1. I feel the proposed benefits of historic site restoration in Mart, TX are to boost the morale of the city. When a “ghost town” like Mart gets to the point that it is, it can be easy for the community to feel they are like the architecture of the town. I feel it is important for people to live in beauty because what we see everyday effects the way we feel. I feel if the current state of Mart’s architecture would be restored it would have a positive effect on the state of social, cultural, and economic development of the town, as long as the Mart community plays the leading role in the restorations.
2. I feel this concept of community gardens applies to a poverty-stricken, racially-divided southern, rural location such as Mart, TX in that it is possible for these gardens to be spaces which people of different races can successfully integrate and benefit from their structures. One way this can be accomplished specifically in Mart was a suggestion from one of the community garden committee members; he said he would like to see the garden space be a space where the community could come together for festivals or community gatherings. An example of this was another member said they would love to see the space be the location of yearly pre-school graduation celebration. These types of gathers are not specific to any racial group and could be used equally by members of the community.
3. The global agent in shaping women’s ideas of beauty and presents the particular interpersonal and socioeconomic consequences for the young African American girls in Mart could be barrier to our work there, but I feel it does not have to be. There is an intra-country need for discourse on this topic when discussing the Mart community because our projects there offer us a great opportunity to educate the present community and offer education for further generations. I admit I do not have a thorough knowledge on this subject, but that is what this question brings up for me.
4. Through the new Co-Op and Mapping Project in the Mart community it could definitely redefine the town from a “ghost town” to something of a charming small art community. From the small interaction I have had personally with the Mart community, it seems they are eager for this re-defining of their community to take place. It seems the community is very excited about the on-going projects in Mart it seems they are ready for this change.
5. It seems we, as a UT presence, are trying to promote effectiveness and efficiency in Mart by helping them with the starting steps of redefining their community. It was made very clear to my team at the garden project meeting that this would have to be a project with low sustainability. I appreciated this disclosure from the committee that the project would be more successful if the vast majority of the work was accomplished with our help and that the maintenance should be low to assure the garden would continue to a success after our presence is no longer in Mart.
