Kori and I helped the Batesville Area Arts Council install the "Before I Die" wall in Pocket Park on Main Street Batesville. This communal installation is made to be shared. Started by Candy Change in her New Orleans neighborhood it has since been installed on over 400 walls world wide. Her motivations are found on her website:
"After Candy lost someone she loved, she went through a long period of grief and depression. With time she felt gratitude for the time they had together and eventually she found clarity in her life by contemplating death so much. But she struggled to maintain this perspective. It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and forget what really matters to you. She wanted a daily reminder and she wanted to know what was important to the people around her. So she painted the side of an abandoned house in her neighborhood in New Orleans with chalkboard paint and stenciled it with a grid of the sentence “Before I die I want to _______.” Anyone walking by could pick up a piece of chalk, reflect on their lives, and share their personal aspirations in public space."
This is a great way for people to connect with their community and realize that the people around them are worrying, dreaming, and wanting the same things from life before it all ends.
