Tag Archives: gifts

The Art of Gift-Making: a Process Rife with Abundance

Posted on December 13, 2016 by Aprilart Studios

Gifting can be hard… really hard! In 5 Ways to Reclaim the Holidays, I explore ideas for using holiday gift-giving to build community while also producing kick-ass, original presents that will bring joy to your friends & family. Here, I’d … Continue reading →

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5 Ways to Reclaim the Holidays ~ from Consumers to Producers

Posted on December 10, 2016 by Aprilart Studios

“Angels we have heard on high, tell us to go out and buy” So goes Tom Lehrer’s “A Christmas Carol,” which rings strangely relevant today despite the fact that it was written over 50 years ago. As Lehrer says, “Christmas time … Continue reading →

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What’s in a Meal? (pt.1)

Posted on August 8, 2014 by Aprilart Studios

What’s in a meal? Well, there’s the obvious:  Food…  togetherness (potentially)…  conversation.  What else? A recent meal I had the fortune to attend gave me a glimpse into that answer. On a warm summer day about a month ago here … Continue reading →

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A Different Kind of Summer Job… Broadway Roving Youth Corps

Posted on August 7, 2014 by Aprilart Studios

Last month, I took part in a series of interviews held with young neighbors in the Mapleton Fall Creek neighborhood here in Indianapolis as part of Broadway United Methodist Church‘s JSP Roving Youth summer program.  I also made my first collaborative … Continue reading →

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Roving Notes (Chicago): A Forgotten Gift / El Tata

Posted on December 14, 2013 by Aprilart Studios

  after packing up and double, triple-scanning the hotel room to make sure I got all stray earrings and socks, I headed back to my dear friend Arturo‘s in Pilsen neighborhood.   We shared delicious leftovers from the Thai restaurant I … Continue reading →

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C4C: Harnessing & Harvesting “the ignorant perfection of ordinary people” (Pt. 1)

Posted on April 30, 2013 by April

Last week, I drove with friends and colleagues from Indianapolis to Cincinnati to attend the three-day Connecting for Communities (“C4C”) conference, “a powerful gathering of master and apprentice change agents and social entrepreneurs across sectors and communities, from around the world.”   … Continue reading →

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Naming Gifts: An Underrated Power

Posted on October 1, 2012 by April

Today I was winding down after an intense weekend when I had the random notion to check my “Other” Facebook messages. To my surprise, there was a message there from a name I didn’t recognize but it was addressed to … Continue reading →

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Kids have it all

Posted on February 18, 2011 by April

By saving me in a pinch, my nieces taught me the power of adults recognizing and requesting the gifts of youth in solving challenges. I reflect on what this means in our communities and share some resources for building respectful partnerships between youth and adults in society and in our daily lives. Continue reading →

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