ARISE stories

On our second Thursday in the space (May 24), a group of neighborhood kids discovered us. In the space of three hours we were visited by at least 15 kids. We set them up drawing with highlighters, resulting in some gorgeous cars (including a cotton candy car from Asheed aka Nu-Nu), several sketches of people, and a few carefully drawn flowers. The kids flowed around us, in and out, asking questions, making themselves at home. They asked us if we needed help cleaning, and naturally we said yes. They got started with vigor, several of them explaining that they actually loved to clean (surprising, but it was clear they weren't just saying it to impress us--they took pride in their neatness). Watching their concentration and thoroughness, it was easy to believe. Te'Allen, Devon and Malique were particularly diligent (Dion is pictured here).

This was actually our second encounter with a group of kids from area, and two of the girls from that group, Pashanes and Chances, came to visit on Thursday. In the first visit, during an April reconnaissance mission, one of our preliminary planning walkthroughs, Dawn went outside and invited about 7 kids in to look around. They all came in timidly, then, as they were being escorted around to all the different rooms, some of the older ones started telling us about coming to summer camp in the basement two to three years before. We have ended up hearing about this program several times over the past few weeks from several kids 11-15. One boy said, "Now there's not much for the younger kids to do around here in the summer."

Salvage and renewal take all forms; reviving a place that served as a haven at one time is on a continuum with reclaiming destroyed land. Perhaps a place takes on the resonance of all its functions--I imagine identity is preserved, even when the function lies dormant. I have begun thinking about conserving human resources--it's always been part of the Salvage/Salvation "credo," and during this process it's become even more apparent. One of the questions that is part of what Salvage/Salvation is built to examine is "What do we discard, materially and socially, emotionally and spiritually, and what place do these discards have in our lives?" Part of this question has always been "Who do we discard?", a question about the ways we treat each other, and value each other, or even ourselves. Conservation begins at the deepest level--with your own internal resources, with the way you look at every person. Once these have been addressed, there's a chance that much of the other "conservation" we need to engage in will follow more easily than it does now.

(Naturally, I offer these thoughts as musings only, not a prescription--I understand that everything works simultaneously, messily, and many kinds of effort are worthwhile. In the realm of "art," though, I want to address the roots of things, and ponder the shift at the base of our world concept that could lead to real lasting change).