Weaving together a neighborhood through community art-making

Artist Cynthia Knox gives a knitting lesson at
Shoreline Farmers Market

After years of watching the parade and hearing about the Fremont Powerhouse and community art-making, Meridian Park Neighborhood studio artist Cynthia Knox signed up last year to assist an artist friend in finishing her giant puppets for the Fremont Solstice parade and was introduced to community art-making and community artists.

“It was a complete eye-opener – being with these artists who were so generous with their knowledge while teaching others, and valuing the group experience over the controlled perfection of the “product”. I witnessed how newcomers with little or no experience and plenty of self-doubt were transformed in their confidence levels around their own creativity and saw how much joy it brought them. Art-making in this community context is the modern day equivalent of a village doing a barn-raising or coming together to create a village-wide evening dance event. The point is, all are invited to create it, then enjoy it”.

Another seminal moment for Cynthia was seeing first-hand that disaster brought out the best in neighbors when her street flooded in 2007. “While we had been a friendly neighborhood, waving to each other from our driveways, we got to know each other on a much deeper level and supported each other like never before as a result of dealing with the shared experience of having ruined furniture and irreplaceable creative works devastated by the water that came into our homes. 

I thought to myself, why is it we have to have a disaster to be more connected to each other?”

Festival knitters at Haggen's cafe

These two experiences propelled the beginnings of the SummerSet Arts Festival: Celebrating Ronald Bog. As neighborhood members have contributed ideas the festival has evolved. The event features a summer of community art-making that is already underway knitting tree socks, building a giant floating turtle sculpture, and making environmental art. The art-making kicked off at the Shoreline Farmer's Market in June, visited the Swingin' Summer Eve, and Shakespeare in the Park events, and is currently parked at Haggen Foods on Thursday afternoons and Ronald Bog Park on Sunday afternoons.

Art-making parties are currently being publicized on Facebook at the SummerSet Arts Festival events page and flyers around town. Art installation for the event begins the second week in September and the process culminates on September 15th 1pm-5pm with a day of celebration at the newly restored Ronald Bog Park at 175th and Meridian.

Art-making for the festival is already underway, with Shoreline Children's Center making a portable labyrinth, and clay turtle mandala, and Spartan Rec Day Campers making decorative flags featuring the animal life at Ronald Bog Park. At SummerSet Arts parties, knitters have been gathering Thursday afternoons at Haggen Market and Sunday afternoons at Ronald Bog Park - making tree socks for the event. These art parties continue through the end of August. All are welcome and no experience is necessary to join in!

All Meridian Park Neighborhood and Shoreline residents and businesses are invited to share your talents at the free September 15th festival event. What's needed? Musicians and music-lovers, art-makers and art-appreciators, folks who love to lift heavy things, folks who like to watch other people work and compliment them, logistically-minded people, party planners, dancers, folks who like to wear costumes, organizers, drivers, you name it – there's a place for you to make a difference and have fun! Contact project coordinator Cynthia Knox at cynthiasjk@yahoo.com.