November 16, 2023New + Notable
What A Public Art Project Taught Me About Community
Earlier this year, I was asked to contribute to a public art project for the city of Kent in collaboration with Main Street Kent. The city had previously installed large banners throughout downtown Kent and along the river paths, and when it was time to update these banners Main Street Kent proposed a project which would fill these locations with art from four local artists. I was honored to have been selected to showcase my work in my very first ever public art project.
The assignment was simple: create artwork to fill the panels in my assigned location along the river path. I really struggled with such an open-ended assignment combined with a brand-new way of displaying my artwork. But, I took a deep breath and thought about how I’ve approached every Hazelmade design.
First, I never start with a product in mind when I start sketching a new idea. I draw the shapes, forms, or pieces I’ve been thinking about. When I started this project, it was the early days of spring and I was thinking about what plants were in bloom and which local hiking paths were the least muddy from spring rain.
The second idea I considered was that the products I create don’t end with me. I love creating pieces that connect people to each other. When you choose a Hazelmade product as a gift because you have a connection to one of my illustrations, that makes my work come full circle. So, I took these two ideas and focused on the hikes I took, the wildflowers I saw and tried to figure out how to create a design that would create a bigger connection.
I came up with the idea to create a design for the banners that showcases local wildflowers and helps people find them in local parks. This project required a lot of research. I learned about wildflowers in my area, ensured that all bloom seasons were represented in my design and that I displayed wildflowers from a variety of parks in my county. This was a challenge for me because it forced me to focus my craft in ways I don’t often worry about, such as including a very clear depiction of each flower and maintaining botanical accuracy in my designs. The finishing touch was my decision to add a QR code to send visitors to printable coloring page to create their own versions of these prints.
In total, the research, sketching and design spanned about 4 months after the first email in early March of 2023. Like any big project there were delays and hiccups along the way, but all that hard work paid off when the banners were installed in late July. I was so proud of my first-ever public art installation after 20 years of being a professional artist and designer. When I walked down to see the banner for the first time, I saw a boy look at my banners and quickly jog off to catch up with his parents. He said, “Mom, did you know that there’s a flower called foxglove? I know where we can find it!” It was at that moment that I knew this project was a success.
This is where the story was supposed to end, and I’ve struggled with whether or not to share what happened next. But, I think it’s important to share. These banners did become more than me, but in a few ways I didn’t expect.
The night after they were installed, one of the banners was cut with a knife. While this was not a personal attack against me, in many ways, it felt deeply personal. Someone looked at my work, which I had poured so much time and effort into, and thought it didn’t matter. I felt discounted and dismissed. These feelings aren’t new; even after 20 years as a designer and business owner, I still find myself in situations where my expertise is questioned or my abilities second guessed. I’ll be the first to say that there’s always room for me to grow and I’m constantly hungry for feedback, but this act was not the same as a thoughtful critique. It surprised me how this singular act of vandalism hit me hard. After some reflection, I realized it felt like all those moments of being discounted had morphed together in one clear act.
What happened next wasn’t a surprise. My community rallied around me like it has so many times and slowly, I processed how I was feeling. Many of my friends sent me messages of support, and Main Street Kent went to work getting my banner re-printed. My banners' location had been vandalized before, and the city was quick to decide to move the structures to a safer, more visible spot.
This vandalism shocked and surprised me. This was my first time releasing a work of public art, and one person did not react the way I expected. But through the years, the larger community that’s built up around me and Hazelmade has surprised me too. You’ve loved my designs so much that you’ve sewn shirts and quilts from my tea towels. You’ve sent my cards to celebrate weddings and share love through times of loss. Through my work, I’ve been welcomed into your homes and lives, and that is so much bigger than one person. The beauty of what I do is that I never really have full control of what happens to my pieces when I release them into the world. In making something bigger than me, I open up the possibility of people responding in unexpected ways, but more often than not, very positive ways.
Many thanks to Main Street Kent, whose work strives to create a more vibrant, beautiful and meaningful connection between the community, businesses and university that calls Kent, Ohio home. Because of their tireless work and partnership with the city, my banners are now on display at the corner of Water and Haymaker. If you are not in the Kent area but would like to see my designs, please visit this link for the printable coloring page.
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