Brown Paper Bag: Phoebe

UTOPIA = LOVE

Thinking about what utopia means to me has been a challenge. When I think about what utopia would feel like, I think of Zuccotti Park. The world I want to live in is what was being built at Occupy Wall Street. When I went to Zuccotti Park the first time, I was struck by the sudden and deep feeling of peace and love I felt. As I looked around I realized that within that very small park, all of your needs were met, food, clothing, shelter (when tents were finally allowed), medical attention, community, art, music… to name a few. What I observed was people freely giving of themselves seemingly without regard for whether they would receive something in return. In our society of ever increasing income inequality, where you have to fight and jump through hoops for any small crumb, I was truly astonishing to see strangers coming together and giving to others without any monetary gain. People were coming from around all around the US and around the world to contribute to this community. From that moment on I couldn’t help but love every single person that was inside that park. The love I felt at Zuccotti Park seemed to me to be a genuine love for humanity, and from that sprung a beautiful dream for another world. 

Acrylic paint on cardboard.