Waupaca’s 2020 Community Art Project began in the Spring of 2019.  The Waupaca Library had asked the Waupaca Community Arts Board if they would be willing to get involved with a community art project that would help people to see that they belonged in Waupaca.  After much discussion and brainstorming the idea for Drawn Together by Kindness came about. 

The Library’s request was to incorporate some sort of flag that people would draw on. In my experience, the great part about community art projects is the reveal – when people see what happened with the piece they contributed.

I knew that simply having people draw on standard flags and then displaying those flags wouldn’t be enough – it didn’t take advantage of the opportunity of creating something more.

I let the challenge sit in my head for a while, and then one day in the shower, the idea came of having each flag be half of a heart, and then sewing the halves together for the reveal. So, I cut a heart in half, and that’s how we ended up with the upside-down drop shape.

The next challenge was to come up with the prompt – an instruction specific enough so that every flag reflected the same theme, but broad enough to let people’s creativity blossom.

We came up with: “What comes to mind when you think of Kindness, Love and Gratitude?”  Using words, pictures and colors to help convey their thoughts.  On the back side of the flag, individuals wrote down their name, age and interests.

And to be clear, as participants drew on their flags, they were not aware of what would happen with their flag – that their flag would be “drawn together” by sewing it to another flag, creating a heart shape. They only knew that the

flag was going to be part of “something big and wonderful.”    Materials for the project were available at the library and outreach to other civic groups.

The results of the flags were truly amazing.  People put to paper their thoughts in the form of images, words, and poems.  The ages varied from 2 to 90+.  Every flag was special and unique in its own way, just as its creator is special and unique.  No two were alike, but all had used the basic components of an upside down tear drop and colored markers. 

As flags were made, I had the privilege of being the keeper of the flags.  I would look at each flag when I received them.  Enjoying each and everyone.  I would think about the maker, who they were, wonder about their hopes and dreams, and where would their life lead them.  I found myself hoping for them they things that they had put on their flags: love, friendship, kindness, empathy, compassion and hugs (just to name a few).

Then Covid-19 hit and the project was stopped, for safety concerns.  There were enough flags for the project to go forward. 

Two individual flags were sewn together, based on whatever the seamstress decided.  All the hearts were beautiful.  No two were alike and yet, the themes were the same.  In this world, it feels that we are so divided and separated, yet these hearts didn’t show that.  It seemed that no matter who created a flag, they still thought about kindness, love, and gratitude the same way. 

It is important to remember that we are drawn together as the human race.  All of us longing for the same things in our lives whether we are 2 or 90+ -- love, kindness, empathy, friendship, compassion, and hugs.  These come from other humans, be sure to share yours with loved ones and strangers.