Do you ever look around at your surroundings in town and think of an idea that would make it better? For the first time in its history, the Haddonfield Foundation will be running the “Haddonfield Dreams” initiative for September, giving folks the opportunity to express these ideas.
The Haddonfield Foundation is all about challenging people to dream wild dreams, and then working together to make those dreams a reality.
A local example of something the Haddonfield Foundation now helps fund that was once someone’s crazy idea is Crows Woods. It was once a trash dump and is now a beautiful garden with fields of lush crops.
“In the truest sense, Crows Woods was once a Haddonfield Dream, but obviously before the idea for this exhibition,” member of the Haddonfield Foundation board Joe Murphy said. “But it shows what can happen in our town when people have big dreams and then work together to make them happen.”
Haddonfield Dreams: Reverie to Reality is the companion exhibition to the Haddonfield Dreams initiative and jointly sponsored by the Haddonfield Foundation and the Markeim Arts Center.
Artists and photographers are encouraged to submit their images and dreams of Haddonfield, both present and envisioned future. These entries will be due in late August.
“Anyone who cares about Haddonfield is eligible to enter,” Murphy said.
“All of the ‘dreams’ are good dreams,” Chief Operating Officer of the Markeim Arts Center Bob Hochgertel said.
There will be separate categories for youth and adult artists. The exhibition will run at the arts center from Sept. 1 through Sept. 27, with a reception on Sept. 11. There will be more than $1,000 in cash awards.
The Markeim Arts Center regularly gives awards of $125 for “Best in Show,” $75 for second place and $50 for honorable mention for its juried exhibitions.
For its first year, a member of the Markeim Arts Center and supporter of the “Dreams” initiative contributed $1,000 to increase the prize money.
The prize money will be awarded by the exhibition’s jurors to the best works of art in the show, those pieces that have both a successful aesthetic and best support the spirit of the exhibition.
The idea was born when Murphy discussed it with Hochgertel earlier this year. The Haddonfield Foundation set out to ask people in town what their Haddonfield dream would be.
“If money were no object, what would you like to see in Haddonfield? We decided it would be even more powerful if there were visual images of the dreams,” Murphy said.
The Haddonfield Foundation is looking to bring its role to life by putting together this experience.
“To help to promote, maintain and enhance the quality of life in the Borough of Haddonfield, we want people to dream of what our town could be, and then think of how they could help make that happen,” Hochgertel said.
The Haddonfield Foundation is a community foundation devoted exclusively to Haddonfield. The group helps fund things that make the town a better place. Gifts from Haddonfield people, including legacy gifts such as remembering the foundation in wills, make this possible.
Haddonfield Dreams will also help to shine a light on the Markeim Arts Center.
“The Markeim plays a very important role in the community and is a vibrant art center for Haddonfield and the surrounding communities,” Hochgertel said.
The group is very excited about the idea and looks forward to hopefully bringing it back for years to come.
“My favorite part is appealing to people’s imaginations about this wonderful town, and realizing that in Haddonfield, one person truly can make a difference. Not only can we dream, but we can also make those dreams come true. Try asking someone the dream question, you might get to see an imagination come to life,” Murphy said.
Go to www.haddonfieldfoundation.org/dreams to see the list of dreams that have been collected from the community so far.
