Martha’s Vineyard Builders Association

Martha’s Vineyard Builders Association, with Anna Koppel as the initial Project Fellow, used a 2024 Vision Fellowship award to plan and implement ‘Spark’, an Island-wide, community event to reinvigorate interest in the trades. The goal was to encourage and empower Islanders to pass down skills, life lessons, and a sustainable future through a hands-on approach to learning. The Vineyard’s inaugural Spark event was held on Saturday, October 26th, 2024, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the MV Agricultural Society in West Tisbury. Attendees spent the day exploring modern and ancient trades, agriculture, and arts and crafts. The broad vision of the project is to shift the narrative about what it means to do meaningful work, to have a good job, and to build a life.