COMMUNITY IN BLOOM

COMMUNITY IN BLOOM miniature gardens celebrate creativity and reuse, highlighting community members' dreams, childhood memories, cultural diversity, and pursuit of natural beauties!

Drawer of Dreams by Tischan and Jedediah Seltzer

This fairy garden is staged in a nightstand drawer to suggest that this is where dreams are stored. How convenient would it be if you could just open up your nightstand and select a dream for the night? This dream starts off at the home of some fairies who have just stepped out of the frame. The blueberry-tinged fairy house is set upon a moss-covered hill overlooking a lazy day in the blooming garden. One fairy appears to be knitting in the garden chairs, while another fairy must have been tending the garden with the watering can sitting among the bushes. The majority of items in the fairy garden, including the drawer itself, were hand crafted out of repurposed material or oven-bake clay. Materials include pallet wood, an acorn top, yarn, a bike light, cardboard paper mache, toothpicks, magazine clippings, scrapbook paper, bottle caps, seashells, and beads. Items sourced from members of the Chapel Hill/Carrboro community include succulents, drawer handles, a dollhouse ladder, potting soil, and wood stain. One element that is difficult to see in the pictures is that there is working lighting above the patio.

The Story of the Frog Garden by the Sun Family

Mr. Frog’s name was Balance Shaft Assembly. He was an important part in an engine. He worked very hard every day. Mr. Frog wanted to be the best balance shaft assembly. One day, the engine broke. A mechanic removed him from the engine and put him in a dark corner. Mr. Frog thought, he was a good part and should be used in another engine. But, after a long time, nobody come to see him. He became dirty and rusted. And he gradually lost hope. One day, another mechanic, Mr. Sun, saw Mr. Frog. He picked him up and checked him carefully. Mr. Frog was very excited, and shouted to Mr. Sun: “I am the best Balance Shaft Assembly. Please reuse me!” Mr. Sun said: “No. You are too rusted. I can’t use you.” Mr. Frog said: “So you want to trash me?” “Why can a junk car part only be trashed? “What can I do?” “Look, you have four legs and two big eyes. You look like… a frog. Do you want to be a metal frog?” “Emmm… It doesn't sound too bad. I do!” “From now on, I will call you Mr. Frog.” Then Mr. Sun took Mr. Frog home. In the next few days, Mr. Sun removed the rust and painted Mr. Frog, put him in a spare tire, and planted some flowers around him. Finally, Mr. Frog had a mini garden. That is the Frog Garden. One night, Mr. Sun looked at Mr. Frog’s garden for a long time. “Hey Mr. Frog, what was your dream? ” “To become the best balance shaft assembly. ” “And now?” “You planted me a dream. To be a garden frog.” “OK, your dream has come true.” “Hey Mr. Sun, what’s your dream?” “To become an artist. ” “Alright, do your best and make it come true.” “I will.”

More pictures from the COMMUNITY IN BLOOM Kickoff event:

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