UNIT 6

1. Describe your community. You may be a part of many communities: church, school, family, neighborhood, youth groups, town or social activities. Describe the community that you seem the closest to. I am apart of the small farming community surrounding Healy Kansas. It is my life and it is what I intend on doing for the rest of my life. It's what I grew up doing and it's what I know best. It can be very rewarding in many aspects such as raising a good crop or cattle herd, make a lot of friends from neighboring farms, we seem to get a lot of national recognition lately from certain large corporation commending our hard work. Farming is what keeps our small town going day to day. Like the country song, everybody knows everybody, most times that's a nice thing, other times it can be a bit annoying. But those close relationships make life in a all town a little easier when say you might need a hand.

2. What are the shared experiences and events in your community?  Like I said before everybody knows everybody so nearly everyone is affected when something good or bad happens. A lot of individuals have experienced a lot of success in farming and have given a lot back to the community in the form of strong, lasting businesses such as our grocery store, gas station, elevator, bank, and a agricultural supply company. All of these businesses individually owned and operated by community members and keep out tiny town of 150 residents very strong. We even boast the greatest firearms store within 200 miles or more I would say. Each one of these individuals has tried to give back to the community by paying for paved roads, donating generous amounts to the school system, and invested in a lot of clean energy products such as biodiesel and wind turbines. We have experienced several loses of young adults in this community and it rocks us even harder since we are so tight knit, but I believe from these losses we have just grown closer and to know each other better. Overall the greatest experience we all know is the success that the community shares.

3. What common goals do you and the people in the community share? The revitalization and continuation of our community. It is very small and shrinking often, not many move back after school and some elders are moving away or passing. There are numerous towns in our western part of the state the size of ours but aren't fairing as well.

4. What stories in your community need to be told?

The on going success of the community stated before is such a big part of it. There is one business in particular, Sharp Bros Seed Co., that has been the anchor to our community. Not only have they experienced tremendous success as a agricultural business but they have given so much back to this community. They have invested a lot of money in the small luxuries such as a nice full station/repair shop and a grocery store, to donating money to the school and booster club to help carry them along and provide the students with much need materials. They are not the only ones in town to do such things but they are jus the most notable. As a whole the community is always leaning on each other to make things happen and there is always helping hand.  We are so tight knit and can always know when we are in need someone will be there to help. Example, back in December 2006, there was a major ice and snowstorm that rocked western Kansas top to bottom. Everyone in town was out of power for nearly two weeks. The community got together and created a shelter at the church and had beds, medical supplies for the sick and elderly and meals daily. Sharp Bros. purchased a large generator to provide power for the church and also had their gas delivery truck filled before the storm hit and provided gas to those who had generators and was kind enough just to take an “IOU” until power was restored.

5. How might individual, group, and community stories be told through artwork?

In town already someone a couple years ago took the initiative to do something like this. On a run down building in town on Main Street they paint a mural of a farmer silhouette against a wheat field being harvested. It is a great symbol to see when passing through our little community. I would do more of that around town on other old buildings, and try to do some summertime sidewalk chalk galleries during the summer, for everyone to see and stop by and maybe get a chance to learn about us and our lives here.

6. Is there a sign, symbol, ritual or story from these questions that could act as a central metaphor?  The central metaphor I am going to use is just the symbol of a family. The community as a whole is one large family and everyone is more than glad to help another out and be there for them in one way or another. It’s always a friendly hello if you meet up town and a kind wave if you pass one of us headed down the road. The majority of patrons living here are farmers and if they aren't farmers their business really relies on us. Everyone here understands the hardships we face each year and so it makes it easier for everyone to relate and in turn help out when needed. 

7. Are there opportunities for you to support and expand upon local craft traditions? I’m going to interpret craft as being trade or work because we really don’t have any traditions that the town does. I have grown up on the family farm and I am here again today and working this farm is my life plan. So I intend on staying here and carrying on the craft tradition of the small farming community that I live in.

8. Discuss the idea that “ beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” What aspects of the community environment do some members of the group find beautiful that others do not? Can those who find something ugly see it in another way? Every person has his or her own opinions and ideas. No single mind thinks the same as another, it’s the way we are built and its what makes us individuals. Beauty is defined by each person’s interpretation. I love the outdoors and sunrises and sunsets, clean air, majestic animals of the wilderness that is beauty to me. Others find beauty in city lights, and busy people and places. Growing up here everyone just wanted to run as fast as they could from this small town. At one time I was included in this group but I was able to find so many things about it that I have grown to love it. The community shows though that most people do in fact run away and never return home. It is hard to change their minds about this but there are plenty of opportunities here to be had and vast opportunities in the surrounding area if in fact they did want to come home. I think if those who leave would take a good hard look at the small things that make this community unique they might appreciate it more. It is full of good, hard working, honest people who will always be there for you if you may need something.

9. Who could you partner with for this project?

Since there are so little options to decide this I would most definitely have to get the school involved. Employ the young minds of this community to help get a more creative edge and also get their take on what they think is great about this community and how we could showcase our heritage here. I would also employ the help of the local Methodist church. The members there are very proactive in the community always putting on free suppers and little community get together just to keep the community connected to each other. The church has been here for a very long time and its patrons could tell anyone who wants to know a lot of the history of the community.

10. Where could this event take place or displayed at?

I think we could start with the sidewalk chalk idea and see how people would take to it. Side walks like Main Street all the way through town so it would be an easy idea to set in motion and could really draw people’s attention stretching clear through town. The mural idea I think we could get some ideas displayed on paper before we just start go painting buildings or signs and this way we could really get the idea out there and get people thinking about it. We could do it at either the church or the school, they both boast large areas to host a crowd and people are familiar with them.

11. Who would you like to reach in this project? Who would you like to see this project or be educated about your community?  I would like to inform the past, present, and future residents of this community to really let them know what this community is all about and what has gone on here to shape it into what they are seeing now. I will admit that I am still learning new things about this community on a regular basis. Being only 25 though I can imagine there is a lot I have missed or overlooked. Aside from the history I just want to get the message across about how great this little farming community really is.