This project was inspired by the Roberts Creek Mandala event. At the yearly event, community members come out to each paint a section of the mandala with their own design, and when looked at from afar, the individual design pieces come together to create a larger, collaborative image. My design of the butterfly was based on this idea. What I liked about the idea is that community members could all contribute their own personal style and idea, while at the same time working together to create the same image, thus creating a connection and a sense of being “a part” of something.
The art that we created is a 4×4-foot wooden butterfly that is made up of 19 pieces. It was painted by 13 different people! I originally wanted to create a small group of people who could commit to meeting once a week for 3 weeks to work on the project, as I thought the time spent together would help us get to know each other better. However, I wasn’t able to get a solid group together, so I had a mix of new and returning people show up each week instead. Most of the people had little to no painting experience, but still enjoyed painting and hanging out. Some people found out about the event through my Facebook event posts, others through the posters that I put up around the downtown Courtenay area.
Some things I learned during this project are to check ahead for other events that are happening before setting your date, as you may have to compete with them for attendees. Creating a poster can seem simple, but it can also take a lot of time, especially if you aren’t computer savvy and don’t have a printer. A resource for advertising that I didn’t think of until later on is to contact the local radio stations and newspapers, as they will sometimes advertise non-profit community events for free. If you are working with wood, finding someone to cut curved lines is not an easy task. My final design was not my first, as I chose to settle on just using straight lines. The local library can be a great place to host small events for free. And lastly, all the little things that seem simple can add up and equate to a lot of running around, but don’t forget to have fun!
