Thursday, May 20, 2010

Kindred Spirits!!!



PieLab was originally conceived during a 2009 session of Project M in Belfast, Maine. Project M is John Bielenberg’s design-for-good movement, intended to inspire young creatives that their work can have a positive and significant impact on the world. Since 2003, Project M has been bringing young people together in various places all around the globe to develop projects and initiatives that contribute to the greater good at a local level. During this 2-week M session, the group came to understand the importance of healthy and supportive communities. Free Pie was a response to this discovery. On March 14th, (Pi Day) the designers set up a pop-up pie stand on a central corner in downtown Belfast, serving over 200 slices to hungry locals. Each slice was served on a real ceramic plate and eaten with a real fork, encouraging citizens to hang around and interact with their neighbors while enjoying their dessert. The message was simple: Sometimes life is bad; free pie isn’t.

The success of this inaugural event encouraged the designers to develop the Free Pie Movement as a way of motivating others to offer the same simple gestures within their own community. Again, the approach was uncomplicated and direct: make a pie, choose a spot, give it away, bring people together. The idea was eventually explored in several cities across the U.S. including Atlanta, Brooklyn, Richmond, Columbus, and Washington DC. What developed not long thereafter is today called PieLab, a multifaceted approach to small business that addresses this need for united and empowered communities in a way that is self-perpetual and fun.

In May of 2009, a handful of designers from the March Project M session relocated to Greensboro, Alabama and brought PieLab to life. Located within the Black Belt Region of Alabama, and situated within Hale County, Greensboro is a quaint Southern town restrained from substantial progress and economic growth. Since 2007, Project M has been working to develop projects in Greensboro, through a strong collaboration with HERO* (Hale Empowerment and Revitalization Organization), a non-profit housing resource center. Within three weeks time, the crew transformed one-half of the Project M Lab (an old home converted to a permanent studio space by the 2008 Project M team) into a real, live, functioning pie shop. They built tables and signs from salvaged wood and purchased plates and jars from the local flea market, keeping up-front investment costs very low. Then they opened. And the people came. Visitors of all ages and backgrounds could enjoy a slice of pie ($2), a cup of coffee or lemonade ($1), and some good conversation (free!). All revenue generated from pie sales went right back into the pot to make more pies. Still the concept was simple: pie brings people together, conversation happens, ideas are created, and the result is positive change through design. Moreover, what PieLab provided during this preliminary stage was an interface for the people of Hale County and the designers to interact, share stories and get acquainted, allowing for an accurate look into the community’s assets and needs.

Read more at the PieLab site. Amazing!

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