by Autumn Rozario Hall
Part One
This is a proposal for the creation of a series of constellation-based paintings intended to accompany the KHOI grant project. The constellation images are intended to provide a visual part to accompany audio clips for the BeWild ReWild website.
The first part of this proposal covers the creation of nine paintings inspired by constellations and featuring animals that make their home in Iowa. Each painting has been created with acrylic paint and white ink.
BeWild ReWild will have permission to use the images on its website, as part of the grant agreement.
As the project evolves the possible creation of more constellation-themed images may be necessary to accompany evolving web content.
The grant funds will go towards the creating of the first set of paintings as well as the documentation and editing of the images to make them web-ready. It will also cover the creation of 5-8 additional paintings or related content.
The goal of this grant project is to invite others into the rewilding conversation through visually engaging images that connect to other rewilding projects in the community. The images are intended to be a collaborative part of a larger series of recordings for Iowa ReWild BeWild.
Requested grant funds are $2880 to cover the first portion of this proposal. As many of the paintings are already completed, the timeline depends on the KHOI grant timeline.
Part Two
The second part of this proposal covers the creation of a collection of illustrated works and writings exploring themes of urban rewilding in an imaginative context. Possible audio will be considered as well.
The goal is to represent the viewpoint of beings beyond those of adult humans. The materials will be used to engage others in the rewilding conversation and encourage a re-viewing of urban wilderness and pocket forests.
The grant funds will be used to cover the creation of this body of work which will be collected and shared with Iowa Rewild Bewild in a covid-19 appropriate way. Requested grant funds are $2,000 to cover the second portion of this proposal. The timeline for completion is fall 2021.
My goal is to create a physical book collecting the art and writing from the project. This book would be put together after the completion of the grant.
Please review each portion of this proposal for acceptance of either the first part, the second part, or both. Thank you for your consideration.
For this project, I began work on illustrations and stories that explore a place I call the Scraggle Wood. The scraggle wood is what I call those bits of reclaimed woods existing within urban settings. This is the woods of my childhood. It’s an unmanaged product of neglect where the forest has rewilded itself. Scraggle woods are a place of magic, broken bottles, weeds, woods and wildness. The stories center around these forgotten places and their importance to imaginative play for early childhood development.
For the project I have completed seven short stories and essays. I have also completed 30 plus paintings and illustrations.
Grant funds went towards the creation of this work with approximately 15% for supplies, 85% for creation.
Going forward I am working towards publishing these stories.
I have submitted one of the stories, titled, Here Come the Mosslets, for traditional publication, as my goal is to engage with a larger audience. The story follows a family of mossslets, small mossy creatures that dwell in an abandoned lot. They lose their home through a casual act of human destruction and to embark on a journey to find a new one. The story touches on themes of habitat loss, and the need for animal crossings.
Early in 2021 I published my first book, an illustrated folktale, which also touches on themes of rewilding self. I ran a successful kickstarter campaign to publish the books. I intend to use my experience of going through the self-publishing process, to help me move forward with publishing the collection of stories for this grant
Excerpt from About the Scraggle Wood
There are old-growth forests where the trees have never known the buzz of a chainsaw, or the crush of booted feet. Places where the air is full of enchantment and honeyed sunlight. This is not one of those forests.
This wood is closer to home. This wood is persistent, patient, growing up between fence posts and old tires. Sending out saplings and cockleburs over cracked pavement. It is a bottle littered, plastic bag choked scraggle of a wood, but a wood just the same.
Thin bent trees, their roots seeking cracks in old rubble. Blackberry brambles pushing through forgotten chain length fence. At home in abandoned alleys, the scraggle wood pushes into the neglected areas of town taking back, reclaiming, rewilding.
These are the tales of the scraggle wood.
Sample Illustrations:
The Road 
Drinking Rain Runoff 
The Planting of the Oak
