Overview

This full-color celebration of communities engaged in creative cultural expression profiles nine exemplary grassroots arts projects depicting an intersection of creativity with love of place. Stories range from children building an African-inspired mud facade on their Oregon middle school to an annual blessing-procession and festival in North Philadelphia that brings to life dozens of the most depressed blocks in urban America. Other regions represented include Minneapolis, Boston, Berkeley, rural Maine, San Francisco, the New York Bronx, and Vancouver, Canada. Community-based arts resources are sited throughout. Works of Heart offers a compendium of multicultural human-interest stories that will inspire and inform both community development professionals and citizen activists. Among those profiled are Lily Yeh and the Village of Arts and Humanities, Clara Wainwright and the Faith Quilts Project, Dolly Hopkins and Public Dreams, and the Beehive Collective.

Full Product Details

9781613320853

Table of Contents

Reviews

Go home. Work with the mentalities you fled in your development. Wrestle your neighbors. Call out your ancestors, wrote artist Annie Rachele Lanzillotto in Works of Heart: Building Village through the Arts. This new anthology presents a remarkable spectrum of artists who, like Lanzillotto, immersed themselves in their communities and emerged with projects, connections and experiences that transcend traditional notions of community art and move into realms that seem more like community development. --Jennifer Roche CommunityArtsNetwork (04/01/2007) Community building is not just about housing, although we are doing that. It's not just about gardens, but that's an important backbone. It's not just about education. It's all of that, but we must remember the heart. -- Lily Yeh, founder, The Village of Arts and Humanities, Philadelphia -Go home. Work with the mentalities you fled in your development. Wrestle your neighbors. Call out your ancestors,- wrote artist Annie Rachele Lanzillotto in -Works of Heart: Building Village through the Arts.- This new anthology presents a remarkable spectrum of artists who, like Lanzillotto, immersed themselves in their communities and emerged with projects, connections and experiences that transcend traditional notions of community art and move into realms that seem more like community development. --Jennifer Roche-CommunityArtsNetwork- (04/01/2007) -Community building is not just about housing, although we are doing that. It's not just about gardens, but that's an important backbone. It's not just about education. It's all of that, but we must remember the heart.- -- Lily Yeh, founder, The Village of Arts and Humanities, Philadelphia -Go home. Work with the mentalities you fled in your development. Wrestle your neighbors. Call out your ancestors, - wrote artist Annie Rachele Lanzillotto in -Works of Heart: Building Village through the Arts.- This new anthology presents a remarkable spectrum of artists who, like Lanzillotto, immersed themselves in their communities and emerged with projects, connections and experiences that transcend traditional notions of community art and move into realms that seem more like community development. - Jennifer Roche, CommunityArtsNetwork In this small, power-packed, inspirational book there are nine case studies which demonstrate the potential and possibilities in community-based arts projects. Easily accessible and informative, it is a benefit for students, artists, educators, designers, planners, civic leaders, non-profit professionals, and volunteers interested or involved in community endeavors. This compendium illustrates initiatives for grassroots community building through the arts. It comes from community membership infused with passion and caring to make their corner of the world a little better. It speaks of the interactions, the struggles, the joys, and the ultimate sense of satisfaction in making a difference in a community. - Elsie Wood, Chidren, Youth and Environment Building vibrant communities is high on social and civic agendas. Models of programs and projects are increasingly becoming recognized through literature, media and internet. A leading voice is New Village Press, a publishing house dedicated to producing books dealing with community building, community development, and community-based art. Lynne Elizabeth is current director of the press and one of the editors of Works of Heart. In the preface she praises the late Jane Jacobs for having the courage to include the emotion love as the vibrant glue for what really makes community work successful and the inspiration for the book's title. In this small, power-packed, inspirational book there are nine case studies which demonstrate the potential and possibilities in community-based arts projects. Easily accessible and informative, it is a benefit for students, artists, educators, designers, planners, civic leaders, non-profit professionals, and volunteers interested or involved in community endeavors. This compendium illustrates initiatives for grassroots community building through the arts. It comes from community membership infused with passion and caring to make their corner of the world a little better. It speaks of the interactions, the struggles, the joys, and the ultimate sense of satisfaction in making a difference in a community. Tom Borrup, a New Village Press author cited below, in the book's introduction, entitled Creating Community with What's Underfoot credits the artists profiled in the book for their propensity for attention to their surroundings. ...They notice the sights, sounds, and experiences of everyday life and use them as source materials. They find value in what others overlook....The artists in this book all share a common quality: They bring together generosity of the heart with the ability to dig deep to find the vision, the wherewithal and the raw materials to improve life in the communities and world in which they live (Elizabeth 2006, 11). Individuals interested in sustainability will find creative impulses sparked by the resourcefulness of material usage and adaptability in the projects. Works of Heart is a tribute not only to the communities with the courage to engage in forward-thinking approaches for community change but to the artists who participated in the projects. The artists, as agents of social change, become stewards of their community. Passion drives the artists to discover unusual resources. Their organizational skills (including engaging the community at large and coordinating the project) and perseverance are paramount for the success of the project. Evidence of their commitment, dedication and ingenuity are common to all the projects. The community-based artist moves from the me in individual creative endeavors to the we in community collaborations. Through their vision, problems and issues become awe-inspiring artistic statements. The brilliant examples of their community projects in this book serve to encourage project managers to include artists in initial design and planning, and to provide inspiration for future community projects. The table of contents organizes the nine exemplary projects under three different categories: Creating Place, Celebrating Culture, and Artist as Activist. For easy reference, each project has a brief description of its scope. This brief synopsis provides quick identification of cases for readers with similar interests. In Works of Heart, each project description includes salient information such as location, organization, artist(s), process, financing, materials, and anecdotal information, as well as outstanding color photographs and resource information. The included projects demonstrate a broad spectrum of scope, complexity, scale, diversity, and geographic location: A beehive collective in Maine tackling global economic issues; Fairplay Middle School in Oregon getting a facelift with mud murals; an expressive garden refuge for a cancer center in San Francisco; an international art and poetry contest based in Berkeley to bring understanding of the natural landscape; an artist's journey into the Bronx, celebrating its rich Italian cultural heritage; a faith-based quilting project in Boston; the salvaging of an abandoned soap factory in Minneapolis for an emerging artist art gallery; the transformation of abandoned lot in Philadelphia into the Village of Arts and Humanities (winner if the 2001 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence), and the Vancouver-based Public Dreams Society creating community magical events, traditions, and rituals. Works of Heart is a feel-good book and a valuable reference, especially for practicum work. Its strengths include the fact that it is a beautifully illustrated documentary of outstanding community projects, and that it is indexed and has a community-based arts resources directory. Borrup's and Goldbard's books noted below provide more theoretical information on community building and development. References Goldbard, Arlene (2006). New Creative Community: The Art of Cultural Development. Oakland, California: New Village Press. Borrup, Tom (2006). The Creative Community Builder's Handbook: How to Transform Communities Using Local Assets, Arts, and Culture. Minnesota: Fieldstone Alliance. Knight, Keith and Mat Schwarzman (2005). Beginner's Guide to Community-Based Arts. Oakland, California: New Village Press. Evidence of Humanity web site includes Works of Heart in the Arts category. ________________________ Reviewer Information: Elsie Wood Elsie Wood received her Masters of Education in the field of Creative Arts in Learning from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She is currently Executive Director of the non-profit organization Society for Creative Aging in Boulder, Colorado and coordinator of the Intergenerational Mural Project for the Children, Youth, and Environments Center at the University of Colorado Environmental Design Department. She has over 30 years' experience in the creative arts as a sculptor, including participating in international sculpture symposia, producing, exhibiting, lecturing on, writing about, and teaching art; and has experience in organizational management in various capacities, including founding several art organizations, strategic planning, facilitating meetings, conferences, and symposia. Her interests include developing and facilitating community-based creative arts programming; promoting creativity in aging; research and training in the creative process and public art projects, specifically sculpture. --Elsie Wood Chidren, Youth and Environment Go home. Work with the mentalities you fled in your development. Wrestle your neighbors. Call out your ancestors, wrote artist Annie Rachele Lanzillotto in Works of Heart: Building Village through the Arts. This new anthology presents a remarkable spectrum of artists who, like Lanzillotto, immersed themselves in their communities and emerged with projects, connections and experiences that transcend traditional notions of community art and move into realms that seem more like community development. - Jennifer Roche, CommunityArtsNetwork In this small, power-packed, inspirational book there are nine case studies which demonstrate the potential and possibilities in community-based arts projects. Easily accessible and informative, it is a benefit for students, artists, educators, designers, planners, civic leaders, non-profit professionals, and volunteers interested or involved in community endeavors. This compendium illustrates initiatives for grassroots community building through the arts. It comes from community membership infused with passion and caring to make their corner of the world a little better. It speaks of the interactions, the struggles, the joys, and the ultimate sense of satisfaction in making a difference in a community. - Elsie Wood, Chidren, Youth and Environment Go home. Work with the mentalities you fled in your development. Wrestle your neighbors. Call out your ancestors, wrote artist Annie Rachele Lanzillotto in Works of Heart: Building Village through the Arts. This new anthology presents a remarkable spectrum of artists who, like Lanzillotto, immersed themselves in their communities and emerged with projects, connections and experiences that transcend traditional notions of community art and move into realms that seem more like community development. - Jennifer Roche, CommunityArtsNetwork In this small, power-packed, inspirational book there are nine case studies which demonstrate the potential and possibilities in community-based arts projects. Easily accessible and informative, it is a benefit for students, artists, educators, designers, planners, civic leaders, non-profit professionals, and volunteers interested or involved in community endeavors. This compendium illustrates initiatives for grassroots community building through the arts. It comes from community membership infused with passion and caring to make their corner of the world a little better. It speaks of the interactions, the struggles, the joys, and the ultimate sense of satisfaction in making a difference in a community. - Elsie Wood, Chidren, Youth and Environment

Go home. Work with the mentalities you fled in your development. Wrestle your neighbors. Call out your ancestors, wrote artist Annie Rachele Lanzillotto in Works of Heart: Building Village through the Arts. This new anthology presents a remarkable spectrum of artists who, like Lanzillotto, immersed themselves in their communities and emerged with projects, connections and experiences that transcend traditional notions of community art and move into realms that seem more like community development. - Jennifer Roche, CommunityArtsNetwork In this small, power-packed, inspirational book there are nine case studies which demonstrate the potential and possibilities in community-based arts projects. Easily accessible and informative, it is a benefit for students, artists, educators, designers, planners, civic leaders, non-profit professionals, and volunteers interested or involved in community endeavors. This compendium illustrates initiatives for grassroots community building through the arts. It comes from community membership infused with passion and caring to make their corner of the world a little better. It speaks of the interactions, the struggles, the joys, and the ultimate sense of satisfaction in making a difference in a community. - Elsie Wood, Chidren, Youth and Environment Go home. Work with the mentalities you fled in your development. Wrestle your neighbors. Call out your ancestors, wrote artist Annie Rachele Lanzillotto in Works of Heart: Building Village through the Arts. This new anthology presents a remarkable spectrum of artists who, like Lanzillotto, immersed themselves in their communities and emerged with projects, connections and experiences that transcend traditional notions of community art and move into realms that seem more like community development. - Jennifer Roche, CommunityArtsNetwork In this small, power-packed, inspirational book there are nine case studies which demonstrate the potential and possibilities in community-based arts projects. Easily accessible and informative, it is a benefit for students, artists, educators, designers, planners, civic leaders, non-profit professionals, and volunteers interested or involved in community endeavors. This compendium illustrates initiatives for grassroots community building through the arts. It comes from community membership infused with passion and caring to make their corner of the world a little better. It speaks of the interactions, the struggles, the joys, and the ultimate sense of satisfaction in making a difference in a community. - Elsie Wood, Chidren, Youth and Environment Building vibrant communities is high on social and civic agendas. Models of programs and projects are increasingly becoming recognized through literature, media and internet. A leading voice is New Village Press, a publishing house dedicated to producing books dealing with community building, community development, and community-based art. Lynne Elizabeth is current director of the press and one of the editors of Works of Heart. In the preface she praises the late Jane Jacobs for having the courage to include the emotion love as the vibrant glue for what really makes community work successful and the inspiration for the book's title. In this small, power-packed, inspirational book there are nine case studies which demonstrate the potential and possibilities in community-based arts projects. Easily accessible and informative, it is a benefit for students, artists, educators, designers, planners, civic leaders, non-profit professionals, and volunteers interested or involved in community endeavors. This compendium illustrates initiatives for grassroots community building through the arts. It comes from community membership infused with passion and caring to make their corner of the world a little better. It speaks of the interactions, the struggles, the joys, and the ultimate sense of satisfaction in making a difference in a community. Tom Borrup, a New Village Press author cited below, in the book's introduction, entitled Creating Community with What's Underfoot credits the artists profiled in the book for their propensity for attention to their surroundings. ...They notice the sights, sounds, and experiences of everyday life and use them as source materials. They find value in what others overlook....The artists in this book all share a common quality: They bring together generosity of the heart with the ability to dig deep to find the vision, the wherewithal and the raw materials to improve life in the communities and world in which they live (Elizabeth 2006, 11). Individuals interested in sustainability will find creative impulses sparked by the resourcefulness of material usage and adaptability in the projects. Works of Heart is a tribute not only to the communities with the courage to engage in forward-thinking approaches for community change but to the artists who participated in the projects. The artists, as agents of social change, become stewards of their community. Passion drives the artists to discover unusual resources. Their organizational skills (including engaging the community at large and coordinating the project) and perseverance are paramount for the success of the project. Evidence of their commitment, dedication and ingenuity are common to all the projects. The community-based artist moves from the me in individual creative endeavors to the we in community collaborations. Through their vision, problems and issues become awe-inspiring artistic statements. The brilliant examples of their community projects in this book serve to encourage project managers to include artists in initial design and planning, and to provide inspiration for future community projects. The table of contents organizes the nine exemplary projects under three different categories: Creating Place, Celebrating Culture, and Artist as Activist. For easy reference, each project has a brief description of its scope. This brief synopsis provides quick identification of cases for readers with similar interests. In Works of Heart, each project description includes salient information such as location, organization, artist(s), process, financing, materials, and anecdotal information, as well as outstanding color photographs and resource information. The included projects demonstrate a broad spectrum of scope, complexity, scale, diversity, and geographic location: A beehive collective in Maine tackling global economic issues; Fairplay Middle School in Oregon getting a facelift with mud murals; an expressive garden refuge for a cancer center in San Francisco; an international art and poetry contest based in Berkeley to bring understanding of the natural landscape; an artist's journey into the Bronx, celebrating its rich Italian cultural heritage; a faith-based quilting project in Boston; the salvaging of an abandoned soap factory in Minneapolis for an emerging artist art gallery; the transformation of abandoned lot in Philadelphia into the Village of Arts and Humanities (winner if the 2001 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence), and the Vancouver-based Public Dreams Society creating community magical events, traditions, and rituals. Works of Heart is a feel-good book and a valuable reference, especially for practicum work. Its strengths include the fact that it is a beautifully illustrated documentary of outstanding community projects, and that it is indexed and has a community-based arts resources directory. Borrup's and Goldbard's books noted below provide more theoretical information on community building and development. References Goldbard, Arlene (2006). New Creative Community: The Art of Cultural Development. Oakland, California: New Village Press. Borrup, Tom (2006). The Creative Community Builder's Handbook: How to Transform Communities Using Local Assets, Arts, and Culture. Minnesota: Fieldstone Alliance. Knight, Keith and Mat Schwarzman (2005). Beginner's Guide to Community-Based Arts. Oakland, California: New Village Press. Evidence of Humanity web site includes Works of Heart in the Arts category. ________________________ Reviewer Information: Elsie Wood Elsie Wood received her Masters of Education in the field of Creative Arts in Learning from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She is currently Executive Director of the non-profit organization Society for Creative Aging in Boulder, Colorado and coordinator of the Intergenerational Mural Project for the Children, Youth, and Environments Center at the University of Colorado Environmental Design Department. She has over 30 years' experience in the creative arts as a sculptor, including participating in international sculpture symposia, producing, exhibiting, lecturing on, writing about, and teaching art; and has experience in organizational management in various capacities, including founding several art organizations, strategic planning, facilitating meetings, conferences, and symposia. Her interests include developing and facilitating community-based creative arts programming; promoting creativity in aging; research and training in the creative process and public art projects, specifically sculpture. --Elsie Wood Chidren, Youth and Environment -Go home. Work with the mentalities you fled in your development. Wrestle your neighbors. Call out your ancestors, - wrote artist Annie Rachele Lanzillotto in -Works of Heart: Building Village through the Arts.- This new anthology presents a remarkable spectrum of artists who, like Lanzillotto, immersed themselves in their communities and emerged with projects, connections and experiences that transcend traditional notions of community art and move into realms that seem more like community development. - Jennifer Roche, CommunityArtsNetwork In this small, power-packed, inspirational book there are nine case studies which demonstrate the potential and possibilities in community-based arts projects. Easily accessible and informative, it is a benefit for students, artists, educators, designers, planners, civic leaders, non-profit professionals, and volunteers interested or involved in community endeavors. This compendium illustrates initiatives for grassroots community building through the arts. It comes from community membership infused with passion and caring to make their corner of the world a little better. It speaks of the interactions, the struggles, the joys, and the ultimate sense of satisfaction in making a difference in a community. - Elsie Wood, Chidren, Youth and Environment -Community building is not just about housing, although we are doing that. It's not just about gardens, but that's an important backbone. It's not just about education. It's all of that, but we must remember the heart.- -- Lily Yeh, founder, The Village of Arts and Humanities, Philadelphia -Go home. Work with the mentalities you fled in your development. Wrestle your neighbors. Call out your ancestors,- wrote artist Annie Rachele Lanzillotto in -Works of Heart: Building Village through the Arts.- This new anthology presents a remarkable spectrum of artists who, like Lanzillotto, immersed themselves in their communities and emerged with projects, connections and experiences that transcend traditional notions of community art and move into realms that seem more like community development. --Jennifer Roche-CommunityArtsNetwork- (04/01/2007) Community building is not just about housing, although we are doing that. It's not just about gardens, but that's an important backbone. It's not just about education. It's all of that, but we must remember the heart. -- Lily Yeh, founder, The Village of Arts and Humanities, Philadelphia Go home. Work with the mentalities you fled in your development. Wrestle your neighbors. Call out your ancestors, wrote artist Annie Rachele Lanzillotto in Works of Heart: Building Village through the Arts. This new anthology presents a remarkable spectrum of artists who, like Lanzillotto, immersed themselves in their communities and emerged with projects, connections and experiences that transcend traditional notions of community art and move into realms that seem more like community development. --Jennifer Roche CommunityArtsNetwork (04/01/2007)

From the first vivid chapter set in Sicily to her gutsy activism in the U.S., LaSpinas triumphant memoir of a richly lived life held me rapt. -- Alix Kates Shulman A memoir fueled by passion and grounded in history. Nadina LaSpina's beautifully written narrative reveals a conscientious citizen and an exuberant and vibrant woman. Such a Pretty Girl is ultimately a love story. -- Simi Linton, author of My Body Politic From pity to empowerment, a woman born with polio illuminates her personal changes in attitude and accomplishment amid sweeping societal changes in rights for the disabled. . . . 'I was the luckiest woman in the world,' insists the author in this revelatory and deeply moving memoir that clearly shows how and why she came to feel that way. -- STARRED Kirkus Review A feminist, personal perspective on disability. One of the main themes is the author's developing ability to claim and enjoy her own beauty and sexuality. -- Gillian Kendall, coauthor of How I Became a Human Being

Author Information

Lynne Elizabeth is founder and director of New Village Press. She is the past president of Architects/ Designers/ Planners for Social Responsibility (ADPSR), a public-benefit educational organization founded in 1981 that works for peace, environmental protection, social justice, and development of healthy communities. Suzanne Young is a writer, editor, essayist, and independent communications specialist serving Fortune 500 clients for more than a decade.

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