Franklin Avenue Community Garden Art Collaboration
Neighbors paint and build 3D circles-one dot at a time on a Columbus community garden fence.
About
Every dot tells a story. Help us cover the fence.
Franklin Ave. Community Garden is more than a place to grow food. It is a gathering point, a shared resource, and a root system for a neighborhood in the middle of rapid change. Long-time residents and newer arrivals are still finding their way to each other. This project creates a reason to show up together.
A team of artists from the Louisville and Columbus TimeBanks will create a permanent community installation from reclaimed materials and neighbor-made art on the fences of an adjoining property. The work begins with a one-year celebration at the Light Meeting House on May 30 and continues at the garden for a week after.
The form that ties it all together is the circle — the dot. It shows up everywhere in the natural world: the cross-section of a stem, the face of a sunflower, a seed, a ring. Here it becomes the shape through which a neighborhood speaks.
A team of artists from the Louisville and Columbus TimeBanks will create a permanent community installation from reclaimed materials and neighbor-made art on the fences of an adjoining property. The work begins with a one-year celebration at the Light Meeting House on May 30 and continues at the garden for a week after.
The form that ties it all together is the circle — the dot. It shows up everywhere in the natural world: the cross-section of a stem, the face of a sunflower, a seed, a ring. Here it becomes the shape through which a neighborhood speaks.
What We Are Making
The Dot Project unfolds in two zones. The alley fence features community-painted sign boards led by Columbus artist Susan Couden — each one reflecting themes of community, plants, food, and belonging, mounted into a growing constellation of voices. The garden fence features large 3D circles cut from foam insulation and covered in repurposed fabric adhered with acrylic medium, led by Louisville artist Linda Erzinger (www.lindaerzinger.com/projects). Both zones share one visual language: the circle.
Funding Tiers
Seed $6,500 — Core installation in both zones, painted fence, co-creation celebration at Light Meeting House on May 30, plus one week of build days
Root $8,000 — More sign boards and 3D circles, extended design sessions under a canopy tent with neighborhood participants
Full Canopy $9,000 — Full fence coverage, maximum programming, extended residency, and a formal dedication event
Root $8,000 — More sign boards and 3D circles, extended design sessions under a canopy tent with neighborhood participants
Full Canopy $9,000 — Full fence coverage, maximum programming, extended residency, and a formal dedication event
Giving Levels: $22 participant materials / $77 two hours of labor / $111 three hours / $300 full residency day / $1,000 named community patron
The TimeBank Connection
This project runs on TimeBank values: everyone's time has worth. Local residents who join the build can earn TimeDollars redeemable for services within the community network — meals, rides, childcare, errands, and more. Learn more at www.cstimebank.org.
Join Us
Community celebration at The Light Meeting House, Saturday May 30, 9am–2pm. We will be in the garden until 6pm. Open build days May 31–June 4, 12–6pm. 1464 Franklin Ave., Columbus, Ohio. Contact Linda: 502-468-3765.
