Color and Community Involvement
Julia R. Vallera
Chapter Summary. Color Wheelz is a 1997 Ford van that travels through the five boroughs of New York City (NYC) filled with playful activities that facilitate exploration into the world of color. Visitors cover the inside and outside of the van with art made from a variety of colorful materials. Each artwork has a corresponding voice recording describing what colors are used and why. This creates a fun and engaging way for visitors to consider how color represents their world. This consideration is an opportunity for people to think about their surroundings in a visual way, which results in a colorful commentary on the neighborhoods in New York City.
Color Wheelz (Plates 37 and 38) attempts to address how color defines who we are. It is a public installation that aims to inspire curiosity and learning through arts-related socialization. Through hands-on activity and conversation, it asks questions such as, What color are the objects that surround you? What color are your memories? What color are your friends? What colors are in nature? The various ways that visitors respond initiates thoughtful consideration about how color affects our perception. Acknowledging these perceptions enables visitors to ask questions and think critically about how color exists in their everyday lives. Documenting outcomes in each location is an ongoing effort and has resulted in a valuable collection of color-related stories and art, which contribute to the topic of color theory in a variety of ways. Results are documented through photographs, video, and voice recordings and published on the official website http://colorwheelz.org/. A map is updated on the website and on a twitter account so that people can find the location of Color Wheelz at any point.
Drawing from characteristics defined as public art, Color Wheelz intends to strengthen every community it visits. This goal is most accurately articulated in the words of Lily Yeh, a dedicated artist who spent her career as a public art entrepreneur. In documentation about her career she wrote “We need to focus on building compassionate communities where people have a strong relationship with each other and are genuinely concerned for the welfare of all. Art and culture can function as powerful tools to connect people, strengthen family ties, preserve cultural heritage and build community” (Moskin and Jackson 2004).
Through my experience as a visual artist and a color theory teacher I find that color is a term that everyone understands and one that is easy to identify both visually and verbally. Color Wheelz empowers participants to create meaningful artwork that many of them didn’t think they could or never thought they would. It is a blank canvas for the application of color, which is a vehicle for people to learn about each other and about themselves. I am interested in how color association changes from person to person and from place to place. I wonder why and in what ways people associate color to culture, location, and memory. Gathering feedback from individuals that participate in Color Wheelz is a way for me to find answers to my questions. I am inspired by what participants add to the project in each community I visit.
When I arrive at a location I take out my signs, folding table, material bins, and put on my apron. Many people come up to me and ask me what I am doing. I briefly explain the project and ask if they would like to contribute a color story. Participation lasts for as little as ten minutes to as long as two hours. I walk visitors through the process. I show them the materials and how to apply their artwork on the van. If it is not too busy I offer to work with them. Soon after that, people start to gather or call their friends and family to come see “this girl with a van.”
The methodology used in this project continues to evolve, but the overall attempt to create a mobile color installation that generates visitor participation has continued to be the main priority. Originally, instructional sheets guided visitors through the Color Wheelz experience. One sheet directed them around the inside of the van, another sheet around the outside. Both sheets listed three questions. What things do you see around you? What color are those things? What shape are they? As they considered those questions, each participant got an identical material kit to work with. The materials in the kit could be applied to any wall, window, floor, or ceiling of the van.
After some tests, I adjusted the process so that instead of following activity sheets, visitors could follow a design grid built into the van itself. This led me to segment the van into sections by neighborhood. Each neighborhood was given the categories of architecture, people, and nature. The back and inside of the van were designated for free expression.
This grid method allowed participants from the same neighborhood to place color on the same part of the van. In doing this, I thought each section of the van could be identified by similarity in color and would serve as a color map of each location. The results demonstrated that there was no similarity in the way people chose color. Every participant had a different choice that resulted in very different interpretations of the surrounding color.
The next and most recent evolution in methodology eliminated the grid and categories. I decided to let the visitors place their artwork anywhere they chose. At this time I began doing audio recordings of the visitors explaining the colors they used and why, which provide an archive of the stories that visitors tell me and each other. The recordings are paired with the corresponding artwork and posted on the website.
Each piece of art on the van represents a unique idea. Sometimes the art is a literal depiction of something from the neighborhood and other times it is completely abstract. Through conversation with participants, I learn what their color choices mean. As the facilitator it is important for me to share these results with as many people as possible, particularly those interested in public art, color perception, and participatory learning. For this reason, documentation is the most important part of this project.
Every visitor takes a different approach to Color Wheelz. Some begin making art immediately and others take a lot of time to consider exactly what it is they want to make. Some reflect on culture, family, or language. Others reflect on nature, architecture, or composition.
Everyone benefits differently from participating in Color Wheelz. In Crown Heights, Brooklyn, it left a lasting impression for the kids on St. Johns Street. So much so, that one of them recognized me another time and ran over to say hello. In Red Hook, Brooklyn, a lifelong resident and war veteran came twice in one day to make sure I didn’t change his design. On the Upper West Side, a young man thanked me for the opportunity because he loved making art and had never experienced anything like Color Wheelz. In Williamsburg, Brooklyn, a timid young boy got to show me what colors the inside and outside of his orthodox Jewish family’s home had, while a newly married couple combined their favorite colors into one symbolic design.
This project has been fulfilling for me in many ways, but it is most fulfilling in that it brings people together to trade stories, learn new things, and share in the same experience. I plan to continue this project and hope to archive the work in a museum or NYC gallery. I would like to do this in other cities with other vans so that perhaps more cities could have their own van to showcase as a representation of the people that live there. Many people have contributed to the project’s success.
REFERENCE
Moskin, B., and Jackson, J. (2004), “Warrior Angel: The Work of Lily Yeh,” http://www.barefootartists.org/barefootartists_resources.html.