We Believe in Harnessing the Collective …………. Power of our Community’s Dreams

……….. ………. Dream It. Share It. Be It.

The Imagination Installation Project is about building Imaginariums: places where people can record their dreams and discover what others have shared.

We do this by collecting “Imagine When … ” statements from everyday people in Forsyth County, North Carolina and sharing them through public art installations, and our web site, Facebook & Twitter pages and Imagination Events.

Join the Imagination Movement:

Click here to get on the Imagination e-list so you can dream big with us and receive fun e-mails

Follow us on Facebook & Twitter.

Visit our web site ImaginationInstallations.com

History: On August 30, 2011, Cheryl Schirillo brought together a grassroots group of entrepreneurs, artists, business people, educators, designers, and community leaders started meeting in downtown Winston-Salem, NC to brainstorm the Project.  As of November  over 200 people are directly involved in the project and we’ve collected thousands of dreams.

To read about the first Deep Dive/brainstorming meetings Click here to see highlights.

Our Slogan: .………………………….  ……………………..  ………………………………………………….. Dream It. Share It. Be It.

Goals: ……………………………………………………………………………..

To showcase the incredible people, projects and organizations in our community.

To become a nationwide model for results-driven imagination.

To connect people with common goals and interests.

To build Dream Maps of Forsyth County (data visualizations on our web site)

To populate the city with both physical and online venues (art installations, web site, imagination events) that serve as a conveyners for the community.

Look below to see how our first group of dreamers completed the sentence ”Imagine if …”

Imagine if everyone felt safe to share their dreams. ~ Tammy Caudill

Imagine if we really knew our neighbors. ~ Gail Fisher   …. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Imagine if I had time to breathe. ~ Jim Toole    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     . . . . .      . . . . . .    . .

Imagine if we lived without fear. ~ Jan Detter   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     . . . . .      . . . . . .    . .

Imagine if biking to work were the new normal. ~ Cheryl Schirillo

Imagine if every human being knew their true value. ~ Amanda Zabel

Imagine if different aspects of culture really could connect. ~ Carol Strohecker

Imagine if all points of view were honored. ~ Robin White Star

Imagine if people actively choose to hope. ~ Kathryn Mobley

Imagine if you could put the world on hold without any consequences.

~ Connie Chesner

“Imagine if we could do exactly what we wanted all day, each day, without stress, anxiety or fear, and get paid a good salary for simply doing what we love and are gifted at.  Imagine!” ~ Cyndi Briggs

Imagine if everyone had a friend. ~ Tina Stearns

Imagine if all cars were electric. ~ Johnathan Schirillo, 13 yrs. old

Imagine if you had as many words for love as the Eskimo’s have for snow. ~ Connie Chesner

Imagine if W-S had public health so effective, and health care costs so cheap, that companies were eager to do business here and other municipalities traveled from across the country to study our success. ~ Jim Toole

Imagine if there was no more hunger in the world. ~ Cheryl Lindsay

Imagine if there was no terminal illness. ~ Julie Crayne

Imagine if we were a connected and caring community. ~ Teddy Burriss

Imagine if everyone felt loved. ~ Debra Chiarello

Imagine if … imagine if those two words could change the world.

~ Tammy Caudill

Click here to get on the Imagination e-list so you can dream big with us and receive fun e-mails.

Winston-Salem, NC’s newest piece of public art is a huge glass quilt of words that also features audio-storytelling components. The World Wall is a community manifesto written by inner-city teen authors from Authoring Action who worked in partnership with renowned mosaic artist Jan Detter to bring the project to life.  Volunteers from StoryLine, a project of the ECHO Council, also recorded audio conversations that are incorporated into the experience via cell phone.  The art installation is 15 feet wide by 8 feet tall and is being mounted on the outside wall of the popular restaurant Breakfast of Course (Mary’s Too!) located on Trade Street between 7^th and 8^th Streets (723 Trade Street Winston-Salem, NC, 27101). The Word Wall is made painted re-cycled safety glass shelving, dominoes, mosaic glass tiles and the creative wisdom of our community’s Youth.

Photos, a list of people & orgs that made the Word Wall possible, and links to print and online stories here:  http://bit.ly/mKr4KD

Unveiling: On Friday, June 3, 6:30 pm The Mayor and other community leaders, African drummers, local artists, school-aged children and project volunteers gathered in the Arts District to see The World Wall unveiled.  Spoken Word Shout Outs by Authoring Action Youth, singing and the StoryLine Bus, were also part of the celebration.

The Word Wall is the brainchild of Authoring Action (formerly the WS Youth Arts Institute), a local non-profit that changes the lives of youth through arts education and the power of creative writing. Authoring Action commissioned renowned mosaic artist Jan Detter to bring the project to life.  StoryLine, a project of the ECHO Network, has also been involved by recording the Youth’s stories, and those of the community leaders and artists involved.  Phone numbers you can dial are next to the World Wall  to allow viewers to hear audio StoryLine conversations about community.

The Word Wall: “Believe in the amazement of your own voice.”  Bridges’ Video about the creation of the Word Wall:

For more information about Authoring Action visit http://www.authoringaction.org or contact Executive Director Lynn Rhoades, lynnroades@msn.com, 336-749-1317.

Presenting sponsors for the Word Wall  include:  The Arts Council of WS/Forsyth, The Millennium Fund, Bridges Connecting Communities (www.MyBridges.net), and The ECHO Network.

Look below for samples of the powerful words Authoring Action’s teen leaders have created to “rock your world.”  Click on “contribute” to add your voice.

It’s time for a fresh start and new beginnings.  Look below to read both personal and professional New Year’s Resolutions from the #TriadTribe.  Even better, set a new intention for yourself, or our community, and share it here.  Intentions are something new, fun, dynamic you’d like to bring into your life in 2011.

Want to chime in below, make a comment, and share your voice?  It’s easy.  If you have a Bridges account just sign in and then click on the “contribute” button below and type in the white box. If you don’t have a free Bridges Account yet, no problem.  When you hit contribute you’ll be prompted to set one up.  Just takes a minute.  We look forward to hearing from you!