Monday, April 20, 2015

Color 24

On April 11th, Color 24 was universally chosen several times, I I had to check it out.


 I'm not sure what the difference is between "cornflower" and "powder" blues, but we really appreciate all the participation!

Monday, April 13, 2015

G.E.E.E. as a Mirror of Community

The items that people bring in for trade are a snapshot of a community's surplus and values.  Much like an archeological dig, it's a document of a specific time and place.


Obviously, Columbia College is comprised of students, transitioning from living with parents to being independent. Some of the items traded are snacks, other houseplants, and computer accessories.

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Trades to Date at the Arcade

It's funny that when I say I'm going to take a snapshot of the activity at G.E.E.E., I literally take a snapshot of the activity.  We've had nearly 30 trades so far.  We do have a few repeats (thanks, Carolyn!), but most trades appear to be people that have wandered in without proper preparation to bring something thoughtful to trade.

We flyered the building and spoke to the various people at reception desks.  The word is out and we're open for trade!

Sometimes the Thing is Not the Thing

 When I came in today, one of the scented Geraniums was gone, and in it's place a note.


I'm not sure if the note was meant to be a fortune reading or an I.O.U. space holder.  I read it as if  a friend of mine had left it, that someone wants to do something really special in return for the plant.  That made me feel really good, in a way that the actual object won't matter.  We talk about an intangible currency that is valued, that as people in a community we are empowered to add value to things.

Monday, April 6, 2015

Surplus at Columbia College


It's always interesting to discover a community's surplus, or at least what one reveals as their surplus.  It's funny, because we joked that someone would trade an apple, and someone did!  Obviously, college students don't have much surplus.  It's sweet that someone traded the canned pasta for a plant.  I really hope someone comes in and makes the connection: I'm hungry, here's a can and the microwave is down the hall.


We're trying to put the traded items in the actual place of the item traded for.  Raisins were traded for a spider plant.  We hope that this helps visualize the exquisite corpse (plant=raisins=...?)

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Seeing Sky

Kat's class had been to G.E.E.E. the previous Friday, so she came back when she had time to really study the sky.


So the sky was "powdery" today.