Among the neighbors we’ve interviewed for the Voices of the Violet Crown project is Kristie Zamrazil of Crestview. We videotaped Kristie in September 2009 next to her “Create Here” tile, on the south end of the Wall of Welcome. Jean Graham completed the mosaic wall, filled with handcrafted tiles and mosaics, in March 2008.

“I moved to Crestview in 2002, after looking for a house for two years. One thing I wanted was to live in a supportive community and have a place to do my art. I was thrilled when a month after I moved here I found out that Jean Graham was doing the Wall of Welcome project. I signed up immediately. I just knew I wanted to be part of it.

“My tile reflects my enthusiasm for living here. I finally found a place to call my own. It was a total fixer-upper, so I had to create my home via remodeling. I was creating new friends everyday. My neighbors are tremendous, immediately inviting me into their homes, helping me with remodeling tips. I’ve felt surrounded by artists and other creative types in the neighborhood. I was creating a whole new life, and I wanted to reflect that in my tile.

“I feel like this neighborhood continues to be supportive of that, and anyone who moves here has the same opportunity to create, whether it’s art or friends or community, a new life or a new way of being. I think Crestview fosters that.

“The wall is special, because it’s a tangible reflection of the spirit of the community. It’s something that neighbors took part in and that we in the neighborhood can be proud of. And, the wall is a legacy, something we can leave for other generations that reflects our love for the neighborhood.”

Our neighborhood’s creative and community spirit continues to be expressed through a variety of individual and collaborative projects. Discover more about them through our features and community links, along the right side of this web page, and through our ongoing blog posts.