Last spring I was attending the Colorado Creative Industries summit in Breckenridge. One of the workshops I attended was presented by an organization call Community: Heart and Soul. They help communities gather information about what matters most to their citizens and then use the information in forging new paths for the community and their consequent decision making. It was very inspiring. I thought how great it would be to do a similar thing and use the information gathered in an art project. This prayer wheel project is the outcome. I interviewed many people and asked them 3 questions. How long they have lived here; what they value most about our town; and what is their wish for Carbondale as it moves into the future. The answers to the third question are incorporated into the prayer wheel. The themes that kept reappearing in the answers were used in large letters on the felt walls of the wheel. The individual answers were translated onto ribbons I attached to the bottom of the wheel. The ribbons have bells attached that ring when the prayer wheel is turned.
See Prayers for Carbondale in Jill’s Portfolio
