A dinner was hosted for the Holland Planning Commission using the items made at various community engagement events surrounding the decommissioned power plant site both on and off-site. Below are the opening remarks for the meal:
Welcome everyone, we are so excited to be here with you. Thank you for having us. I have lived in Holland most of my life and I have been compiling historical documents, photographs, and videos surrounding Lake Macatawa for 4-years. This summer I invited three GVSU students to join the project. They uncovered and investigated more than I could have on my own and it was a joy to work on this project with them.
This event today is the result of our academic and creative research endeavors. Over the summer we hosted two events at the decommissioned power plant in Holland. We invited the community to participate in making plates, capturing collaborative layered images, charting the landscape, and mapping a potential future. You can read more about our process for those activities on the menu at your place setting.
The founding inquiry of this project is: can a collective visual and tactile experience impact the way that a site is understood, conversations are had, and ultimately decisions are made?
You will notice that your placemat is also an activity. If you could take a few minutes to work on that and when you are done place it on the board. Please let Tess and me know if you have any questions about the project we would be happy to talk with you more about it.