Emily C-D was invited by Lowell Larson of the Greater Greenmount Community Association to create a temporary artwork for the urban garden that the community had been cultivating at the busy intersection of Greenmount and North Avenues in Baltimore City. In response to the fence that surrounds the lot—an intimidating metal structure that looks like it is meant to keep people out—Emily proposed the colorful, participatory Fenceweave activation in order to draw attention to the garden behind the fence and to create a sense of welcoming.
On April 20th, 2013, the Mayor’s Spring Clean-Up Day, while some volunteers worked on the plantings at the Greenmount North Garden, other community members transformed the fence. Using colorful string cut from recycled t-shirts, participants incorporated mandalas made in previous community workshops with improvised on-the-spot weaving directly onto the warp of the fence pickets. In some areas the tapestry was dense, the focus becoming the colorful community cloth, and in other places the weaving let light and a view of the garden through.
Fenceweave was based on a period of investigation in Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico where Emily had recently been learning to weave macrame mandalas with local youth; she was particularly struck by the artisans' acknowledgment that the handwork was helpful for their mental health. For the project in Baltimore, Emily teamed up with her friends Jessie Unterhalter and Katey Truhn, who had learned the same macrame techniques in Chile. The day of the activation, it was clear to the artists that the invitation to take a moment to weave a bit of beauty was a welcome respite for the community members of Greater Greenmount.
"On a sunny afternoon, take a stroll or drive past the corner of Greenmount and North Ave to see innovation, social change, and art used as a tool to improve a community. I promise you’ll feel enriched by the power of this tranquil garden amidst a bustling Baltimore street corner."
—TD, "Gardens are making ‘Greater Greenmount’ that much greater," The Deutsch Foundation Blog, 2013.
Check out the full article:
Offline Website Builder
