Planning — awaiting authorization
Paradise Creek Youth Art Project
Restore four weathered metal spheres at Paradise Creek and turn them into outdoor canvases for up to 18 young artists.
Where this stands
Planning — awaiting authorization from the park owner and a condition assessment of the four spheres. No dates are stated in the plan, and nothing is painted until the surfaces have been tested and the ground and drainage protected. The $2,250 fundraising figure is preliminary.
About this project
Paradise Creek Youth Art Project
Four weathered metal spheres at Paradise Creek are going to become public art. CCE volunteers will bring the surfaces back, and up to eighteen young artists will paint them for the neighbourhood to walk past and enjoy.
The work starts long before any paint. The park owner has to authorize it, the shells, fittings and old coatings have to be assessed, each sphere measured, and a section of each size test-cleaned to confirm the method and the coatings before the whole job is committed to.
Then the careful part: protect the ground, wash and degrease, remove loose rust, smooth burrs, check thin or perforated metal for repair, prime and base-coat, and let it cure. Paint, rust and washwater are kept out of the soil, the drains and the creek.
The artwork happens in rotations, with brush colours for the younger artists and aerosol only for adults or supervised older youth. A protective finish goes on last, and the waste is collected rather than left. Up to eighteen young artists take part — one per small sphere, up to eight per large one.
The work
What it actually takes
How it runs, in order
- Obtain authorization from the park owner
- Assess the condition, coatings and any holes in one large sphere
- Measure each sphere
- Test-clean a section and confirm the method and the coatings
- Protect the ground and set up waste containment
- Wash, degrease and remove loose rust
- Smooth burrs and assess thin or perforated metal for repair
- Prime and base-coat, then allow to dry and cure
- Recruit the young artists and assign spheres and sides
- Run the painting rotations
- Apply the protective finish and clean up
What is needed
What this project needs
-
Authorization from the park owner
Nothing can start without it. This is the first item in the plan.
-
Adult preparation volunteer — 3 needed
Washing, degreasing, rust removal, sanding and priming with a hand sander or Dremel under the approved method. Around 16–22 hours each across several sessions.
-
An experienced preparation lead
Leads the surface preparation, about 16–22 working hours.
-
A youth art session lead
Runs the artwork rotations and keeps the paint safety rules.
-
Youth artists — up to 18
One per small sphere, up to eight per large sphere. Brush colours for younger artists; aerosol only for adults or supervised older youth.
-
$2,250 to fund the materials
A preliminary target covering preparation, the 32-can palette, protective finish, safety equipment, power tools and a repair reserve.
The money
The preliminary fundraising target
- Working materials and equipment total: $1,600.00
- Preparation materials: $625.00
- Spray paint: 32 cans, 10 colours at $11.89 — $380.48
- Protective finish: $60.00
- Gloves and eye protection: $80.00
- Tax, shipping and contingency: $204.52
- Power tools and accessories: $250.00
- Assessment, testing, disposal and minor-repair reserve: $650.00
- Preliminary fundraising target: $2,250.00
Other CCE projects
-
Planning — no site designated yet
Acorns to Oaks Initiative
Plant and establish 610 native California oaks across 21 acres of partner land, and care for them for three years.
-
Active — compost crew enrolled
Sweetwater Community Garden Compost and Kids Garden
Voluntary compost and unused-lot care at Sweetwater Community Garden, exchanged for the lots that let us grow a parent-participation Kids Garden.
-
Planning — lease in progress
CCE Community Garden (One Acre)
Lease and clear a neglected one-acre parcel by hand, protect its native plants, and grow food to share with the community and a nearby food bank.
-
Planning — date and venue to confirm
Voices and Rhythm
A three-hour, pay-what-you-can evening of spoken word and percussion, with five storytellers and two forty-minute acts.
-
Planning — venue not confirmed
Paradise Creek Seniors Garden and Healthy Cooking
A twelve-week, land-free pilot for 12–18 seniors, alternating container-gardening workshops with healthy-cooking demonstrations.
-
Proposed for March 28 – April 3, 2027
Ride Your Way Challenge (Bike Rally)
A seven-day, ride-anywhere pledge fundraiser for youth programs in Community HousingWorks communities, starting with Paradise Creek.