The Artist

Coming up in our next S-LC newsletter will be a phone interview done by Jessica Ennis and myself with a Grand Rapids local named Reb Roberts.

Reb is cool.

Reb is collaborative.

Reb believes in community building.

And Reb is an artist.

More recently in relation the Service-Learning Center, Reb created the t-shirt design for Streetfest 2008. I don't want to spoil the interview, so I won't go into detail about what was discussed.

I just want to explore a quote that got me thinking.

"Every neighborhood has an artist." --Reb

An artist in this sense may not only be someone who is gifted with a paint brush, but someone who has vision, who can view the whole. I think an artist is also someone who can look at fragmented, seemingly disconnected things and sort of connect the dots if you will. So in light of community building, an artist may look at a rather dumpy disjointed community and see its potential of becoming a sustainable community.

I recently read an article by John McKnight entitled "Why Servanthood is Bad". This is a great thought provoker about the role of service systems in community building. McKnight believes that service systems that cause a community to be dependent tend to focus more on the community's deficiencies instead of its potential strengths . This is problematic because according to McKnight, community can only be built upon the unique capacities and capabilities of a given group. I think that artists have great potential to change community because of the unique voice they can bring, and I know Reb would agree. An artist asks questions, an artists complains, an artist is not afraid of the truth (i hope). An artist is bold, an artist heals and hurts to heals. An artist cannot see pain and suffering and go along as if it did not exist. An artist must act, and so creates.

I wanted to put out the question: who is the artist in your neighborhood?

-Is it the grandma that encourages and prays for everyone on the block?
-Is it the little girl with an amazing voice who belts out a solo in church?
-Is it the troubling teenager who voices his anger in spiraling graffiti on abandoned buildings?
-Is it the man who mutters to himself as he wanders alone at night?
-Is it the lady who always has kids coming through the house?
-Maybe it is your pastor


I think that there is greatness in Reb's idea.


Follow this link to RapidGrowth for a great article on Reb:

http://www.rapidgrowthmedia.com/features/rebrob10508.aspx

and of course check out our interview in the upcoming S-LC newsletter! Blessings!

Jocelyn