THe art of reconciliation

Throughout  the summer of 2015, William Massey coordinated the "The Art of Reconciliation" collaboration among a community of 200+ people. Each week, participants would help clean up discarded objects from the streets of Atlanta. William then arranged and affixed the objects onto metal frames and welcomed the community to collectively paint abstract colors, imagery, and personal stories over all the abandoned junk - revitalizing the wreckage - one section per week, for twelve weeks (process-images below). The art sessions were open and inclusive to the public, co-hosted by ReMerge in Atlanta's Central Park in midtown, consistently welcoming members from all facets of society; homeless adults, soccer moms, hipsters, children, veterans, prostitutes, LGBTQ... labels becoming truly insignificant as we gathered around purposeful, creative connection. 

The final portrait is of a man named Tony. Tony experienced homelessness in Atlanta, disregarded by his family and overlooked by most of society for over half-a-decade until he encountered a community of people willing to pour into him, support him, recognize his worth, welcome him into a leadership role, and foster reconciliation. That community was ReMerge. Tony is now being built back up, employed, and living under the same roof as his family. This sculpture stands as a testament not only to the unity and generative culture which creativity can foster, but even more, it is a monument of hope and redemption for each of us.

The sculpture was initially installed on the Atlanta BeltLine's East-side trail under Freedom Pkwy from 2015-2016 and is currently awaiting reinstallation.