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Timeline Highlights
Fall 2004: Steve works with Vietnam veterans through the Outward Bound West program, and envisions an art project with veterans and artists working together.
October 2004: Steve meets with Pat Santos of the Colorado Springs Veteran’s Center. They discuss ideas. Pat likes the concept, and they agree to pursue looking at different ideas, and project formats.
Larry and Steve meet and exchange ideas.
November: Steve and Patti (artists and facilitators) and Tim and Larry (veterans) and others begin meeting to formulate general ideas.
Deepa starts a webpage as a communal forum for ideas.
December: Steve meets with El Paso County Park’s director Tim Wolken. Tim Wolken and his staff agree to pursue the concept of collaborating with our group, and hosting the artwork in a county park.
Meet with Business of Art Center director Dan Wecks about collaborating with us.
Tim and Dan are supportive, and general project parameters are in place.
December: Steve meets with Marylou Makepeace of the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Colorado. Ms. Makepeace encourages Steve to apply for funding.
January 2005: People visit sites and makes recommendations. Group looks at County recommendations as well. Tim agrees to act as the “Veteran’s Representative”, and answer e-mails from interested people, and attend extra meetings, as well as other duties.
February and March: Network with area veterans groups to make this opportunity available to their folks. We have additional meetings with County Park people. We secure commitments to donate food, materials, tool rental, and various services.
The Colorado Springs Independent provides a free advertisement about our program.
The Alamo Avenue Fund of the Pikes Peak Community Foundation offers Concrete Couch a $5000 challenge grant.
April 5: Start program. We meet on Tuesday mornings at the Business of Art Center or at the Bear Creek site. Other extra work dates will be necessary, and a general schedule for them is talked about.
April 19: Jim Houk, landscape architect and community planner, meets with our group and talks about our initial designs.
April 26: Monique Schmidt, English professor at UCCS, meets with our group and runs a writing workshop.
May 17: On our 4th visit to the site, participants begin framework of bench structure, build pathways, and share ideas for final details.
May 26: Pour concrete and add to pathway.
June 10: Pathway in place, bench completed, and site cleaned up. Talk about other opportunities for group over summer and beyond.
-Summer Break-
Late August: After weathering for the summer, evaluate positions of pavers and fall plantings in conjunction with County to naturalize site.
September: Rick, Marty and others build cairn and place in ceramic plaque which reads “JOURNEYS – 2005”, and credits our sponsor.
October: Mulch soil around edges of project. Start Tuesday Hike Club.
Proposed for Spring 2006: Add small native shrubs and grasses to site”.
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