Bring Rocks: a community art project
For my practicum I created an outdoor amphitheater in my community, Manheim,
Pennsylvania. The amphitheater is made of rocks from the land of local
community members. The piece has been built using only community volunteers. It
is located in a local park and maintained and financed by the community and
local businesses.
The "Bring Rocks" project has taken off like a
shot. Unbelievable how the community members are gathering around to support
this project. The first presentation was with the MCREC. Less than a week
passed before I had the next meeting with the property committee, and they were
offering me a piece of land to put the project on. During this meeting, which
took place on the proposed site, I met the Manheim Borough Zoning Officer,
members of the Property Committee, Public Relations Officer for the Farm Show,
Township Supervisor of Grounds, and the Social Superintendent of Grounds.
Everyone had already been briefed on the project via phone calls. I didn't have
to explain what I wanted to do. It was obvious that they were excited about
having this project. I was then asked
to come and speak about the piece at the next Borough Council meeting the
following week as well as the Manheim Farm Show meeting two weeks later...
There was also solicitation to local businesses
for either financial backing or distribution of fliers. I spent an afternoon
pitching the idea to about a dozen local businesses. I got a resounding yes
from all of them....
I began working through the
project using sketches, writing and proposals. My growth with the piece during
it's origin and development constantly raised new questions. How does this
relate to me as a concerned viewer of our social climate? What symbolism do
rocks have? Why this connection to this medium? Can the community in which I
live accept this idea of a gift of art? What would happen if they do not?
Collection of the rocks took place during the local farm
show. The stand was donated by the farm show board. Students, colleagues,
friends, and family manned the booth. They handed out flyers as well as
collected and cataloged the rocks. I developed a recording process for
maintaining a log of rocks. It included the name of the individual who the rock
was either donated for or by. People donated the rock in the name of a loved
one, their family, themselves, and even their pets. The next section was for
the address, either people's home or the address that the rock came from. The
rocks also received a number. The final section was for a description of the
rock. Some people gave a history of the rock, others gave the type of rock or
the date of the building that the rock was from.
The rocks were collected in a dumpster donated by a
local refuse company. During the first day of collection the school district
mailed a public notice in the district newsletter. We collected about 20 rocks.
By Wednesday evening, we had a total of 64 rocks. This was not the turnout I
was hoping for. I was beginning to think that people thought we were looking
for money. When we would ask someone if they wanted a brochure, they wouldn't
look at us. During the day on Wednesday the Lancaster News released
their article in the morning paper. When I got to the booth to work around 3:00
the local NBC News affiliate was waiting for me. The interview was played on
the 6:00 evening news with a portion rebroadcast on Thursday morning. By
Thursday evening we had collected over 170 additional rocks for he project. People
were literally flocking around the stand with rocks. This continued through
Friday evening. We ended with a total of almost 500 rocks. I had hoped for 300.
Rock Stories
- I.C. Vetrano donated a rock (#435) that is a
piece of limestone from a farm which dates back to the 1800's.
- Mike and Mabel Bram donated rock (#329) that was
a piece of a step from a home which dates back to 1857. The rock was used as a
base for their camper, so it has traveled over the eastern part of the US.
- Charles George donated two circular rocks (#73,
#74) that were a part of the original Elstonville mill. One rock was donated in
his name and the other was donated for his departed wife.
- The H. C. Burgard Elementary School donated a
rock (#118) that was a piece from the original H. C. Burgard Elementary School.
Ground breaking happened on September 7, 2001. Once the footer was poured we
began the process of getting block. A local block company donated the material.
We needed 270 twelve inch blocks and 45 twelve inch caps. We had rain for two
days and the trench filled with waters. Still the project keep moving forward.
A gentleman approached me and asked if I needed any more big rocks. He was
President of B. R. Kreider and Sons Excavating, the largest company in our
area. He offered not only to get me enough large rocks to set behind the stage
but to coordinate, collect and set the large rocks I had collected. I told him
that I had been telling people all week that we have the rocks, but I need
someone to get them here for us. Crazy how it all comes together.
After the big rocks along the perimeter were raised, the footer set, and the
stage groomed and formed we were ready for the rocks. When we got to the site,
I gathered everyone together to thank everyone and talk a little bit about how
each of these rocks came from families and places of meaning. I also told them
the importance of keeping track of where each rock was placed. The first
challenge of the day was getting all of the rocks out of the dumpster and
placing them in order.
The process stalled when the craftsmen realized that they couldn't put the
rocks where they would fit, but rather where they belonged numerically. This
was the first time that I felt like I was taking advantage of good people. I
think they had the idea of a quick and easy day laying rocks and I had
something else in mind. I finally talked with one gentlemen on the side and
asked him nicely to please understand why it was important for people to know
where their rocks were.
Approximately thirty minutes after our discussion a
woman and her grandchildren showed up to see where their rocks had been placed.
We were able to show her because the numbers had been catalogued and mapped.
That moment explained the reason for all the details that we were taking the
time to pay attention to. I can't help but mention how those
type of things happened throughout the entire piece.
The practicum has enabled me to achieve a new awareness of my place as an
artist and community member. I am enamored by the idea of this piece holding
all of the history, memories and collaboration of community members. I feel as
if someone has given me the key to the history vault and it has been my job to
make something respectable for the community. I am not in a place to evaluate
the success of the project, but I could rate the success of the community. They
gave unselfishly of themselves, materials, finances, and time, all of which
have made the collaboration of the construction a success.
I have also learned to define myself as an individual who began as a
production based bronze sculptor but who has evolved into a socially conscious,
site-specific, landscape artist. I am in the process of learning what I will
"call" my art. I am a little bothered by the idea of a label. I have
learned that the bond of community and artist have become intertwined because
of this project.
The process of making this piece has been interdisciplinary. The future use
of the project for concerts, theater presentations, and park and farm show
functions will bring the community together in an interdisciplinary synthesis.
The basis for interdisciplinary art is to involve all areas of the arts, as
well as medium outside the traditional definition of art. It is my hope that
the community of Manheim will learn to explore these boundaries by using the
local attributes of the project as a draw for experiences outside their own
traditions.
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