 The right balance of routine and adventure is an exciting space to find, and we’ve done it this week without shadow of a doubt. While work on the Week of Hope mural goes on (and on, and on) there are opportunities throughout the day to work with a variety of incredible groups. Each group challenges us - demanding different degrees of consideration, sensitivity, clarity, and guidance. However I find myself perpetually astonished at how well Tape Art manages, time after time, to bring the best out everyone involved.
Today is our last day to work on the wall, and the day's theme is "Caring". The effort to raise a toppled tree brings a team of people together, working with a shared desire to inspire, and impart hope.
  
Smiles all around, as we wrap up a weeks worth of work.
  
Speck Home
The Speck Home’s stated mission is to provide residential care for delinquent/ deprived or neglected adolescent males for the state of Oklahoma. We met up with a group of these guys in a church basement not knowing exactly what to expect, but after a very brief period of skepticism, the young men of Speck proceeded to unapologetically illustrate so many of the incredible things we love about this medium.
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They worked together - putting aside snide comments - to breathe life back into a neglected space. These young men focused their energy and represented the positive things that are important to them, such as playing music, working out at the gym, team sports, and pushing whips. The momentum was palatable as they became more and more engrossed in the details of their new environment, and we all had trouble calling it quits when the allotted time was up.
Inside this arena of expression these young men overcame any behavioral barriers, demonstrated to us a powerful yearning to communicate visually, and were nothing short of an amazing group to work with. Adriana notes that we held them to the highest standard, and they met it brilliantly.
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GearUp - Friday + Mrs. Tate's Class
Our last GearUp session goes well, and with space in high demand, the teacher group works alongside the student group on the remaining blank patches of concrete. It is not long before an adventurous local school group asks to join in the Taping, and soon Mrs. Tate's class is good to hit the walls. The Tape Art crew continued to grow, as we were joined by a small group of students who may have been skipping school - but found a thoughtful activity. The day demonstrates Tape Art's ability to bring different groups together, sharing in an experience and uniting their efforts visually and thematically.
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Above: Watching another learner applying his final touches.
Right: Oh! the irony! Some effort clearly went into this representation of a figure reclining.
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