Justin Lucci has experienced a lot of change in the past three years.
He’s a chalk artist now, but that wasn’t always the case. Lucci spent more than two decades in the retail corporate world.
Deciding he needed a change, Lucci went by himself to the roundabout at Central Avenue and 11th Street to chalk and spread messages of love and joy.
But he hasn’t been alone since that first weekend. For more than 130 weeks, more artists have joined Lucci in the downtown location to add their own messages of love through chalk.
“I have a community of people that come together to express and create in this way,” he said. “Each time I go…it’s still an opportunity to remind myself as to why I started it.”
“I get to witness and experience other things that people in our community are going through. And so it’s been really supportive to have others that are sharing experiences,” Lucci added. “We’re all going through things. So it’s really created a communal space.”
The success and popularity of the weekly meet-ups to chalk led Lucci to create the non-profit The Global Love Project.
“What I’ve learned is that you can’t really control anything on the outside of you, but you can control how you move through it. The situations that unfold are not always within our control, but how we move through it, there is an opportunity to connect in the peace,” he said. “And this is where I think it’s an individual journey and each one of us, are a part of the collective, so peace it starts with us and it’s individual to us.”
And now, the project is bringing artists and other organizations together to celebrate the International Day of Peace on Sept. 21.
Lucci said there is a deep connection between creativity and sustainability, which is why all participating groups must align with one of the 17 sustainable goals, set by the United Nations.
- No poverty
- Zero hunger
- Good health and well-being
- Quality education
- Gender equality
- Clean water and sanitation
- Affordable and clean energy
- Decent work and economic growth
- Industry, innovation, and infrastructure
- Reduced inequalities
- Sustainable cities and communities
- Responsible consumption and production
- Climate action
- Life below water
- Life on land
- Peace, justice, and strong institutions
- Partnerships for the goals
Lucci said No. 17, Partnership for the goals, is what The Global Love Project is trying to embody.
“I’ve met so many beautiful people in our community who are working on one or more of these goals. I really want to bring awareness to the fact that it’s happening. We have all 17, and if we use this framework, we can really show how much we are doing,” he said.
“I think that we all want to feel like we’re winning and sometimes it doesn’t always feel that way. So bringing those together who are doing things that are making actionable, measurable change, we can show it,” Lucci added.
Businesses and organizations can get involved by filling out a form on the project’s website and identifying which of the 17 sustainable goals it aligns with.
Along with people who have a “strong presence in the arts community,” Lucci said some local leaders have also joined the cause.
The main event on Sept. 21, which includes a peace walk and a community-wide chalking event, will be held at North Straub Park, 400 Bayshore Dr. NE, from 5 to 8 p.m.
There are also activities planned leading up to the Day of Peace.
But Lucci said people can celebrate the holiday in other ways as well.
“It could be as simple as taking an intentional walk and saying, I’m going to go out and just have a moment of peace with myself. Or you could go to something deeper and go to a beach clean up or hand out food in that day as a way to just take a minute, an intentional moment, and say, this is what we’re doing on this day,” he said.
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