaning polluted watersheds, fostering better land-use, realizing the power of local dollars; these are all solutions for people, by people, in response to people, under the umbrella of ecological participation.  It is this acknowledgement and awareness of ecological inclusion that has affirmed our identity within the system’s process.  Life, processes, and all things living are in a perpetual non-equilibrium state of mutation and adaptation in multiple scales over time. It is now, at this moment, that humans are beginning to understand ecology as process and the regenerative nature inherent to it.  We are water, we are forests, we are local economies, we are energy, we are agriculture, we are ecology.  We.

 

Davis Maynes Art Contest Submission sample


The Work
I intend to represent the above idea with a walk through exhibit depicting elements (using various media forms) of sustainability (in the PV) such as the Connecticut River, farmland, downtowns, forests, etc., each behind a two-way mirror to illuminate both the image/object and the viewer’s reflection of themselves looking at the image/object.  This represents the individual inclusion in any sustainable endeavor.  The space would be arranged in three groupings with images characteristic of the ‘three E’s of sustainability’.  There would be some narrative possibly, or the use of mixed media to illustrate each image clearly and artfully.  The arrangement of the space would as well take on ecological significance (although I have not pinned that one down yet) reaffirming the big idea.  At some point an image of the viewer would be taken (using hidden digital camera) and the final mirror-image element within the exhibit would depict all of the viewers’ images, representing a collaboration of experience and inclusion within the process of the exhibit, again reaffirming the big idea. 


Possible layout of the space could be something like this:
The space could be constructed indoors or out, in one single location or multiple (ie Springfield, NoHo, & Greenfield).  It would be made as much as possible of recycled materials.  The individual pieces of each element would be done by a mix of artists (ideally).  There are many more ideas about how to mature/refine the concept/piece even more, but I intend to allow processes of creation as a tiller for final aesthetic. The budget allocated for the project should be adequate for installation. The scale of the project can also vary depending on the site(s)

EXPERIENCE

Education
Master of Landscape Architecture (May 2009 completion) – UMass – Amherst, MA.
Bachelor of Science in Landscape Horticulture and Design – UMaine – Orono, ME.

Professional
2003-2008
Owner/Operator:  David Maynes Design – small high-end design/build firm in coastal Maine specializing in ecological design and construction of residential landscapes.  Portfolio available at website:  www.maynes5280.net

Creative
Trained jazz and classical musician
Furniture design and construction

Art Contest Submission by RJ Magoon

Sustainability in Action: A Community-Based Design Embracing Material Re-use and Environmental Interaction

by RJ Magoon

Having lived and worked in the Pioneer Valley for eighteen years, my project is designed to not only represent how sustainability functions within rural communities, but to also act as a catalyst for further inspiration on the part of local residents to live more sustainably in their day to day lives. The design
provides a physical outlet for one to carry out sustainable practices (such as gardening and growing one’s own food), and could most appropriately be constructed within a park or a center of the community where sustainability and recycling is seldom practiced.

Originally inspired by the efforts in Holyoke, MA to provide community gardens to downtown residents, my concept is manifested through the construction of a free-standing, three storey structure which houses three separate community gardens, as well as a shrine to sustainability in the center of
the building. Though the initial frame calls for store-bought lumber and plywood, the structure is designed to show how easy and cost-effective it is to re-use organic materials and byproducts and, thus, make them an integral part of our lives.

For example, the multi-leveled gardens can easily be heated and maintained in the wintertime through wood and Plexiglas panels on the exterior of each garden cell, into which passersby can quickly deposit their recyclable bottles and containers (once they are filled with water) which, when sunlight hits them and heats the water inside of them, will provide heat for each garden plot in wintertime conditions.

In order to provide fresh water for both the filling of these recycled bottles and the irrigation of garden plots, storm water collection systems on top of each garden cell distribute both rainwater and snow (melted by the exterior bottleheating panels) into each plot by a vertical hosing system. Over time, rain water is dropped into the central sanctuary space, where, in the summertime, a freshwater pool provides relaxation and refreshment, and, in the wintertime, allows for interesting ice sculptures and natural, environmental art to take place. In order to enhance these natural ice formations, natural vegetable oils may be used in order to dye the ice.

In addition to irrigation and heating, the structure is also designed to provide effective and creative waste management opportunities for the surrounding area. For example, in order to insulate many portions of the structure, walls made of scrap metal can be filled with common waste by pedestrians, and later emptied by truck. In the winter, hay bales can also be used as insulation. In order to encourage local composting, gardens are also maintained atop composting plots, within which compost is deposited by pedestrians or nearby residents, and later dropped onto lower plots in order to naturally create soil.

Overall, the proposed structure shall be instrumental in not only representing sustainability, but also inspiring members of the Pioneer Valley, local pedestrians, and even passing visitors to take part in enjoying, contributing to, and appreciating the structure’s self-sustaining systems and the benefits of living sustainably on a regular basis.

Art Contest Submission by Lisa Ganci

The SmartyPants Project 

by Lisa Ganci

The Smarty Pants Project is art & industry woven together with an entrepreneurial ambition that is deeply rooted in social and environmental responsibility.

SmartyPants were designed specifically for the cloth-diapered babe, yet they look fabulous on all children ages 3 months to 3 years.  Each pair is a one of a kind combination of color, pattern & texture merged with design and function.  They are made from donated, recycled and/or vintage cotton fabric gathered from local sources.  What also makes these pants dance is that a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Rays of Hope, a rock your socks organization that gives so much to the families of the Pioneer Valley who are coping with cancer. 

This funky, trade-marked design incorporates a “butt-panel” that provide extra room for a diaper, and equally important, the panel creates a look that is so fun.  The waist is a simple 3/4″ elastic band for easy on/off action and comfort.  Each pair is assembled, by local folks, with a serger for durable high quality finished seams.

A true ‘smartypants’ is one who is committed, with every stitch, to being socially and environmentally responsible.  That’s us!

By using donated, recycled and/or vintage fabric, employing local folks, and generating a low-carbon footprint, I’m making clothing that, (much like local food is to a locavore), is sustainable and beautiful!   Starting with a pair of pants, this project is turning a little piece of the garment industry up-side-down by creating a beautiful children’s line that is truly sustainable, practical, and affordable.

The idea for this project was born at the time my daughter Stella was 21 months old and I   was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Cancer turned my world upside-down as well as
inspired me to launch this dual-purpose mission, one that, already at such an early stage, has brought me great joy and a sense of purpose.  I turned to the sewing machine for comfort and have become a wild sewing-mama ever since!  As part of deepening my commitment to live more green, SmartyPants and my love of sewing are traveling down a unique path, one even richer in color and texture than I previously imagined.  Our goal is to succeed at operating a local endeavor that is steadfast in it’s social and environmental initiatives.

 
 A sustainable clothing line for young children & the planet
 
I vow to generate a low-carbon footprint in the entire cycle of creating and selling SmartyPants and commit to initiatives that off-set what footprints I do make.  I promise to have fun, to dance in my pants and live by the motto of what it really means to be a smartypants living on this planet.

a few of my future goals and initiatives:
 

  • search for a source of new fabric that is truly sustainable (like organic bamboo but grown in the pioneer valley, hmm?)
  • convert our equipment over to wind-up sewing machines & sergers, (that is, if wind-up technology ever makes its way into the garment industry.)
  • on our super sunny property we will build a green sewing studio and warehouse.
  • purchase a bio-diesel vehicle for collection of fabric and delivery of orders.
  • increase my donations to other local agencies that do great things for the community.

Art Contest Submission by Nicholas Taupier

Sun Farmer

by Nicholas Taupier

Sun Farmer Art Contest submission by Nicholas TaupierFor the Art of Sustainability contest, I am proposing to research, write, and draw a graphic novel about sustainability.  Entitled Sun Farmer, it would be set in the not-too-distant future, in a time when people’s wanton use of energy and lack of foresight has left gas prices soaring, energy shortages sweeping the nation, and global warming changing the environment in which we live.  In the setting, the book’s protagonist seeks to create a life for himself, where he can live sustainably off the land, and provide clean, renewable energy to others, all through the power of the sun.  Given the quality of the land in the Pioneer Valley, it would make a fine setting for our Sun Farmer, although the scope of the book would make it clear that these are tenable and noble goals no matter where you live.  To get a better idea of the concept of sun farmer, please read the attached pages, and consider them to be a “trailer” for the completed work, as you would see for a feature film.

Artists’ Statement:
It’s time that we face it: each year, the sun sends to earth many thousands of times more energy than even we humans use.  It would only take an area the size of a small country covered in solar panels to supply all of the energy that the entire worlds needs each year.  Sustainable energy is fully within our grasp, yet somehow it continues to elude us.  Sun Farmer would provide factual evidence of the ways in which solar energy could improve our lives and preserve our world (through all manners; industrial, agricultural, and otherwise), and a fictionalized (although based in fact) account of what the world may look like if we continue down the path of wasteful energy usage and pollution causing sources. 
   

I believe that a graphic novel is the perfect format to spread a message of sustainability; through the combination of words and pictures, I will clearly be able to present information about sustainability, and do so in a way that is dynamic and interesting to a wide audience.  I believe that presenting in this format will make the concept accessible to more people, draw them in with the story, and then get them thinking about, and hopefully acting on, what they read. 
   

In its completed form, the graphic novel will be fully drawn in ink, colored, and approximately 25-35 pages in length.  I am proposing that the final project be posed on the Internet, on its own website, which could be set up and maintained through the budget from the contest.  There are several reasons for realizing the project through this method; first, in the name of sustainability, publishing the graphic novel on the Internet would negate the need for reprinted paper copies of the book, which would be costly, and not very sustainable.  Second, it would allow us to reach a wider audience; not only in the Pioneer Valley, but all over the world as well.  This way, the final product will be accessible to virtually anyone, anytime, anywhere.
   

Although creatively this is my own project, as I will be writing and drawing it myself, Sun Farmer will be a somewhat collaborative project, in order to cut down on some of the work I will have to do myself, and to create it in a fuller form than I would be able to alone.  To this end, my friend Chris Manchester, another artist from the Pioneer Valley area, with whom I attend school and have worked with before, is ready and willing to do the coloring for Sun Farmer.  Chris is usually a painter, although he has worked in a wide variety of styles, formats, and media, and I know his work and help will bring great beauty and life and each of the pages of Sun Farmer.  I also plan to get another person to set up the web page for me, so that I do not have to spend time doing it myself within the timeframe for the completion of the project.  I already know several web designers from the Valley area who are willing and able to work on this project with me, so the only question is to pick exactly which one.
   

I know that together we can work to make Sun Farmer a great success and inspirational work.  The materials should not have much effect on the cost of the project; recycled paper, inks, and coloring supplies are all readily available and fairly inexpensive, so the largest costs would be hosting the website and compensating the people working on the project for the amount of time and effort that would have to go into a project of this magnitude.

Education:
Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York.  2005-present.

Work experience:
Orchard and grounds maintainer; New Salem Preserves, 2005-present (summers only)
New Salem Preserves is a small low-spray orchard and organic garden, where I have been the sole continuous employee for four years now.  There I have learned many techniques for protecting and growing fruit bearing trees and bushes with limited or no chemical means, and minimal impact on the environment. 

Unfortunately, since I am but on the cusp of my senior year of college, I have not yet had much time to build a career around or a public archive of my work, and thus do not any way to grant you access to my prior works and endeavors other than in person.  I do not, however, want you to mistake this for a lack of experience.  For many years now I have been completing and working on graphic novels and other works of comic art, for reasons ranging from school projects (which have been completed in time frames ranging from a few weeks to several months), works for my own edification (I have several finished and on-going works), and my current employment (I am currently finishing work on a script for a dramatic/comedic graphic novel about student life).  The topics of my works have ranged from mystery, to fantasy, to an historical graphic novel about the exile of the Kalmyks by the Stalinist Russians, to analysis of existential philosophy, to stories based on real life events.  I am wholly committed to this work, readily to look critically at this issue, and would love the opportunity from you to move Sun Farmer from a vision into an actuality.