A year into the pandemic, my dear friend and collaborator D33light and I were invited to create a collaborative art project for GRuB Farm‘s 20th Anniversary Celebration. The goal was to find a creative way to engage over 200 staff, volunteers, and community members in a project that would safely celebrate the GRuB community.

What we created was Love Notes to GRuB —a collaborative mural on the sliding doors located on the back of the GRuB farmhouse, using several hundred small canvas paper squares. The mural design showcases 20 native plants from the region, one for each year of GRuB’s history.

The overall design reflects the colors of the rainbow. It symbolizes GRuB’s deep roots in our community and its commitment to grow and evolve. D33light brought elements of the charka system to the project. Each color represents the plant’s chakra system, in turn reflecting one’s own balancing of chakras.

Each participant filled a square with a love note and created a design of their choice. Before painting, they were invited to reflect deeply on the native plants, the land, and the GRuB community, focusing on the chakra represented by the colors painted on their square.

Many people had been isolated during the past year. While this project met COVID safety guidelines, it was also a powerful opportunity for community members to recreate a connection to the land, to the farm, and to one another. Several people who took part in the project said it was the first time they’d done anything with community in over a year! They were incredibly moved by, and grateful for, the opportunity to participate. The Love Notes themselves were beautiful, reflecting how deeply GRuB impacts people.

Visiting GRuB farm, I always feel a sense of peace, of community. A deep connection to the people and the land. This is not by accident. GRuB staff actively create this atmosphere. They actively work to incorporate anti-racism principles into everything they do. One example is their Wild Foods and Medicines program. In this program, they connect people with plants, local landscapes, and cultural traditions. It focuses on social-emotional learning and honors the cultural traditions of Coast Salish indigenous peoples.

In many ways, this project is a metaphor for the unique elements each of us bring to community. As each person created their own unique piece, adding their story, they participated in the creation of something much more complex and richer than any one of us could on our own.

Our hope is that when seeing the finished mural, with their unique contribution, they feel ownership over the mural and a recognition of their value to this community. This will have lasting impact as people, including children, see what they helped to create over time.

If you aren’t familiar with GRuB, check them out! They have a ton of great programs, resources, and opportunities. I recently purchased honey from their hives and it is delicious!

“It was a delight to work with Carrie Ziegler and D33light to create a collaborative community mural in honor of GRuB's 20th birthday. They listened carefully to our goals, vision, and organizational values, and designed the Love Notes to GRuB project that embodied exactly what we were looking for. Even though we were in the pandemic, hundreds of people of all ages could contribute; the final mural is vibrant, welcoming, and reflects GRuB's relationships in our human and natural ecosystem. We are grateful for D33light and Carrie's creativity, artistry, and approach to community engagement.”
~Deb Crockett, Executive Director of GRuB

Enjoy a short video about the project, or feel free to stop by and view the mural on the back porch of the farmhouse at 2016 Elliott Ave NW, Olympia.