Mud Builders of Atlanta

About me:

Christina Ott (850) 982-2597 cell 615) 563-9117 home cobdance@hotmail.com www.BareFootBuilder.com Aviva (770)-216-0561 Christina Ott is a natural builder and educator who has been sharing the fun of playing in the mud and teaching earthen building all over the US since 2004. Christina has taught numerous workshops on all aspects of natural building and built several small earthen homes. Her company, Barefoot Builder, is based in Middle Tennessee and is one of the few offering natural building services in our part of the world. Christina completed the apprenticeship program at the North American School of Natural Building in Oregon, where she worked with and learned from Cob Cottage Co. founders Ianto Evans and Linda Smiley. She started Barefoot Builder in 2004 and has been teaching, playing and building with mud ever since! Aviva began studying with Christina Ott (while being her chef) a few years ago after being introduced to cobbing by Ratsack, and Hemp building a couple of years before that at a raw foods festival!(and just found a video on it (below). So she's been studying these natural building techniques for over 5 years. She led the creation of "Ox" at Oakhurst Community Garden, completed last spring 08, and just completed designing and leading the earthen building aspect of a roots project led by Tom Bluewolf at the Autrey Mill Nature Preserve and Heritage Center. She has recently begun to co-teach workshops with Christina around Atlanta, Tennessee, and Kentucky! Here is what some folks are saying about their and their children's day in the mud: “This was a very good introductory project for my 9 year old son. He was not ready to leave at 3:00, so we stayed until about 5:00. It has been quite some time since I have gotten so dirty and I did not mind one bit! We are looking into going back to the Oakhurst Community Garden to continue helping with his project. Very good project!” –Leslie Humphrey “This was a great event. It was well organized, hands-on and perfect for a family.” –Myesha Jenkins “My son and I had a wonderful time making the mud playhouse. We had a chance to meet some new and interesting people while working on the house. This was a great project.” –Yolanda Silveri “All four loved it and are planning to return to this project.” –Erica Werner The Cobbing Revolution has begun. It's been around for a decade or so. And now the revolution is being urbanized it Atlanta. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Ratsack has been the main pioneer of the mud building in Atlanta. His main projects are currently at the Hunger Coalition and its surrounding neighborhoods. His events company: Festive Earthen Building Events, is primarily focused on building cob structures in a small amount of time with a huge amount of people as a festivity. Ancient cultures would celebrate a marriage with the whole community building a mudhouse for them(and actually its not like people aren't doing that right now! 3/4 of the world still live in Earthen homes) That sounds a lot more fun than seeing Aunt Liza get drunk and hang out in the bathroom all night! Festive Earthen Building Events is also merging with the City to create cob benches in city parks!!! You Are You by Aviva
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Add to My Profile | More Videos ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ We are convinced that Earthen Building is the solution to so many social-political burdens upon our natural world. As an artist and human it seems insane that one would have to pay rent to survive, and that it costs an arm and a leg to own. Earthen homes are extremely affordable, AND energy efficient. And they don't have to be that big to function constructively. *********************************************************** THE EARTHEN PLAYHOUSE PROJECT . . .which created "Ox", was an undertaking of Oakhurst Community Garden (www.Oakhurstgarden.org) to not only educate the neighborhood about alternative building methods, but to provide another learning space, and special place for the neighborhood children. And as the nature of cobbing is to build together, and any age can help, it is the perfect recipe for strengthening community. War tends to bring people together; bonding them through tragedy. Perhaps this is why we've allowed war to exist. Creative projects of thoughtfulness and purpose also create this bond. It is going to be exciting to see what new connections are made in the Oakhurst Community neighborhood through the Earthen Playhouse Project. Some of the project's main supporters have been Smith's Ace Hardware, Sevenanda, Publix, Become Dance, The Decatur Beer Festival Grant, Crystal Blue, Quikrete, and the fabulous Jimmy Duruz. PRESS: Check out the April 2008 NLJ article on Ox!!! http://www.newlifejournal.com/cms/content/view/627/134/