Painted rocks bring ‘happiness’
Jenna Goble leads events at Calamity’s Coffee in Oak Ridge in which people can paint rocks to decorate the square. (photo:Ben Pounds )
The Facebook group “Oak Ridge Rocks!!” has been encouraging Oak Ridge residents to paint small pebbles and leave them throughout the city. Sometimes such rocks are visible near Oak Ridge Public Library. However recently a new group centered around the store Calamity’s Coffee in Historic Jackson Square have been painting rocks and putting them around the square.
Jenna Goble, who began the Jackson Square spinoff alongside Calamity’s owner Jordan Bair, had a specific idea in mind.
“We were looking for an outside the box way to support the shelter,” said Goble who said some of the rocks have QR codes that people can scan to find out information about Oak Ridge Animal Shelter.
However, the project broadened out into rocks promoting other non-profits such as the blanket-collecting Project Linus and rocks promoting nearby Jackson Square businesses. But other rocks are “for people to be able to pick up and enjoy and re-hide,” whatever they want to do.
She also said the coffeehouse’s rock painting events feel like a chance for people to try making art who aren’t comfortable in studios.
“It just feels like a place for everybody. We’re not putting any airs out there. We’re not saying only people with degrees can paint rocks,” she said. “Just a little bit of happiness in a kind of crazy world.”
