Hunter Franks, an artist and founder of the Neighborhood Postcard Project and League of Creative Interventionists, is in Macon, Ga., for three weeks using creativity to build community with Knight Foundation support. Photo credit: Hunter Franks.

Towering Corinthian columns stare down at me. It’s the first thing most people notice when they come to Macon. Gorgeous buildings are abundant in a city filled with rich history. Humans have inhabited this area for 17,000 years. Little Richard and the Allman Brothers called Macon home. But this city also faces a lot of challenges. Massive divides exist between socioeconomic levels. Poverty and blight are all too familiar.     Related Link

“Postcards and play connect communities in Macon, Ga.” by Molly McWilliams Wilkins on KnightBlog.org 

I spent most of my first week here exploring and understanding the fabric of Macon. A lot of people love Macon and have embraced the challenges. I’ve felt the energy that is moving Macon toward a thriving, inclusive and resilient community. And I have been able to be a part of it — to add to the conversation and to insert lightweight, spontaneous activities that bring new voices to the conversation. The goal for my three weeks in Macon is to inspire and enable more Maconites to use creativity to build the Macon they want to see. To start a conversation between all of Macon, not just certain neighborhoods or networks.

The first activity we did was begin the Macon Neighborhood Postcard Project, a storytelling exchange to build community. Residents fill out a postcard with a personal positive story of their neighborhood and that postcard is then mailed to a random person in a different neighborhood to create connections between people and communities. The goal is to break down stereotypes and create a lightweight way for residents from different neighborhoods to learn about each other. Both the sender and random recipient of the postcard are invited to a potluck at the end of the month giving them the chance to meet in person. We will post all of the love notes to neighborhoods on the exterior of the building, giving some love and appreciation to a building that sees little of it.

Last week I got a chance to collect postcards at Campus Clubs, an organization that works with youth in Pleasant Hill, a historic neighborhood that was one of America’s first established African-American communities. Like many neighborhoods in Macon, Pleasant Hill faces challenges of blight and poverty, but it also has a plethora of positive stories. Three young girls showed me their dance routine that they will be performing in the Cherry Blossom Festival next week. The students shared some of these stories, which will now be shared with a random Maconite in another part of town.

I’m also working to create a Macon Community Cookbook, using food as a unifier between people. I got to partner with the Macon Roving Listeners, a group based out of the Centenary United Methodist Church, who go around to people’s houses and listen to and record stories. We went to several different neighborhoods and everyone was very welcoming in sharing a favorite homemade recipe. We even got to taste a family brownie recipe that has been handed down for 50 years. All of these recipes will be displayed at the potluck and all participants are invited to bring their dish to the potluck.

On Tuesday night, we launched the Macon League of Creative Interventionists, the local chapter of a global network of people working to build community through creativity. We had an amazing turnout and brainstormed ideas for how to make Macon more playful. The energy and ideas in the room ensured me that the people Macon needs to thrive are right here in Macon. The league chapter will build a community around people who want to continue to carry out creative interventions to get strangers talking. Focusing on positivity and possibility is a key for my time in Macon, and it is exciting to see others get behind these ideas and activities as we work to create the Macon we want to see.

To see what else we have planned in Macon, check out www.creativeinterventionists.com/macon and follow along on social media with #createmacon