Tag Archives: local

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 →

Posted in Art, Building Community, Graphic Recording / Sketchnotes, Neighborhoods | Tagged ABCD, abundance, christmas, citizenship, democracy, gift giving, gifts, holiday, hospitality, ideas, local, neighbor, neighborhood, presents, shopping | 5 Comments

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 →

Posted in Building Community, Kids & Youth, Neighborhoods, People Who Inspire Me, Stories Behind Artwork | Tagged ABCD, asset-based, Broadway, collaboration, community, documentation, economy, gifts, indianapolis, local, neighborhoods, roving, storytelling, video, youth | Leave a comment

Wednesday at Broadway: Tacos, Art, Abundance

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Aprilart Studios

Being a freelance has unusual perks–like being able to choose your office space for the day on a whim. Lately, I’ve been trying to plant myself in “third places” — spots that lend themselves to interaction among community members. I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Building Community, Local Events, Neighborhoods, People Who Inspire Me, Public Space | Tagged ABCD, ABCD Institute, art, asset-based community development, community building, connecting, cooking, economy, food, freelancing, local, neighborhoods, neighbors | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Building Community, Neighborhoods, People Who Inspire Me | Tagged A Small Group, asset-based community development, change, Cincinnati, citizen-centered, community, costumes, creativity, gifts, grassroots, John McKnight, local, Peter Block, story | 6 Comments

Bee Ridge Park Jam: 15 years of bluegrass, country and gospel

Posted on August 12, 2012 by April

[Originally published in This Week in Sarasota] Last Thursday gave me an opportunity to do two cool things: Fulfill a pledge made two months ago to visit and report on one local open mic per month, then report back on its … Continue reading →

Posted in Building Community, Local Events, Music, Public Space, Published Articles | Tagged April Doner, bee ridge, bluegrass, community, country, florida, gospel, hospitality, inclusion, local, music, music jam, musicians, neighborhoods, open mic, roving, sarasota, Southwest Florida, sustainability | Leave a comment

Dial Tone defies Debby: a sensory recap

Posted on July 2, 2012 by April

Originally published in This Week in Sarasota In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve become a somewhat obsessive fan of the unique local project The End of the Dial Tone Radical Experimental Collaborative Music Band Band. It’s pretty serious — … Continue reading →

Posted in Being an Artist, Building Community, Local Events, Music, Published Articles, Stories Behind Artwork | Tagged April Doner, art, artists, collaboration, community, dance, end of the dial tone, eric de barros, experimentation, florida, Hunter Slade, improvisation, jake's tavern, john lichtenstein, Kari Bunker, live art, local, lois betterton, matt gunter, mike murphy, music, musicians, painting, performance, photography, poetry, radical, sarasota, scene, scott braun, Sishir Bommakanti, this week in sarasota, van jazmin, writing, zachariah skylab | Leave a comment

Personal Pledge: Buying Local this Xmas

Posted on December 16, 2011 by April

First off — MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HOLIDAYS! I want to take a moment to share a personal commitment I’ve made this season, which I believe will make a real difference in my local community (and the world), and make … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged artists, change, citizenship, commerce, community, economy, grassroots, indie, local, responsibility, small business | 7 Comments