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[bouldertreeopp-blog]

Creativity, Community and the TreeOpp Project

“Once I found myself in BLDG 61, I felt instant captivation by the technology at our disposal. 3D printers, a laser cutter, and a shop dedicated to nothing more than creative inspiration of those who enter.” – Bryce, TreeOpp crew member. 

TreeOpp 

TreeOpp has been a difficult project to describe because there are so many components: trees, homelessness, woodworking skills, technology skills, selling products, holding workshops, and the list goes on. 

Above: Bryce learning as part of the TreeOpp crew.

While the TreeOpp project addresses dying public trees and homelessness, the real focus is on the future: new skills learned, opportunities, usable products, art, and ultimately creative ideas producing the tangible. 

When the Knight Foundation announced the City of Boulder won a Knight Cities Challenge grant for the TreeOpp project, there was excitement, along with unanswered and open-ended questions. 

We didn’t know if anyone who was transitioning out of homelessness wanted to learn woodworking. We didn’t know if anyone would want to buy art and products the crew created. We didn’t know how multiple city departments, local businesses and nonprofits would work together on this project. 

Creativity and community were the answers.

Community Connections 

Emily Messina, development director at the Bridge House, says people who are homeless don’t feel a part of the community – that the housed community doesn’t see them, and if they do, they see a homeless person, defining the person by his or her current circumstance. 

Art and creativity act as a connection for people who are transitioning out of homelessness to re-enter the community and connect in a way beyond the homeless/housed dichotomy. 

Above: TreeOpp community workshop

One unanticipated consequence of the TreeOpp program is how the crew joined the BLDG 61 maker community. Janet Hollingsworth, creative technologist at the Boulder Public Library’s BLDG 61 and TreeOpp instructor, said she was surprised to see TreeOpp crew members coming in on their own time to use the makerspace and interact with community members as collaborators – helping each other with projects. 

While this is a great benefit to the TreeOpp crew, it also adds social and economic diversity to the makerspace, which is a benefit to all. 

The TreeOpp crew interacted with the public outside of the makerspace as well. At the most recent Boulder County Farmers Market Artisan Show, the crew talked with the public all day about products created, using local, reclaimed wood, and the problems the community is facing with the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) infestation. These interactions focus on the future and showcase the crews’ abilities, talents and worth. 

Work and Creativity 

It takes a lot of work just to be accepted into the Boulder Bridge House’s Ready to Work Program. Applicants must first show a commitment to sobriety, have all their paperwork in order so they can be hired, and be ready to gain experience in the working world by being able to show up for work on time, follow directions and work as part of a team. 

While this is quite an endeavor in itself – especially considering the backgrounds many participants have experienced – their job prospects are slim after being incarcerated, homeless, or whatever challenges they have recently faced. 

Above: First TreeOpp crew working together

Many choose either picking up trash in parks or food service – necessary jobs that give them solid experience for future work. But, in addition to these jobs, a creative outlet is an integral part of the transition back to the housed and working community. 

Emily, at the Bridge House, says that while creative expression won’t solve homelessness on its own, it helps bring out participants’ talents, skills and interests and demonstrates them to the community – even if the participant isn’t a natural artist. 

Creativity and the TreeOpp Project 

TreeOpp crew members have showed up for the TreeOpp project enthusiastically and put their creativity to use immediately, encouraged by instructors and staff. Many crew members contributed their creativity towards the project – beyond building the products. 

One crew member, Shannon, came up with the idea of creating a butterfly to symbolize sobriety and new life and opportunities. 

Above: TreeOpp butterflies

Rico, another TreeOpp crew member, is a talented illustrator and has donated his drawings to the TreeOpp outreach efforts and used them for laser cutting projects. 

John, TreeOpp crew member and gifted photographer and videographer, created a video slideshow about the project from his perspective. 

Contributing to the Community 

Another benefit of the project is the opportunity for the crew to give back to the community by turning downed lumber into art and usable products. 

Crew member Dan said, “I'm a Boulder native looking to help the trees and learn a new trade.” After learning about the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) infestation, the crew was also in a position to educate the community and help address this community problem, while rejoining the community as a contributing member.

Above: TreeOpp May sale

Bryce, who once lived in a park in Longmont, been hired for some contracting work at BLDG 61 and continues to be a contributing member of the BLDG 61 team. 

He wrote a letter about his experience with Ready to Work, BLDG 61 and Treeopp, and stated, “When I got to participate in the activities and discussions held by staff, and felt my ideas were just as important as anyone else’s, I felt welcome; not as a student, or even a guest, but a member, things begin to turn around. I am so blessed to have had this intervening factor brought to me. If everyone were given this chance, I feel I’m not the only one who would be making this claim.” 

[immigrationnewsdigest]

“Four in five Americans (78%) say the spread of misinformation online is “a major problem,” exceeding all other challenges posed by the media environment.” https://t.co/z5Mwpq822I

— ImmigNewsDigest (@ImmigNewsDigest) August 5, 2020

[ecologiadigital]

Reid Hoffman took to @TheDailyShow last night to discuss the future of #AI & #aiethics: https://t.co/UCIumNkj2f

— Knight Foundation (@knightfdn) September 1, 2017

[miguelkultura-blog]

Yooo on behalf of @localcolorsj receiving their grant, they are having a re-opening party! Its so dope to see that they utilzed the wall me and my pops made and even extended it. It is also dope to see @phillipdu design come to life in this piece of Art expressed by @driftin @jimmypaints Performance: @thatfoolal and more #localcolar #knight #knightfoundation #exhibitiondistrict #knightfdn #art #space #artistspace #localcolar #bamn #neeba #downtownsanjose (at Local Color)

[nickysaysyolo]

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I'm so excited to join @CollectiveDrift and an amazing group of women as a co-host for The Art of Becoming a Woman - A Rum Punch Brunch! 🍹 You must join me on December 8th at 2pm! I'll be leading a great conversation that I'm sure you will be inspired by. Go to collectivedrift.com/events to register and use the code ABWCOHOST for a 15% discount. . . This is going to be an amazing Art Basel 🎨event for women of all cultures and ethnicities that enjoy, art, culture and international travel 🌎. Chef Nurse👨‍🍳 will be flown in from Barbados to cook us an amazing meal🥘, we'll drink rum punch, enjoy a belly dance performance💃, experience an Ethiopian coffee ceremony☕, participate in authentic connections with other wonderful women👭, view art, and get an amazing swag bag with full sized Miss Jessie’s products! This will be an amazing event that you can not miss. . Register now collectivedrift.com/events . . Visit my fellow co-host: @ivakosovic @contemporarychica @contemporarychica @ditasharp @nickysaysyolo @vandagem_art @shopblatina @shomara.garcia @fjimenezmarcos . . And a huge thank you to our sponsors: @artafricamia @thebtmi @knightfdn @aarp @aarpflorida @miss_jessies @miamiandbeaches and @northmiamifl . . . . . #artofbackmiami #artbaselmiami2019 #artdusseldorf #CollectiveDrift #Shespiration #Cultureblogger #CultureIndex #CulturePlatform #ArtsLover #CulturePodcast #CultureInnovator #Multicultural #Multiethnic #Multigenerational #DusseldorfBlogger #CapetownBlogger #MiamiBlogger #TravelPodcast #Womenspodcast #multiculturalpodcast #germanytravelblogger #fashionpodcast #miamidadecollege #culturegroup #foundinmiami #internationalwomensgroup #miamiculture (at Miami, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5sSSR1Bbu-/?igshid=zc7zpmpzy969

[amslynn]

Twitter subcultures like Black Twitter, Feminist Twitter and Asian American Twitter are giving voice to issues that mainstream media don’t cover.

https://knightfoundation.org/features/twittermedia #twitterandnews via @knightfdn

[thefreequincy]

🌳Where do I even begin? First I want to thank @hbganttcenter @angel_jhane @dominatrix.3 @knightfdn @meccaofdigiarts for this amazing opportunity to share my world with my community🌱This project has been such a journey; Grace, Going with the flow, Passion, Support and Tons of Adhesive made my piece “Sanctuary” a success, I can not be more proud of it🌿This is just the beginning! Thank you to all my friends and family who came to support me last night, my heart is full today. With this project I wanted the viewer to take a step into what inspires my works🌷🌱☀️while also taking a step into the future of my creative journey. If you have the chance to see this work in person download the @artiviveapp to see my metaverse behind each piece displayed☀️🌏🌸. Blessssssssssssss P.S. “Trust & Keep Going”✊🏾 #charlotteart #northcarolinaartist #museum #harveybganttcenter #blender #artivive #AR #Procreate #digitalart (at Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqOVvzzPWjl/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[meccaakagrimo]

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🇭🇹🎤🇭🇹 #AboutLastNight‼️ Jess Could la @tikasoda & Family & Friends @PoeticLakay • 👋🏽🎼🎸 Celebrating 4 Years of Poetry in Ti Ayiti #LittleHaiti @lhccmiami • 🇭🇹🎤🇭🇹 🔊TONIGHT‼️🌖🌙 We are celebrating 4 Years of #Poetry #Song #Dance in #TiAyiti #LittleHaiti 🎤 Come out and Support the Arts @FePouLi @thechildrenstrust @knightfdn @lhccmiami • Hosted by @MECCAakaGRIMO • Venue: Little Haiti Cultural Center (Theater Lobby) 212 NE 59 Terrace Ti Ayiti, FL 33137 • Poets that are interested in participating please DM @PoeticLakay • Vendors interested in Participating please DM @PoeticLakay • Thank You to the #Vendors that came out and made the event even more epic‼️ @elouinia @kaftaxfit @natpublishing @champs_icees @treehuggingsoap • 🏵 Thank You @karollann_taxfit @clau_cass for supporting #PoeticLakay in a Big way. 🙏🏽 • #PoeticLakay #PoeticLakayPoets #PoetryInLittleHaiti #LakaySeLakay #BYOB #SIPandSKETCH 🍾✍🏾 (at Little Haiti Cultural Complex) https://www.instagram.com/p/BoXMJO0FNDE/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=6e50nxl5998o

[immigrationnewsdigest]

"Americans feel overwhelmed by the volume and speed of news, and the internet is making it worse," https://t.co/rEE5YEl23C via @knightfdn

— ImmigNewsDigest (@ImmigNewsDigest) August 5, 2020

[harumotte]

Today is the last day of @powwowsanjose! This time, I want to share my gratitude toward the restaurant, #DacPhuc, that I painted the wall. The lady on the pic is Monique, the owner of the restaurant. Her brother Don and she took care of me so much while I was painting. When I started to paint, we were kinda awkward. They were not familiar with the public art and I didn’t have good words to tell (well, it’s my first mural!). But after 2-3days, once they saw many colors and bubbly shapes, they started to take care of me, giving me a banana and water. Around the 5th day, they treated me as a family, serving me yummy Vietnamese food, asking my health and progress with big smiles...!! When I finished painting it, we hugged each other very tightly. I re-learned the power of art through this mural. They have been here since 35 years and I believe it’s one of the prides of history in San Jose. I talked with so many people who have come to eat there more than 10 years, and who never went there, or even didn’t notice that there is a Vietnamese restaurant until I started to paint. If you like Vietnamese food and you never try this place, please come to try! They are really nice people and I want them to continue their business as long as possible. This was a life changing experience. Thank you so much for letting me paint this mural!!!—- POW! WOW! San Jose Presented by //⁣⁣⁣⁣ @empire7studios @ungramr @mightydesign.io @powwowworldwide⁣⁣⁣⁣ @powwowsanjose .⁣⁣⁣ Supported by // @knightfdn @HyattPlace @kellymoorepaint @montanacans @47 @crescoequipmentrentals @google @monsterenergy @hawaiianairlines @iguanasburritozilla @ualocal393 @svcreates @waltcomm⁣⁣⁣⁣ @sj_downtown @thealamedaartworks @scvta @rockitprints ⁣⁣⁣⁣@eastridgecenter @jiminystitchit @visitsanjose_ca #TriForgeCapitalPartners #gardencityconstructionsj (at Dac Phuc Restaurant) https://www.instagram.com/p/BpgMNiQgRXO/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=t8n5m3489n19

[graciegirl2000]

Mainstream journalism operates from a space that heavily defaults to white issues. How do I trust this perspective when they don’t make the assumption that ‘people’ includes nonwhite people?

@knightfdn Community Member of Black Twitter 

[duppandswat]

LEVELS 🎀 #sincerelyswat #chicago #empowerher #empowerher17 #blavity #knightfdn #grateful #inspiration #motivation #travel #letshavesomefun #andlearn #lol #waaaayupifeelblessed (at Chicago, Illinois)

[ghanathinktank]

Second piece done ✅ 🙌under the #AmericanRiad @oaacdetroit @creative_capital @michiganbusiness @knightfdn https://ift.tt/2LXDiWb

[drraptjr]

Repost @pathtohiphop ・・・ You down with the crew? Apply now & refer a creative who you think should rock with us! bit.ly/declarehiphop2021 (Link in bio) #Shoutout the the WH crew for reppin MIA since day 1. ___________________________________ @knightfdn @thechildrenstrust @miamilightproject @miamidadearts This project is made possible with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners and Miami Light Project. The project is funded in part by The Children’s Trust. The Children’s Trust is a dedicated source of revenue established by voter referendum to improve the lives of children and families in Miami-Dade County. ___________________________________ #Emcee #DJ #Graffiti #Breakin #DigitalStorytelling #SummerCamp #Miami #ThingstodoinMiami #CommunityHours #musicians https://www.instagram.com/p/CQcgZIdrtcw/?utm_medium=tumblr

[trascapades]

🎙#ArtIsAWeapon @thebassmoa & @studiomuseum present Curating Culture: RECOVERING BLACK HISTORY from Miami to Harlem featuring multi-award-winning actor and singer @leslieodomjr; DJ, drummer and filmmaker @questlove; and culinary historian and author @drjessicabharris in conversation, tonight April 7, 6PM ET on The Bass' @youtube channel. Hosted by Tom Healy @tphealy. Register: https://thebass.org/event/curator-culture-recovering-black-history/

•

Reposted from @thebassmoa - How does Black art and music inspire activism? Despite its power, why has so much of Black cultural history been hidden or forgotten?  How is that history being recovered? In a wide-ranging, personal conversation, three of America’s most prominent creative talents talk about their recent work recovering some of the extraordinary events, people and stories of the Black experience in America. 

The program will be introduced by Silvia Karman Cubiñá @silviakcubina, and Thelma Golden @thelmagolden, Director and Chief Curator of The Studio Museum in Harlem.

The Curator Culture series is generously supported by The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation @knightfdn. Additional support for this program is provided by Art Bridges @artbridgesfoundation and Helen Frankenthaler Foundation’s Frankenthaler Digital Initiative @helenfrankenthalerfoundation.

To register and receive access to the conversation, head to the link in our bio!

#RecoveringBlackHistory #BlackPower #BlackExcellence #BlackCreatives #LeslieOdomJR #Questlove #DrJessicaHarris #StudioMuseum #inHarlem #CuratorCulture #atTheBass #ThelmaGolden #TraScapades