"Birckhead's Embrace"

I was honored to create a dot for Toledo’s first gated community, established in 1906, Birckhead Place. Driving along the narrow, brick-paved streets that wind through the private development, I sensed a certain pride among residents in their relative independence from the world outside their gates. Their pursuit for peaceful seclusion resonated with me and I set out to learn more about the enclave’s history. During my research, I came across stories of neighborhood celebrations and found accounts of an Easter egg hunt held annually during the 1950s and 60s particularly interesting. The parallel between searching for hidden eggs and the scavenger hunt nature of the You Are Here Toledo Project, along with the ornate architectural elements found on Birckhead’s homes, inspired my image of an organic birdhouse living inside a closed terrarium. Like the grand homes and serene parks that lie within the confines of Birckhead’s gates, this specimen has been carefully cultivated underneath a glass dome in protective tranquility. Cradled between its branches is a nest containing an egg. A symbol of creation and resurrection, as well as a nod to the annual Easter egg hunts of years gone by, the egg represents a reclaimed sense of community and a hope that not only the architecture, but the independent spirit of this historic neighborhood will remain preserved.

-Clifton Harvey