We have made some exciting additions to the MANIAC Blog!
First, we put together a slideshow of pictures from the Creative Placemaking Forays MANIAC has hosted throughout the summer. We have visited a wide variety of places in the area, from Sustainable Atwood here in Madison to the Wormfarm Institute in Reedsburg and the Hilltop Community Farm in La Valle.
We had a BLAST at each of the forays and also learned a great deal about the characteristics and conditions needed for creative placemaking. Here is a list of observations and ideas generated from the forays:
- Pay attention to scale of projects
- Build relationships
- Involves communities of people, plants
- Projects take time and are works in progress
- Be willing to take risks and take the heat
- Allow for spontaneity and enlivening of space, invite people in and stimulate curiosity
- Exchange of ideas, goods, seeds, products; trade
- Find the co-beneficial
- Deep tuning in, deep observations, deep listening
- Fun
- Flow
- Understand how everything is connected and works together, and build from what is already there
- Anchor into "home"
Please contact us with any ideas you may have for future Forays or other MANIAC events, such as MANIAC Breakfasts, Innovation and Learning Cafes, or other workshops!
