Community art project takes shape at the Taste of Annandale

Local residents explored concepts of “home” by collaborating on a house sculpture during the Taste of Annandale on Sept. 21.

The project was conceived by Community Art For Everyone (CAFE), a nonprofit that aims to bring people together and rejuvenate communities through art.

CAFE members built the frame of a house out of PVC pipe on the lawn of the Eileen Garnett Civic Space. Taste of Annandale attendees attached strips of denim from old jeans to create the roof and walls.

A poster outlined the concept behind the sculpture: “Home is where the heart is. Home is where your story begins. True Home is found in PEOPLE. What does Home mean to you?”

People wrote their answers on post-it notes on another board. Here are a few examples: “my beloved friends,” “mommy, dad, and brother,” “my teenage son,” “those I love,” “my mom,” “my community.”

Related story: Annandale celebrates ‘Art in Daily Spaces’

“This project carries a deeper meaning,” CAFE states. “People can be a home for one another, offering comfort and strength. When we become a safe haven for someone’s heart, we all grow stronger – less lonely, less anxious, and more capable of facing life’s challenges.

CAFE carried out other art projects in Mason District during the past year, including Art in Daily Spaces in April, which placed paintings and other artworks in Annandale businesses, a children’s house sculpture at the Seven Corners Block Party in May, and the Faces of Annandale chalk portraits at the Eileen Garnett Civic Space parking lot last fall.