FY21 Annual Summary
August 2020 - July 2021
2021 Graduating High School Senior’s Nakia and Lontrell
Summer Programming: Teen Staff Orientation
“The Art Garden has opened my eyes since I was just a young boy playing around the neighborhood, that you can do anything you put your mind to.”
Carpenter Art Garden | Fiscal Year 2020 - 2021
As a small organization in the heart of the neighborhood, Carpenter Art Garden has been able to provide critical services that larger institutions would not be able to. Many of you have witnessed firsthand the personal relationships that grow from the picnic tables on a Tuesday afternoon. We leveraged our existing platform as a community-based arts organization to provide resources to Memphians when it mattered most. 2020 forced all of us to make challenging decisions and the ongoing uncertainty is equally daunting and exhausting. The Art Garden is filling the gap for information, resources, and solutions during a time when so many feel disconnected. This year did not go the way we had planned, nevertheless, I want to celebrate all the good work that was done on Carpenter Street with your support.
In October 2020 we resumed outdoor programming in our beautiful spaces that have been developed with love and collaboration over the years. Our bike program inducted riders into the 100 Mile Club and sold 30 recycled bikes with new helmets to get people riding. The community vegetable gardens have distributed thousands of pounds of produce back into the neighborhood. In addition to food grown on Carpenter Street, CAG connected Binghampton residents to grocery gift cards, resources for rental assistance, care packages, and more. Ten teenagers had paid leadership opportunities in the programs they grew up attending. Over 50 individuals were vaccinated at the Purple House. We brought on two new staff members.
From the beginning, Carpenter Art Garden has grown from an artistic vision that reflects the needs of Binghampton residents and their spaces. Our stability grows from our commitment to listening, collaborating, and being good neighbors. This year external factors put our team to the test, but we continue to meet our vision and move towards the good. These guiding principles have allowed the Art Garden to exist for a decade. We are excited to celebrate ten years with you in summer 2022!
We appreciate every bit of support, and greatly appreciate you staying engaged and interested in our work during this year. We are pleased to list all of our donors in this report. And finally, we hope to see you all in person (or virtually) soon.
Megan Banaszek, Executive Director
Water Day
“Thank you for everything, he was having a blast today and he needed that break”
