From Reception to Repurpose: A Slice of Gratitude
- Ashanti Gardner
- Aug 19
- 2 min read
I'm always impressed by the team at The People’s Climate Innovation Center—not just for their dedication to climate justice, but for their deep understanding of the power of visuals as a tool for movement-building and knowledge-sharing.
One thing that truly stands out is their ongoing commitment to integrating visual artifacts into their programs and community engagement strategies. They don’t treat visuals as one-time event documentation—they weave them into the fabric of their work, using them to spark conversation, reflection, and even celebration.
This particular image began as a live scribing piece I created at their opening reception in 2023. In 2025, they reached out to repurpose the illustration for the Young Climate Leaders of Color event, asking to bring the artwork to life again as a tote bag design. And in a fun, full-circle moment, the same image even made an appearance on their event cake!
Beyond being visually engaging, scribing and storytelling reflect a thoughtful approach to knowledge-sharing. Visual scribing serves as a tool for capturing community insights, lived experiences, and collective wisdom and in a way that’s both accessible and emotionally resonant. It helps document conversations that might otherwise remain ephemeral, and makes it easier to transfer knowledge across generations, especially in movements rooted in ancestral, cultural, and place-based wisdom.
In this way, visuals become more than artifacts—they become living documents that evolve with the community, supporting both memory and momentum.
To learn more about how The People’s Climate Innovation Center, visit peoplesclimate.org.
