In 2024 …

We — artist-facilitators Kristy Hartsgrove Mooers and Jennifer New — are hosting a dozen sessions of an interactive activity called 36 Questions for Civic Love in neighborhoods across Iowa City. Our intention is to spark conversations between people who live near each other but don’t know each other, and to make us more curious about the powers of neighborhoods as places of
connection and resources for creative change.

BACKGROUND
36 Questions is Inspired by a sociological experiment of questions intended to make people fall in love with each other. During the pandemic, the National Public Housing Museum in Chicago came up with a civic version as a way to encourage dialogue, decrease loneliness, and help people learn about their neighbors.

ABOUT

Here’s what you can expect if you attend a 36 Questions event:

• You will be paired with someone you don’t know well or at all and provided a list of questions.

• The questions range from what you cook at your house to whether you notice the police in the neighborhood often.

• We’ll all be sitting in close-ish proximity to each other in a shared public space, like a park, church, or community center.

• The event lasts two hours, and you should plan to be there the whole time.

• Can kids come? Yes, if they are old enough to participate and engage in a 90 minute conversation with a stranger! ;)

• At the end, each pair is invited to share a memorable conversation with our documentary team to help preserve and share the project in future forms.

SEEKING: Liaisons & Event Spaces
We’re seeking neighborhood liaisons who can help connect the project to their area through social media, word-of-mouth, personal emails, and hanging flyers. This is ~60 minutes of time commitment

We are also looking for free indoor and/or sheltered spaces (churches, community centers, garages, etc.) to host the event.