Love Letters to Your Neighborhood: 5 (Perfectly Legal) Guerilla Art Projects for the Whole Family
The Strong Towns team is meeting up this week for our staff retreat, so while we’re out, we wanted to share the articles written by the five finalists who applied for our Lifestyle Columnist position. Stay tuned until the end of the week, when we’ll introduce the writer whom we’ve hired for the position!
My first act of guerrilla art was in July of 2015. For members of the small Main Street business community in our town, we remember that time as “the summer of the Big Fight.” There is no reason to air the details of why our Main Street neighbors were embattled; it’s enough to simply say that sides had been taken and morale was low. Despite lacking any skills of diplomacy or debate, I still wanted to help stitch our group back together—we were desperate for reconnection.
With my husband on board to assist, I picked up the only tools in my toolbox: paint, brushes, and miscellaneous art supplies. Having whipped together a collection of small, brightly colored signs painted on scrap wood, my husband used a handful of old deck screws to affix them to the telephone poles surrounding our Main Street neighborhood in the dark hours of the morning. It worked. People finally had something fresh to talk about.
Those whimsical signs from the summer of 2015 were the most enduring pieces I’ve ever created. Hundreds of tiny guerilla installations have followed in their wake. And while nobody has ever complained that the signs are not-so-easily removed, since then my work has been designed to “walk away.” I like the idea of having an anonymous thread that connects me to the person who discovers my art. I imagine them noticing something unusual in their surroundings as they are walking by, then looking again; seeing the space with new eyes. I like to think about their decision to take (or leave behind) the thing that they have found. Sometimes I will grab a cup of coffee and sit on a nearby bench to witness the process. It rarely disappoints.
There is a special delight in discovering secret pop-up art installations in one’s community; even small, temporary creative additions can be instant mood lifters. If you would like to improve the vibe of a place you love, here are five ideas to give it an infusion of wonder and surprise. Because these projects do not permanently alter or deface property, they are good activities to do with young people, providing them with imaginative ways to connect with neighbors while also allowing them to feel “a little bit sneaky.” (Always appealing!)
(Source: Author.)
1. Treasure Chests
I have hidden these little containers around my neighborhood for years now, and they always charm the person who finds them. Upcycle an Altoids-type tin that has been dusted with some spray paint (or that you have bedazzled or collaged), then collect “treasures” to place inside. I’ve used fortunes from cookies, coins rescued from the bottom of my purse, beads or bobbles from costume jewelry, buttons, or any other small, interesting object. Add an uplifting message if you really want to make someone’s day, and casually place your treasure chest in a public place. If you want extra certainty that someone will claim your bounty, use a paint pen (or a sticky note) to write “take me” or “pick me up” on top.
2. Flight of Fancy
Groups of delicate objects placed in unexpected locations create a bold visual impact. I favor butterflies because my town is located along the monarch migration path, but anything that suits your site and fits the atmosphere you are creating will work—perhaps your city is known for its apples? Or your neighborhood is home to a particular bird species? Using a template (freehand or download some clip art), cut and trace multiples of your object from any number of recycled materials: plastic milk jugs, disposable cardboard coffee cups, magazines, or other thin and flexible goods. Glue tiny magnets to each piece with a strong crafting epoxy and then alight your flock on metal objects that you can safely access.
3. Pop-up Poppies
Everyone loves to receive flowers, especially from a secret admirer, and your neighborhood is no exception! You can make beautiful poppies from old egg cartons (both cardboard and Styrofoam work well) by cutting them into individual cups, then painting both inside and out. After they dry, twist two colorful pipe cleaners into stems by poking them through the bottom of the cups, pressing each against the cup interior to secure. Your bouquet is now ready to share: Twirl the stems around anything narrow and solid and wait for your flowers to be plucked by happy recipients.
4. The Giving Tree
Nothing creates a feeling of comfort and abundance quite like the free exchange of goodwill among strangers. By starting a community Giving Tree, you can nurture a spirit of kind and generous trade. Hang a laminated sign explaining your purpose: “The Giving Tree, take what you need, give if you can.” Tie it loosely yet securely in a visible place, then add positive sentiments and other small offerings. Use any durable material to create gifts: upcycled jar lids that have been painted, shipping tags, tiny canvases or even scraps of cardboard—just consider your local climate so your items don’t accidentally disintegrate. For more immediate public interaction, you might also supply a plastic folder with tags and markers or crayons.
5. Waiting on a Friend
The best listeners are imaginary friends, which is handy for someone like me. I have a lot to say. Apparently, I’m not alone; the cardboard cutout “friends” I make always have plenty of company when they are positioned in public spaces. I embellish a simple body-tracing with paints, markers, or other decorative materials on hand—then tie them with twine to a bench or chair. Anywhere someone might need an attentive ear is a good place for a friend. These figures are great photo-ops, and usually make several rounds in front of local businesses before being spirited away forever.
A few critics have suggested that “leaving love letters to my neighborhood” does not constitute true Guerilla Art, as I lack a social or political agenda, and because I am not making a permanent impact with such temporary installations. I argue that it is. And that I do. Showing a community that it is worthwhile—worth the time and effort to make something pretty or cheerful then willingly give it away—this, to me, is an agenda of hope. During the best of times, love letters serve to remind us how special our connections are, but during harder times, those of “Big Fights” and division or any of life’s many other pressures, they can be threads that knit us back together.
Please join in this rebellious little dance between “maker” and “taker.” You will get to be an active participant in the design of your surroundings and affect the quality of the day, inspiring others to notice, to look deeper, and to appreciate a space in a new and positive way. Your neighborhood will love you back, not only for the temporary burst of joy your art brings, but for giving in a way that nurtures future givers. Even though they are invisible, the threads you knit with your art will become a part of a tapestry, a weaving that permanently connects the members of a stronger and more enchanting town.
Mary Elizabeth Phillips lives and works with her husband, Eddie, in Mansfield, Texas. Self-taught artists with an emphasis on mixed media pieces, the couple will often collaborate on projects that can be found throughout the state. Their growing popularity has made them local favorites with both private collectors and corporate clients—particularly for their large, outdoor installations. She and Eddie co-own Blue Goat Garden and Glass Studios as well as Lil’ Blue Goat, a micro-gallery in downtown Mansfield.
Mary’s current passion is a multi-media exploration of fragility and fragile systems, with an emphasis on the human relationship to self, community and habitat.
On this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, we talk with author Seth Kaplan about his new book, Fragile Neighborhoods: Repairing American Society, One Zip Code at a Time.