New update

Working in Progress "Fundraiser Event May 18th, 2014"

 During this Spring Break, I was trying my best to create a good looking nice website about the Filbert Street Community Garden and the Event this May 18th, 2014 .=> Fundraiser Event Website 2014
This website also  show the focused point of recycling trash issue in society, Mapping Bay Brook, history of Brooklyn-Curtis Bay... and much more.  My suggestion is to hear more IRC fellows, Jason Reed, and American Studies students to come up with an public and playful website about trash, solid waste, art work, material culture and fundraiser event plan, photos and information.  
I also did three flyers for this event. Hope that i will get some feed back about this design.

Floor Plan Ideas "Fundraising May 18th"

My World through Drawing

               Of the many things I work, create as human beings, the most excitement and basic might be sharing stories- a sense of community. Working with BHST and others fellows, I have more than enough just to look around ourselves and notice what awesome semester is like here “ To Learn, To Develop, To Share, To Draw, and To Design” together.  I have been blessed! 

              Even though that was the first time I came to Benjamin High School, and there were only two students from BHST, and seven IRC fellows. However, i believe that the more i know them, the more they can tell me their different stories, different understandings of the world through out  their drawing. 

The Portrait Story

Title: The portrait story

From : the eldest community Brooklyn-Curtis Bay

Date: March 6th, 2014

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiITwdEydv8&feature=youtu.be

I edited Karen's portrait-story last two week, but I still remembered until now when her first time came to Curtis Bay, how she felt and why she laughed at…etc. Her story inspired me strongly! She had some sense of humor when she talked about how beauty of the view from the Curtis Bay elementary school, about things changed around her life. However, in that laugh, quite simply, there were Hope and Dream in her story. I know that it is hard to stay the same way they were before, but sometimes people need a hope to push in the right direction to succeed. Karen had hope that someday this community will have a lot of green, healthy environment, and a community-managed food source, everyone in this community would be compatible and happy again. 

I will do if you will

After attending the conference " Natural Connections_ Linking Art, Nature & Environmental Education 2014", I learned a lot about the relationship between child and nature, and how to create a visual art in abstract way which can use to design new environment  for our living. 

However, modern humans such as young adult, parents have not involve or live in intimate contact with nature more than decades. This is a reason they do not allow their generation, their children to grow up with intimate contact with nature at all. The lives of children today are much different. Children today have few opportunities for playing out door, planning trees, … There are four "wrong" boundaries that growing adult want to protect their children:

1. Criminalization of Nature Play ( none planned community)

2. The Ecology of Fear ( due to stranger danger around society, and neighbors, parents afraid for their children's safety, and no longer free to play outside)

3. Separation from Food Origins ( Culture of childhood has move away, the child has failed to learn, to see the real nature world outside)

4. End of Biological Absolutes ( modern science become regular human lifestyle, trash is their issue, do not have much knowledge and appreciation of nature world)

My heart is hurt more when I think about the children, teenagers,  the people have been living in Brooklyn-Curtis Bay since decades. Especially most of the children and students's lives, they disconnected from the natural world, and their experiences are smelling , seeing those industry trash every single day. They could not even play outdoor, or run to their neighbors because of stranger-criminal. They lost their trust, lost their innocent childhood…. What do I think? How do I feel? 

 Through the Project "Filbert St. Community Garden" has been building and improving by Jason Reed, with many outreach from school programming and community organization, they carefully bring the green back to the children here  an outdoor education space. Trees gives Food and shelter to animals, and people enjoy them. What a wonderful time! There are HoPE somewhere. 

On the other hand, I want to work harder to address the trash issue. Reading the book "Waste and Want- A social history of trash" by Susan Strasser, I learn so much and understand more about the problems and solutions. I want to SHARE few ideas which may help 

1. Create a "Pick Knick Knacks 's Day" ( pick up trash and recycle old junk) .  IRC, AMST, students, community organization Brooklyn, Curtis Bay will inspired others or even themselves to try TURNING SOME TRASH into a TREASURE "SCUPLTURE" of their own, and exhibit in their gallery.=> quotes for that day " One person's trash is another person's treasure" 

2. Create a game " Built-A-Nest" Bird from whatever student, and everyone clean up from the Garden=> IRC, AMST will Help the student make their own bird's nest using recycle paper, mud, ..which they collect around the garden, or their school 

3. Create a Outdoor Day that students and anyone from community will focus their warming, sunny Day to observe the natural components of the environment at Brooklyn/ Curtis Bay. Then, they will DRAWING (sketch) and WRITING (emphasize)  to detail about what they think, what they see, and their act. => This Nature Journals of this community will be a STRONG EVIDENCES to show in the EVENT Fair Development and the campaign to stop the incinerator (december 10th https://www.facebook.com/FreeYourVoiceGroup)

( I hope I am not writing too much and boring you guys but This is how I strongly want to do)

p/s: there are few pic from Growing Wildlife session i joined yesterday at the conference. It is really really fun, and helpful. and I LOVE it!

Free Your Voice

"Free Your Voice is a human rights committee of the United Workers. We are a group of students in Curtis Bay and Brooklyn joining together to advance Fair Development that puts community needs first. We are currently working to stop the nations’ largest trash burning incinerator from being built less than a mile away from our school. Please share this video to spread the word and join us on December 10th at 3 pm for our action to Stop the Incinerator" by BHST Free Your Voice  and other project videos.
Link to Facebook https://www.facebook.com/FreeYourVoiceGroup