Tag Archives: community

May19

art is community.

Posted on by
Standard

‘los trompos,’ (spanish for spinning tops)

a giant spinning top art installation,

visits detroit’s beacon park from mexico city

'Los Trompos.' - ABEL KLAINBAUM

the eight giant, colorful tops, designed by *héctor esrawe and ignacio cadena, are large enough for multiple people to sit or stand inside them, and visitors are welcome to take a spin. they were designed to facilitate play, celebrate culture, and bring people together to interact and connect. Los Trompos is an interactive piece that comes to life when people engage with it. the tops are based on the construction of the actual toy and reflect the work of mexican artisans, as well as mexican culture, art, and architecture. 

community comes together to dance in the park
—
so fun to be here
as all kinds of people stopped by
just to play and connect with each other. 

—

“simply enjoy life and the great pleasures that come with it.”

-karolina ku

—
credits: sonia kahleel, metro times

 * héctor esrawe is an industrial designer with a cross-disciplinary design atelier located in mexico city. ignacio cadena is the founder of cadena+asoc. concept design, a mexico-based interior design firm. the two often collaborate with each other, and together they won two interior design best of year awards in 2017

Dec11

moonbeams.

Posted on by
Standard

it was truly an honor and my pleasure

on a chilly december evening

 to gather with hundreds

of friends and strangers

from all parts of the community

reaching out with lights and song

to wish children sweet dreams.

—

WHAT IS “MOONBEAMS FOR SWEET DREAMS”?

“Moonbeams for Sweet Dreams,” is a program created by the Beaumont Children’s Pediatric Family Advisory Council at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, MI.

Every evening at 8 p.m. during the month of December pediatric patients will shine flashlights from the hospital windows and look for people from the community who are standing outside the hospital to flash them back. It only takes a few minutes, but it will mean a lot to these young patients and their families.

“Many children are unable to leave their rooms and can feel isolated in the hospital as the rest of the world continues without them, and have trouble falling asleep” Beaumont Children’s Child Life Supervisor Kathleen Grobbel said. “With the help of the community, we can make sure they go to bed with smiles on their faces.”

If you want to put a smile on the faces of some kids that are spending the holidays hospitalized … it’s time to grab a flashlight and head to Beaumont Children’s Hospital in Royal Oak.

That’s where you can help by being a part of Moonbeams for Sweet Dreams.

—

“deep in the meadow, hidden far away 

a cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray

forget your woes

and let your troubles lay.”

-suzanne collins

 

credits: beaumont children’s hospital, wwj radio

https://www.beaumont.org/health-wellness/moonbeams

Dec2

kindle.

Posted on by
Standard

warm and friendly evening spent

at the annual kindlefest winter market

“christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality.”

— washington irving

 

 

—

kerrytown, ann arbor, mi, usa – 2018

Oct14

missing her.

Posted on by
Standard

when the kinders learned that their classmate

was injured and recovering at home

they quickly gathered

to make their friend a special card

wishing her well

and

letting her know

in their own way

how much they were missing her.

—

“without a sense of caring, there can be no sense of community.”

-anthony j. d’angelo

Oct5

giving.

Posted on by
Standard

‘help yourself, but please leave bowl. enjoy!’

another friendly neighbor’s offering

left on the steps to their house

 discovered while out walking.

 

 

—

‘the people who give you their food, give you their heart.’

-cesar chavez

Jun16

torpedo.

Posted on by
Standard

what do you get

when you combine every kid in the city who is now out of school

with a very hot day and a community pool?

lots of squeals, water fights, slides, splashes, and snacks

everyone so happy to be free

all summer ahead of them

 has the festive feel of adults

celebrating with a long night of cocktails

but the kids are hopped up on nothing but pure sunshine and water.

 

—

‘i feel like a torpedo.’

-michael phelps (u.s.a. olympic gold medalist in swimming)

 

 

 

—

image credit: New York July 12, 1937 McCarren Park Pool- vintage photo

 

 

Mar28

museum.

Posted on by
Standard

curbside museum

a small and quirky museum hidden is inside a fence

in canmore, alberta, canada

curbside museum is an unassuming curiosity in the mountain town of canmore, canada. the tiny museum is always packed with intricate little exhibits that rotate every so often. each exhibit is incredibly detailed, their contents all stuffing the glass showcase to the brim with a delightfully unexpected assortment of items.

this tiny museum is hidden within a hole in a fence that lines a busy street. the gilded frame is the only hint that this particular stretch of fence holds more than first meets the eye. you could easily walk right past it if you weren’t paying attention.

you’ll find subjects ranging from common scenes to those that transcend into the realm of fantasy. some of the showcases take on a more serious, factual tone, though many exhibits do indeed have an element of whimsy and charm.

the museum is a fun addition to the town and adds a moment of joy for any pedestrians who stop and take a peek. it’s a reward for eagled-eyed passersby who take the time to notice their surroundings. the museum is free and is open day and night.

“a museum should not just be a place for fancy paintings

but should be a place where we can

communicate our lives through our everyday objects.”

-orhan pamuk

 

 

 

 

—

credits:  curbside museum, atlas obscura.com, city of canmore, alberta

Mar8

choices.

Posted on by
Standard

our kinder community is made up of little people

who have made all kinds of big choices. 

 

—

“what is a community? it is the sum total of our choices.”
― fredrik backman

Jan30

treasure trove.

Posted on by
Standard

Turkish Garbage Collectors Open Library Full of Discarded Books

Turkish garbage collectors in the country’s capital city of Ankara have opened a public library that is full of books that were originally destined to be put into landfill. The workers began collecting discarded books and opened the new library in the Çankaya district of Ankara. News of the library has spread and now people have begun donating books directly to the library, rather than throwing them away.

As CNN reports, the library was originally created for the use of the employees friends and family but, as it grew in size, the library was officially opened to the public in September of last year. “We started to discuss the idea of creating a library from these books. And when everyone supported it, this project happened,” said Çankaya Mayor Alper Tasdelen, whose local government spearheaded the opening of the library.

The library now has over 6,000 fiction and non-fiction books and includes a children’s section, an area dedicated to scientific research books, and a number of English and French language books for those who are bilingual. The library building itself used to be a brick factory and is located at the sanitation department HQ. The building featured long corridors and an aged brick facade and transformed perfectly into a library.

Books can be withdrawn for two weeks at a time, with an extension available if required. The library’s collection has now become so vast that it loans many of the books to schools, educational programs, and even prisons.“Village schoolteachers from all over Turkey are requesting books,” Tasdelen said. The library has also created new job opportunities as it requires full time staff to run and support it.

The library has proven to be a huge hit with the community. Children of the employees often enjoy reading there and local school children visit to study. Local cyclists who pedal through the nearby valley often take a break there and enjoy the lounge area and chess boards. “Before, I wished that I had a library in my house. Now we have a library here,” Serhat Baytemur, a 32-year-old garbage collector, told state media.

—

“ours is a culture and a time immensely rich in trash as it is in treasures.”
― ray bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing

 

—

credits: kerrytown bookfest, forreadingaddicts.co.uk,cnn

 

Jan28

privately public.

Posted on by
Standard

Public Event
Privacy Workshop
Saturday February 10, 2018
Downtown Library: Secret Lab

—

“any privacy in public is a hard thing to negotiate.”

-benedict cumberbatch