Harrell Fletcher Response

I found the convocation on April 14th to be very interesting, not just because of the types of projects Fletcher chose to do, but also because of the fact that they were created with the help of people from numerous communities. I was intrigued that he strove for the unification of community members through art. One of his projects where he aimed to unify members was the "Garage Sale Series." During the development of this project, Fletcher went to various garage sales and collected items from families to display in an art gallery. His collection contained many different items, including old toys, hats, books, and tableware. He also asked the owners of the items about their significance and sentimental value while he was collecting them, and he typed up the stories behind each of the items on tags that were later tied to them for people to read. Many items that were similar were placed in the same area of the gallery. Some items that came from the same garage sale were grouped together, too. Those who visited Fletcher's gallery could enjoy learning about every item's background, and they could also find out who they had belonged to in the past, which was a real treat for visitors who were especially nostalgic. In a way, each item was insight into the previous owner's life. After the items were shown at the gallery, Fletcher had his own garage sale and sold these items back to community members. The project was successful in attracting the attention of many people, and Fletcher established some new relationships with families who participated in the creation of his gallery as well. One of the main points of his project was to get people interested in art. Many are very sentimental and love learning the stories behind other people's possessions. The value in nostalgia  that is shared by a lot of people was the key Fletcher used to encourage members of the community to come together and assist him with his project. I think he wanted everyone who initially had looked at art with indifference to recognize the importance of it in our society and learn to appreciate it. He wanted everyone to become active participants in the creation of art and realize that they are all artists in one way or another. Fletcher also wanted to bring people in the community together. The "Garage Sale Series" was a great example of community art because a lot of different families in the community were involved in the project. They all came together with the items from their garage sales to create a unified collection of art for the gallery.