Building with Mud Brick in Southeast Atlanta

ATLANTA, GA (July 16, 2006) - Festive Earthen Building Events (FEBE), a program of Youth Empowerment America, invites youth and adults to help construct a mud brick building at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 29 in southeast Atlanta. 

   The four hour event will combine community bonding, earthen building, dancing, music, and food, and will raise funds for national expansion of FEBE.

   “The music makes it fun, rather than work. People get into a rhythm while the clay gets mixed and passed and the bricks get formed and laid. It is amazing how fast it can go,” David Mitsak, founder of FEBE, said.

   Unfired earthen building is the oldest and most common building method in the world. Adobe, cob, rammed earth, wattle and daub, and other techniques exist in all corners of the earth and in all climates including Asia, Africa, Europe and throughout the Americas. The Great Wall of China, the ancient and legendary city of Timbuktu in Mali, the medieval shire of Devon in south-western England and the 1,000 year old Pueblos of Taos, New Mexico are well known examples of the durability and beauty of this technology. Festive Earthen Building Events creates a mixture of clay rich earth, water, sand, and fibrous waste material, such as straw, that is thoroughly mixed together in a dug out pit by groups of people stomping with their bare feet in a dance-like manner. The mixture is shaped into blobs that are laid wet and shaped in place or put into a form to make bricks that are laid once dry. 

   “Unfired earthen building is great for strengthening community because everyone can participate,” Mitsak said. He organized groups of school children over the past two summers to build a 20 foot diameter gazebo as a test project at the Georgia Citizens Coalition on Hunger in South East Atlanta. 

   “Children are masters of fun,” he added. “They are the inspiration behind the system of making the building process festive. The children have loved playing with earthen materials, getting muddy, and creating this large permanent structure.”

   Mitsak emphasizes this is an instructional and social event. Participants will learn and help revive the ancient technique of building with earth, experience the accomplishment of building by hand, and meet other experienced and novice builders. 

   “We are an organization with a mission to create models that can be used to make positive changes to our communities. We have found a way to revive this ancient science that has modern relevance and share it with others, as a means toward this mission. Extremely durable, beautiful structures can be made of unfired earthen mixtures by anyone-experienced or inexperienced. The material is inexpensive, plentiful, easy and fun to work with, and environmentally friendly,” Mitsak said. 

   The mud brick building will illustrate the main components of a structure: foundation, walls, door, windows, and roof, and serves as a basic model that can be replicated. Walls will be constructed of earthen brick on the day of the event. The roof, floor, and trim work will be added later.

   The event includes a discussion on the history and science of unfired earthen building and photographs of existing structures around the world. Participants will learn about the ingredients and how to mix them for their own projects. 

   “We want people to learn how easy and simple and strong earthen building is and how to organize their own festive building events. We want everyone to take it back to their own communities and make their own structures,” Mitsak, who recently returned from Mexico where he successfully organized a “Fiesta de Barro” or festive earthen building event, said.

   “After this event, you will have the basic skills to build almost anything and you will know how to make the building into a festival of community,” Mitsak added.

   Festive Earthen Building Events is a program of Youth Empowerment America, whose goal is to develop organizational models for communities to effect positive change. Youth Empowerment America is a non-profit organization with 501(c)3 status. Donations are tax deductible.

   Tickets are $20 for adults ($25 on the day) and $10 for children, ($15 on the day) and includes lunch. Tickets can be purchased at the event or online at www.yeamerica.org . Contact us at 404 312 6169 or at ratsack@yeamerica.org for ticket information. There are several volunteer positions available for those wishing to gain a deeper understanding of festive earthen building. Those interested should contact David Mitsak immediately at 404 312 6169 or ratsack@yeamerica.org.

   The event will be held on a house lot at 93 Martin Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30315, rain or shine, Because water is a necessary ingredient, rain does not affect the building event. Many communities wait for rain to hold building events. Lunch will be served in a covered area. 

   Participants will meet at the Georgia Citizens Coalition on Hunger at 9 Gammon Avenue, SE, Atlanta, GA 30315. The Coalition is behind Carver High School.

Parking is available at Carver High School, 55 McDonough Blvd. Atlanta, GA 30315

Directions: 
Car: Take 75/85 to University Avenue/Exit 244 (one exit south of Turner Field). Go east on University Ave approximately one half mile. Turn right on McDonough Blvd. Carver High School is on the right at one tenth of a mile. Park at the back of the school near the Georgia Citizens Coalition on Hunger, a red brick building.

Train: Take bus number 55 or 17 from 5 Points Marta Station to the stop for Carver High School. Walk behind Carver High School to the Georgia Citizens Coalition on Hunger, a red brick building.