Summer is Here!
It’s the Last Day of School! A newsletter update is my main goal for this week. Then I am dreaming of painting during the lazy days of summer.
After a busy summer last year with installations, everything was pretty dormant until this Spring. Then movement really picked up. For the last two weeks, I have been trying to finish the web site update with a whole bunch of information that I missed sharing before now. I was really hoping to complete more of the coal ash art to install in Walnut Cove, but creative goals have been pushed back to summertime.
Web Site Refresh
I have worked on refreshing the web site and making it a little easier to parse through everything that has taken place since 2018. I simplified the front page and created a page that outlines our main focus areas: Coal Ash Art & Parks | History & Community | Advocacy. You can also keep up to date with our current projects here. I am still working away on the Walking Tour.
H2O Exhibit at Greenhill (First Friday Tonight; Exhibit Through June 25th)
Checkout the H2O Exhibit at Greenhill Gallery of North Carolina Art in Greensboro through June 25th. There is a closing on the 25th that is open to the public. It is also open tonight for Greensboro’s First Friday. This is a powerful exhibit of seven different North Carolina artists focused on preserving our water. Will Warasila and I both share stories from the Belews Creek community centered around our advocacy for cleaning up coal ash. If you have been part of this movement, you will likely see your face or hear a familiar voice. It is a must see. I am happy to meet you at the gallery to give you a personal tour.
“Under The Skin” Book Release and Tour (June 15th in CH & 16th in GSO)
During our Climate Reality Training in Atlanta in March 2019, Danielle Bailey-Lash and I met with NYT Magazine Writer Linda Villarosa for an interview. When I contacted Linda to share the news of Danielle’s passing, she told me that she wanted to share Danielle’s story in her upcoming book, “Under the Skin.” It is a powerful collection of studies on how racism directly impacts the health of Black Americans. Linda’s first stop on her book tour is in North Carolina: in Chapel Hill at Flyleaf Books on June 15th and in Greensboro at Scuppernong Books on June 16th. Please come pack these stores!
Local History to Share for Juneteenth (June 19th)
It’s hard to believe that we are on the heels of the anniversary of last year’s Juneteenth Celebration in Walnut Cove. When Dr. Dana Dalton began organizing the event and the documentary on the Walnut Cove Colored School, no one knew Juneteenth was set to become a national holiday. This year celebrate by watching and sharing this remarkable film created by Filmcove. Organizers from Walnut Cove led the nation in refurbishing local Rosenwald Schools. Like the Walnut Cove Colored School, this film is a gift to the community. We also have a collection of long interviews from the film.
Walking Tour in Walnut Cove
Last summer two major installations happened in Walnut Cove! The basketball mural at London Park was installed, along side the completion of the Labyrinth at Cove Square. The labyrinth and basketball court are gorgeous and serve as major anchors to the walking tour in Walnut Cove. Special thank you to Angie Bailey and the Cove Group for being the caretakers of the labyrinth. The Cove Group brings Cove Square to life each week with music in the park.
I am working on pulling all of the information for each site on the web site. It’s still not complete, but I am trying my best to finish by the end of June. If you have stories or information you want to share about each site, please send them to me. The walking tour serves to be a growing collection for the special places around Walnut Cove.
Once we have the art in place and the walking tour complete, we will host a celebration to wrap up The Lilies Project! Plus we plan to host a special event at the basketball courts at London Park in collaboration with Mayor Nellie Brown.
Walnut Cove Greenway Proposal
Watch for a draft of the Walnut Cove Greenway Proposal coming in the next week or two. Alta Design spent three days in Walnut Cove talking to people, visiting locations and coming up with a great plan to connect communities into downtown Walnut Cove. Specifically East Walnut Cove/Walnut Tree and Stokesburg. Both will be impacted by the new DOT Roadway projects. We need your feedback to make this a great asset for the town. Walnut Cove is a jewel and having a greenway will really bring everyone together for a great space to walk and bike.
Explore Our Labyrinths
In April, our labyrinth committee shared about labyrinths at the Germanton Elementary Cultural Fair. We had a hand out and information for the participants. Although not enough for everyone with such a huge turn out. Many of the kids recognized the labyrinth from Cove Square and were curious about learning more. We also have a labyrinth at Christ Church, which will be dedicated later this summer and early fall. Vivian Fulk recently completed her training on labyrinths and is working on a study with NIH about using labyrinths as a tool for climate resiliency. We are planning to host a community training in the future as Nathan Wiles catches up on all of his backlog of installations from COVID. Let us know if you are wanting to be more engaged around the labyrinths.
Sponsors at Sid Lee Mental Health Association
In 2021, The Lilies Project sponsored the training of eight peer-to-peer mentors. Sid Lee is offering a program on Tuesday nights from 6:30-8:30. Please join the gatherings with this group. Please read more here.
Caroline’s Blogging Again
A long time ago, I used to blog a lot. But once I started The Lilies Project, I shifted away from blogging with everything else that I was trying to manage. Keep your eyes out for more posts every once in a while. I am trying to keep up with announcements from The Lilies Project here and some personal stories on this blog.
Enjoy your summer!
Best, Caroline