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Host Organizations
Concrete Couch is a community-based organization that facilitates mural, sculpture, performance programs and other creative endeavors, by working collaboratively with a Host Organization. (These organizations include schools, community centers, municipal or governmental groups, and other assemblies of people).
Concrete Couch works with the Host Organization and a wide range of community member, and other non-profits, to collaboratively design and run each program.
Skills
Each program involves teaching participants tangible art skills, such as: drawing, painting, graphic design, sculpting, mosaics, casting, ceramics, stained glass, metalwork, collage, fabric assemblage, costume and puppet creation, acting, singing, video production, film, writing and any manner of other creative activities.
A successful project takes a long journey through many steps, but all projects work with broader, less tangible skills. These include brainstorming solutions to problems, editing for the best ideas, working together in groups, fostering a sense of service to community and compassion for others.
Community Assets
We create individualized, experientially based programs for each group we work with. This includes identifying “Community Assets”, or valuable assets which are readily available in the community. An example is a school with a kiln, other ceramics supplies, and an instructor that is knowledgeable in ceramics, would constitute a great community asset and would open the doors for a ceramic tile mural, or other ceramic project. Other community assets include any skills or knowledge that community members are willing to share, as well as facilities, tools, or materials that are readily available.
Project Parameters
Each project needs to formulate goals, and project parameters help the group achieve their goals. When creating parameters, we ask ourselves “what are we trying to communicate?” and we examine our potential as a group and a community. Concrete Couch works with the Host to develop initial project parameters, which are consistent with project goals, and will best foster a successful project.
Evaluation
Each project needs periodic evaluations and timely feedback between all project partners to keep the program on track, and Concrete Couch helps to facilitate this. We discuss “what went right?” and “what can we do better?” A final evaluation adds the question “what do we do next?”
Vision and Reality
Fulfilling our mission is an imperfect process…much happens through planning, but some happens through luck. We understand that we cannot solve most of society’s problems through public art programs. Our goals our more modest: to make a difference in a few lives and the few communities we touch; to connect people in a new and vibrant way to their community, and plant seeds for the future.
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