The Building Community

The Building Community (TBC) was founded by Beth Ann (Morrison) Falstad in 2018, as a continuation of her community-based art practice and sustainability research. Beth Ann lives in downtown Los Angeles, adjacent to the Skid Row community, where she has been concerned with the growing emergency of homelessness and the stark divide between those wit... h resources and their neighbors who are living on the streets. She started TBC to relieve the isolation and anxiety she experiences in everyday modern life, by connecting with her community and envisioning a brighter future together. Prior to founding TBC, Beth Ann organized two meetup groups that explored issues of community and sustainability, where she realized that a lot of people were left out of the conversation. We could create an intentional community in the city if we had the resources, but what about the people who could no longer afford to live there, or the legions who have been displaced since the arrival of Europeans? Would those experiencing homelessness be welcome and supported in our community? The Building Community offers respite from the fast pace of modern life, where we can learn each other's names, share our fears and desires, and heal from the pain of systemic and generational trauma. Through dialogue and collective design, we can answer the question: "if not this, than what do we want?" Together, we are learning the values, practices and theories of permaculture, earth building and traditional land management. We are exercising our imaginations, experimenting with form and re-thinking the way that we shape and navigate our shared spaces. We are advocating for sustainable policy changes and equitable forms of ownership. Please join us.Read More