Recreation + Reconnection

Curated by Cassidy Alejandria

“I associate some of my most heartwarming childhood memories with being outside. Whether it was playing hopscotch on the sidewalk, making chalk drawings, picnics at the beach, or camping with my family. How we would scrape our knees, get sunburnt, sweat dripping into our eyes but we would still beg to stay outside for five more minutes. When did we stop playing outside? When did the places around us become a thoroughfare rather than our destination? How can we reconnect to our surroundings? I want to revisit these feelings of childhood joy and bring them into adulthood.”

Recreation and Reconnection will encourage artists to think about why they have become disconnected to their outdoor surroundings. Exploring these specific, visceral memories exemplifies and encourages us to reconnect to our inner child in outdoor spaces. In a time where there is such intense pressure to put childish things away and “grow up,” this project reinstates the importance of caring for our shared spaces.