As many Talbot County residents have noticed over the last few months, the word “Hopeful” has been appearing on street corners, storefronts, homes, car bumpers, bicycles, and any other hard surface that exists silently and without explanation. That was the simple message that the artist Charlie Hewitt wanted to convey as a public art project as the country faced the dangers of COVID-19 and the impact it has had on millions of people.
Starting in Portland, Maine earlier this year, the “Hopeful” project has now has found its way to dozens of communities where these signs catch both pedestrians and motorists off guard. Those brief encounters immediately asked observers to interpret the word and its meaning without any other assistance from the artist. Was it a statement or was it a question? Or, in the case of Easton’s Dock Street Foundation, was it a call to action?
For Dock Street, the project was seen as a unique way to motivate the community not only to be hopeful but be proactive by donating to the Mid-Shore Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund. In partnering with MSCF, Dock Street has been using “Hopeful” to raise funds to provide food, shelter, and mental health services during these challenging times.
The Spy interviewed Charlie a few weeks ago to define his art project and discuss its impact. But we also thought it was a good time to bring back our “Two Friends Talking” hosts Amy Haines and Sue Stockman, whose series last year was on the power and meaning of special words, to discuss briefly the word “hopeful” and what it means to them.
This video is approximately four minutes in length. To make donation to the Hopeful project please go here.
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