The Roxbury Sunflower Project 2018

[Rodney Singleton]

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FYI from ​

Napoleon Jones-Henderson

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---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Napoleon Jones-Henderson <roxburycult...@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, May 29, 2018 at 9:59 AM
Subject: The Roxbury Sunflower Project 2018

View this email in your browser The Roxbury Sunflower Project 2018 Dear Friends, Thank you for your support of the First Anniversary Celebrations. The events were a great success with a terrific variety of music and good company. Please see this week's Bay State Banner for coverage of the events. I'm pleased to share information about the Ekua Holmes' new project. I'll see you on June 2nd when you pick up your sunflower seeds. More details from Ekua below! Best, Napoleon Jones-Henderson Chair, Roxbury Cultural District From Ekua Holmes I am pleased to share some good news. After being selected for the first Now + There Public Art Accelerator cohort, I have been awarded a grant to implement The Roxbury Sunflower Project. This is my first Public Art initiative and I hope you will join me.   This project will bring nature, beauty, and color to Roxbury through a community wide sunflower planting -- up to 1000 new sunflowers will grow in Roxbury -- and I'll create six new works of art to hang in the windows of the Freedom House at Crawford and Warren Streets in October that reflect the themes of the project. This will be a collective community action. The plantings will take place on public and private property through families, organizations and agencies that sign up to participate and I hope you'll join me at our launch, June 2nd from 11:00 – 2:00pm at the Grove Hall Branch of the Boston Public Library.   On June 2, 2018 we will give to any person, family or organization up to 100 sunflower seeds to plant in the neighborhood. It is my aim to position the sunflower as an emblem serving as a symbolic representation of modern Roxbury, its people and history. Over the summer we will document and share through social media the progress of this community-wide Sunflower garden. In the fall when the flowers are mature we will harvest and share at a celebratory event in Grove Hall.   My love for Roxbury is deeply rooted in my childhood here. Nurtured by a generation of men and women who opened doors for me, it is now my great pleasure to attempt to emulate their generosity, creativity and collective strength through this project.   To accomplish this, I need your help. Please join me on June 2nd from 11:00 – 2:00pm at the Grove Hall Branch of the Boston Public Library to pick up your sunflower seeds and simple instructions. The first 20 people (families or organizations) to sign up will receive a special gift so come early.   As your flowers grow, upload your photos, comments or videos to our twitter (#RoxburySunflowerProject), facebook (ekuaholmes) or instagram accounts so that we can share our collective journey.   Beauty Matters! With your participation and support, Roxbury will bloom in late summer and early fall with a spectacle of color, joy, energy, harmony, optimism and healing while celebrating the spirit and strength of this great community.  Reserve your seeds, join our e-list at  www.roxburysunflower@gmail.com and feel free to share this invitation with your networks.   More on The Roxbury Sunflower Project Why the sunflower? The Sunflower was chosen for the project for many of its special attributes. The shape of sunflowers mimic the rays of the sun and in growing season they face east in the morning and west in the afternoon to receive maximum solar exposure. Sunflowers can grow on rugged terrain under less than perfect circumstances. They are know to survive with little water and will grow a root down 50 feet in the earth to find it. Each sunflower can have up to 1000 seeds. They are resilient, hearty, and not easily broken. They are spectacles of great beauty. I believe these attributes are a reflection of the Roxbury community.   The Project Themes and inspiration are: Radiance, resilience, deep roots, multiple seeds, beauty and following the light.    Our Sponsors: This project is made possible with funding from: The Now + There Public Art Accelerator Grove Hall Trust   Community Partners to date are: The Grove Hall Public Library Freedom House SAAK Realty, Sharif Abdal-Khallaq United Neighbors of Lower Roxbury Community Gardens Urban Farming Institute Copyright © 2018 Roxbury Cultural District, All rights reserved. RCD Supporters Our mailing address is: Roxbury Cultural District 2136 Washington St Fl 2 Roxbury, MA 02119-2022 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.