People stood in line to have their portraits painted. I made several paintings of families- people wanted to commemorate the day with a picture with their loved ones. The older children wanted to be painted by themselves. I learned that people like to sit to be painted. It’s a lovely thing to be seen. I’m proud to be able to witness these people and be a part of their lives for a short period of time. Overall I think the event brought a greater sense of connectedness between neighbors, artists, and organizations.

That’s a great question. I think these festivals are great as tools to foster connection. I think more opportunities like these would be a good next step. A cookout sounds like a good idea- people eating food together and playing games can be good opportunities for people to talk to each other.