The Magic Skoolie
Donation protected
The Magic Skoolie is a project that brings together responsible building practices and the making of creative space. A "skoolie" is a converted school bus into a compact, transportable living space. Ultimately, it's my dream to complete the skoolie conversion and then travel around the United States to work and volunteer with nonprofits and on small, independent farms. I hope to set an example of living small and giving big by investing time and energy into people and organizations who are working to make a difference in their communities. I can also envision doing artist talks at community art centers or at schools, giving skoolie tours, and talking about sustainable living. I’ll be planning a 6 – 9 month skoolie tour in 2019— I’ll arrange a series of stops across the US at places where I can work, volunteer, and have a place to park the bus. In the meantime, I’ll be taking shorter trips in the bus to break her in!
The conversion project focuses on sustainability and eco-conscious living, as well as using what's around me-- from the repurposed materials, to building knowledge, to design skills, and the skoolie ideation. There's been a lot of figuring it out as I go, which is my favorite part. Some days I just look in the mirror and say, "Woah, I own a school bus," and it feels pretty great. First and foremost, I've learned that it truly takes a village to accomplish such a project. I'm super grateful for all the help I've received thus far, from the work day help to the grants the University of Michigan has awarded me, to the general support of so many of my family and friends! Thank you!
My intention is to carry forward the gifts provided to me to every community, organization and person I reach with The Magic Skoolie. As a thank you for your support through acts of giving and as a way to build a sense of The Magic Skoolie community, I've designed "The Magic Skoolie" stickers, t-shirts, and art prints as donation gifts. (See pics below for an idea of what they'll look like!) You can display your Magic Skoolie artwork with pride and a sense of community that we are in this together. With your help, The Magic Skoolie can reach people and communities around the United States who will learn about sustainable living, responsible design and building, and understand firsthand the power of community.
Additionally, for larger donations, I'm giving away overnight stays on the bus over the summer of 2018 so that you too can experience The Magic Skoolie, and see what your donation helped bring to fruition! The Magic Skoolie will be featured in a public exhibition at the Stamps Gallery in Ann Arbor, MI in April that all are welcome to attend. If you want to be an *official sponsor* of The Magic Skoolie, there's also the opportunity to have your name or logo put on the back of the bus in vinyl. Everyone who donates will get a thank you note and an official shout-out both on the blog, and at the exhibition in April.
The Magic Skoolie gets it's name from my resemblance to Ms. Frizzle paired with the school bus association. By the end of the conversion project, The Magic Skoolie will have a new paint job and no longer be yellow, but I think the name will stick. If you want to hear more about The Magic Skoolie in further detail, including what my budget looks like, check out the blog here . As I'm still in the conversion stage of the project, the money generated is going straight into the building of the bus. Everything from lumber, to recycled pieces of furniture from my local ReUse store, to a composting toilet, to solar panels. I've been touched by all of the support The Magic Skoolie has gotten through Facebook thus far, and I'm truly excited to see where The Magic Skoolie continues to take me (pun intended).
I appreciate any and all donations. I'll follow up with each donation regarding the donation gifts. If you're looking for additional ways to support, please share on Facebook and tell all of your friends! Or, let me know if you have any scrap material you think I could use, or other bus-related connections.
One last thing, I'm starting an email list for monthly bus updates. If you're interested in joining the list, contact me!
Here's an idea of what the donation gifts look like. The watermarks are just there so nobody steals my illustration!
Sticker, 8.5" x 2.75":
T-Shirt, dark purple ink on light heather gray tee:
Prints, in two sizes-- 6"x9" and 12"x18":
The conversion project focuses on sustainability and eco-conscious living, as well as using what's around me-- from the repurposed materials, to building knowledge, to design skills, and the skoolie ideation. There's been a lot of figuring it out as I go, which is my favorite part. Some days I just look in the mirror and say, "Woah, I own a school bus," and it feels pretty great. First and foremost, I've learned that it truly takes a village to accomplish such a project. I'm super grateful for all the help I've received thus far, from the work day help to the grants the University of Michigan has awarded me, to the general support of so many of my family and friends! Thank you!
My intention is to carry forward the gifts provided to me to every community, organization and person I reach with The Magic Skoolie. As a thank you for your support through acts of giving and as a way to build a sense of The Magic Skoolie community, I've designed "The Magic Skoolie" stickers, t-shirts, and art prints as donation gifts. (See pics below for an idea of what they'll look like!) You can display your Magic Skoolie artwork with pride and a sense of community that we are in this together. With your help, The Magic Skoolie can reach people and communities around the United States who will learn about sustainable living, responsible design and building, and understand firsthand the power of community.
Additionally, for larger donations, I'm giving away overnight stays on the bus over the summer of 2018 so that you too can experience The Magic Skoolie, and see what your donation helped bring to fruition! The Magic Skoolie will be featured in a public exhibition at the Stamps Gallery in Ann Arbor, MI in April that all are welcome to attend. If you want to be an *official sponsor* of The Magic Skoolie, there's also the opportunity to have your name or logo put on the back of the bus in vinyl. Everyone who donates will get a thank you note and an official shout-out both on the blog, and at the exhibition in April.
The Magic Skoolie gets it's name from my resemblance to Ms. Frizzle paired with the school bus association. By the end of the conversion project, The Magic Skoolie will have a new paint job and no longer be yellow, but I think the name will stick. If you want to hear more about The Magic Skoolie in further detail, including what my budget looks like, check out the blog here . As I'm still in the conversion stage of the project, the money generated is going straight into the building of the bus. Everything from lumber, to recycled pieces of furniture from my local ReUse store, to a composting toilet, to solar panels. I've been touched by all of the support The Magic Skoolie has gotten through Facebook thus far, and I'm truly excited to see where The Magic Skoolie continues to take me (pun intended).
I appreciate any and all donations. I'll follow up with each donation regarding the donation gifts. If you're looking for additional ways to support, please share on Facebook and tell all of your friends! Or, let me know if you have any scrap material you think I could use, or other bus-related connections.
One last thing, I'm starting an email list for monthly bus updates. If you're interested in joining the list, contact me!
Here's an idea of what the donation gifts look like. The watermarks are just there so nobody steals my illustration!
Sticker, 8.5" x 2.75":
T-Shirt, dark purple ink on light heather gray tee:
Prints, in two sizes-- 6"x9" and 12"x18":
Organizer
Tori Essex
Organizer
Ann Arbor, MI
