Dear Friends,

I wish to extend a most heartfelt thank you to all the individuals and families that participated in my project, “Let’s Do Lunch (A Work of Art).” I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to get to know you over lunch in the Cleaveland Street Rhodes Hall parking lot, Longfellow Avenue pine grove, and Potter Street walkway.

The aim of this project was to bring Bowdoin students, faculty, staff, and Brunswick community members together to share lunch. In each neighborhood, I selected a liminal public space, where people might see each other in passing but do not usually stop to engage in conversation. By setting up a table with food in these places, I hoped to create a space that encouraged individuals to interact more meaningfully with each other.

I passed out a few invitations. I baked bread, cooked soup, brewed tea, and cut up some fruit. I brought a table and chairs, dishes and silverware. It was you all, though, who animated this project and brought it to life. It was successful only because you participated. And so I thank you.

In some ways, I wish that I had done this project in my first year at Bowdoin so that I had met you all earlier. That being said, I can’t imagine a better way to spend my last few weekends at Bowdoin than sharing time outside with friends new and old. I hope that we will stop to say hi to each other when we pass on the street. As I return home to Alaska, I will remember the conversations we have had through this project and take with me a renewed faith in the power of sharing time and food. In turn, I hope that you all are inspired to continue to pursue the ideas supporting this project – community, place, and creating fun – long after I am gone.

Again, my most sincere thank you to everyone who made this project a reality.

Gratefully,

Katie Aspen Gavenus