Logan Smith contacted me about the 12×12 Project. He has been in contact with the people involved in the project and wanted to share this letter with us.
Dear Logan,
Thank you for your continued interest in the 12×12 Project, and your support for our work on social media. Please bear with me as I give you a brief introduction to the project here.
The 12×12 Project stems from author and WPI Senior Fellow, William Powers, who was inspired by the powerful story of a North Carolina pediatrician who gave up a luxurious home to live off the grid in a 12′ x 12′ house and permaculture farm. Powers, who spent a season living in the tiny house, chronicled his stay in the 2010 award-winning, national “green living” bestseller, now in its fifth printing: Twelve by Twelve: A One Room Cabin, Off the Grid & Beyond the American Dream.
The installation is a simple, modular space that houses panels containing text and questions from the Twelve by Twelve book. These panels will vary, allowing the project to grow and evolve. Participants including the public, invited groups, and artists will engage with the question: “What’s your 12×12?” to spark new thinking around what smart consumption means for each person.
This project falls under the institute’s Arts Policy Nexus, led by Senior Fellow Todd Lester. More information about this is available here: http://www.worldpolicy.org/projects/arts-policy.
While it’s a shame that you won’t be able to join us at the launch party, please do feel free to invite anyone you feel might be interested. More information about the party, including registration details, can be found at this website: http://p0.vresp.com/5fwnDa. One thing though: guests should RSVP to me by Thursday to ensure that they can get into the Garden for free, and to ensure we cater adequately.
The installation runs throughout July in the Queens Botanical Garden, before migrating to Manhattan’s First Park on the Lower East Side in August, so if your NYC-based friends aren’t free this Saturday, we do still encourage them to visit it at some point and to document their reflections on the 12×12.
I’m also attaching some information on the project for your perusal. I would be glad to answer any further questions you may have about the 12×12 Project or the Arts Policy Nexus, or if I cannot, then I would be happy to direct you to someone who can.
Finally, I wanted to alert you to our first artist in residence, Beth Grossman (http://www.bethgrossman.com/) – Beth is based in San Francisco, so you may be interested in following her work there.
Thank you so much for your support and for your work, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Warmest regards,
Brendan Mark Foo
Project Manager – The 12×12 Project
World Policy Institute
www.worldpolicy.org