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Drumming Up A Sense Of Community

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Drumming Up A Sense Of Community

By Nancy K. Crevier

Oil Drum Art has come to Newtown, thanks to the efforts of Starbucks store manager Peter Johnson and the Starbucks v2v online community volunteer social network, where participants can host and post an activity or community event and spread the word. Mr Johnson has found the Facebook-like format of the site to be an ideal vehicle for getting his ideas, like Oil Drum Art, out to the community here and afar.

Oil Drum Art, in which 55-gallon steel oil drums are transformed from vehicles for crude into creative and colorful works of art, began in New Haven in 2003 when Jack Lardis of CityWide Open Studios launched the program.

“The possessing or controlling of oil has been a defining policy objective of the 20th century community,” according to the Oil Drum Art mission posted on the website oildrumart.org. “The oil drum contains the essential energy of our world, without which our modern civilization could not exist. The drum container in its vast simplicity as a symbol common to all men, evokes every one  of the forces, greed, hope, peace, and havoc, that have influenced mankind for a century or more,” the statement continues. The 55-gallon steel drum is a metaphor, says the website, providing artists an opportunity to create environmental or geopolitical statements about society.

Mr Johnson saw the v2v network as an opportunity to promote a sense of belonging for Starbucks customers in the community. Volunteer to Volunteer (v2v) extends the online Starbucks community “that enables partners and customers to improve the communities where they live and work, and showcase the amazing things they are already doing in their communities,” said Mr Johnson.

When Mr Johnson heard about the Oil Drum Art project from Kenneth Lundquist, Jr, an arts consultant and board member for Oil Drum Art, he knew it would be a great medium for bringing the people and partners of Newtown Starbucks together in a meaningful and fun way.

“I’ve always dabbled in art, mainly acrylic painting on canvas, so this was a good way to bring my interests together and get the community together here at Starbucks,” Mr Johnson said.

This is not the first community outreach effort in which he has been involved, said Mr Johnson, who has been with Starbucks for six years, the last year as general manager at the Newtown Starbucks on Church Hill Road.

“Starbucks has always done a lot of community projects,” he said, including four Earth Day events with a nature center out of Danbury and several charity walks/runs in the greater Danbury area. He also promotes his personal agenda for a healthier environment through v2v, he said. “For instance, I support reducing paper use, and if you go to my site at v2v, you will find suggestions I have for ways to do that. People come up with lots of ways to use the social network to promote ideas that they think are important,” said Mr Johnson.

The drum in Newtown is actually a recycled 55-gallon drum for confectioners lube, said Mr Lundquist, but brings to light what you can do with any big item, instead of just throwing it in the landfill. “Hundreds, probably thousands, of these drums have been painted in the past five years, a lot of them in the Bridgeport area,” Mr Lundquist said.

Oil Drum Art provides the entire kit of a drum, primer, acrylic paints, brushes, and instruction sheets for just $200 to groups or individuals interested in promoting the project. The group is currently prospecting national brand sponsors like Liquitex for the painting supplies, and UPS for the shipping of the drums, and others for full sponsor coverage of the project, so that the drum kits can be supplied free of cost in the future to the volunteers. He hopes that Oil Drum Art will be launched internationally this coming September through v2v. Anyone interested in getting a drum to paint or for more information about Oil Drum Art can contact Mr Lundquist at oildrumart@kljinc.com.

During each of his shifts since Saturday, August 2, Mr Johnson has placed the oil drum and paints on a plastic tarp just to the east of the Starbucks building, weather permitting.

“It’s self-service, come and paint whenever you want,” said Mr Johnson. So far, several area children and students at nearby Hydrangea Blue have taken him up on the offer, decorating the drum in the spirit of the theme, “Global Warming: How it affects our future and what we can do about it.” Each artist paints their vision of the theme in one of several squares taped off on the drum, following guidelines provided. Most of the artwork by the young artists evokes a sense of hope for the endangered world, or a subtle, colorful cautionary tale told in picture form. A big bucket of water is available for quick clean up, and adult artists as well as young people are encouraged to come and add to the oil drum while it is in progress.

Originally, Mr Johnson had hoped to finish the drum by Sunday, August 17, but he now plans to extend the painting opportunity for an additional two weeks beyond that date.

“I just love it,” said assistant director for Newtown Parks and Recreation, RoseAnn Reggiano. While many Oil Drum Art projects are utilized as sculpture, others become utilitarian in nature, serving as beautiful flower containers or trash cans. Newtown Parks and Recreation will yield the benefit of Mr Johnson’s action, receiving the completed oil drum for use as a trash container in one of the town parks.

“It may go into Dickinson Park or over to Eichler’s Cove,” said Ms Reggiano. When summer is over, the container will be placed in the Parks and Recreation office at South Main Street, she said. “We had never heard of Oil Drum Art before Peter contacted us, but what a great idea. Wouldn’t it be fun to see more of them here? It would be a great project for other youth groups,” she said.

For the exact dates and times that the oil drum will be outside for painting, visit v2v.net/actions/paint-an-oil-drum-at-newtown, or contact Mr Johnson at 364-1423.

“People are welcome to just stop by Newtown Starbucks and if the drum is out there, add to it,” encouraged Mr Johnson. “Anything you can do to bring people together, the rewards are immense.”

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