You remind people about your past all the time. Do you ever remind them you have a future?

We spend enough time reminding people our town has a past. We don’t spend enough time reminding people our town has a future.

If every mural depicts the past, who is showing the future? 

Every town needs a future mural, or a series of them. 

I love that you did a display of historic photos in the windows of empty buildings. It gets people to stop and think about what you used to have. Still…. where’s your future display? 

Do a one-to-one match: for every historic image on display, also post a future image. 

Maybe that’s too much for the museum since the past is more or less their job, but is there at least one display dedicated to the future? When was it last updated?

Help everyone imagine their future and the town’s future. 

Afraid you can’t come up with enough future images? Involve kids. Involve everyone in town, including the people who are often not included in your art or history.

Make lists of what the future might look like, brainstorm crazy possibilities. Create drawings, sculptures, mockups, digital art, songs, stories, poems or videos of what your town could be 10, 50 or 100 years from now. I want jetpacks and flying cars and robots or anything you can dream up. You’ll all get more creative when you think and talk and laugh and create together. 

We spend enough time reminding people our town has a past. We don’t spend enough time reminding people our town has a future.

Keep shaping the future of your town, 
Becky

PS –  Speaking of the future and the past, did you see that the longest 3D printed bridge in the world was inspired by an ancient design? I think small towns are a natural place for modern technology to be inspired by our long-standing rural wisdom.