Fundred is a project initiated by internationally known artist and activist Mel Chin to address issues of environmental contamination through lead. Since 2008 Chin has worked on “Operation Paydirt” which is targeted at addressing lead contamination in New Orleans, and even more importantly, providing a model for attacking the issue across the Nation’s most lead-contaminated cities including Cleveland.
The Cleveland Fundred Project is in support of this with an emphasis on working with Clevelanders interested in “getting the lead out” of our own city.
Lead contamination is a silent tragedy impacting post-industrial cities across the United States debilitating the potential our Nation’s future, our children. It is particularly relevant for economically challenged areas such as Cleveland.
Lead exposure has been linked to a range of issues in children from learning disabilities to socially disruptive behavior. In 2008 in the Cleveland/Cuyahoga County area 21.7% of children, that is 3,298 children, were identified as lead-poisoned with blood-lead levels of 5 mcg/dl. This is according to the Northeast Ohio-based Environmental Health Watch Organization’s website (http://www.ehw.org/Lead/LEAD_home3.htm#ClevelandRates).
Locally communities are organizing to attack this problem and one way many of them are doing this is through the Fundred Project. This past spring teacher Jeff Willis and the students at the Garrett Morgan Cleveland School of Science Academy initiated the Fundred project in Cleveland by participating in the creation of the Fundred bills and staging a public event in conjunction with an Environmental Fair to raise awareness of the dangers of lead contamination. Inspired by their hard work a group of community activists and artists in collaboration with the Cleveland Institute of Art, known as the “C-Change”, has undertaken to continue the project.
What is Fundred?
The Fundred project involves empowering communities. Money talks, it carries value, through the Fundred project the public gains access to this currency.
Fundred, specifically, is a drawing project in which citizens are asked to “donate” by doing their own redesign of the hundred-dollar bill. These redesigns, dubbed “fundreds”, are then collected at various Fundred Collection Centers. Once a total of 3 million Fundreds has been amassed, the equivalent of $300 million dollars, an armored truck, retrofitted to run on waste vegetable oil, will complete a cross-country collection journey by delivering the Fundreds to Washington D.C. with a request for an even exchange for the value of the art currency for actual funds. (http://www.fundred.org/)
Why $300 million dollars? What are these funds for?
In a project known as “Operation Paydirt”, this money will be used to finance as a test-case the implementation in New Orleans of a recently developed approach to treating lead-contaminated soil thus establishing the efficacy of this method and its viability as a model for other cities. This method, known as Phosphate Induced Metal Stabilization, involves treating lead-contaminated soil with calcium phosphate which prevents lead absorption into the bloodstream.
In other words $300 million dollars will be used to treat New Orleans for lead contamination and thus verify an abatement system that can then be applied to other highly lead contaminated cities, such as Cleveland. (http://www.fundred.org/about/operation-paydirt.php)
What C-Change will be doing …
We will be inviting artists, students and the public at large to design and make “Fundred Collection Stations” – these stations will have everything necessary to make a “Fundred” Dollar Bill as well as providing informational “take-aways” on how to protect yourself, your family and your community from lead contamination. The Fundred Station will also act as a collection box for the fundreds which will then be picked up and added to other Fundreds from other Fundred Stations and eventually added to those on the Fundred Armored Truck. These Fundred-Making Stations will be placed throughout Cleveland: in libraries, businesses and at many public events, to give the public an opportunity to support the Fundred project.
We will be distributing specially designed Environmentally friendly stickers to “tag” the world and raise awareness of Cleveland’s investment in Environmental concerns. These stickers will feature a link to our blog that will link to informational websites and environmental resources.
We will generate and participate in events designed to entertain and inform on Environmental issues particularly lead contamination. Part of this will be our traveling “Lemonade Stand Fundred Station.” Volunteers manning the Stand will give passers-by the opportunity to participate in making Fundreds and distribute information relating to lead contamination and other environmental issues. The goal of these events will be to motivate people to act in whatever small or large way they are able as well as providing suggestions as to how this might be done.
We will host an Invitational Exhibition of Fundred Stations at CIA’s Visual Arts and Technologies Coventry Center. The exhibit, “30-Fundred Stations” will present Fundred stations designed by prominent local creative-professionals. At the exhibit information on lead contamination and abatement will be available. Music and Food – a party to celebrate the Creative Environment that is Cleveland.
For more information:
www.fundred.org
Mel Chin's Cleveland Fundred Drawing Station