“When an artist feels and thinks about his art, his whole existence is in relationship with the work.” – Kandinsky
Art 4 Social Change (A4SC) is a collaborative community art education and advocacy project aimed to promote personal and community resilience. There are numerous A4SC efforts taking place in local communities, through social media, and in conferences and workshops. Participants have ranged in age from 5 to 77 years old and nearly all have continued to participate by sharing additional artwork, promoting new pieces, presenting at meetings and conferences, or helping to organize exhibits and unveilings. Because of how the project is structured, evaluation shows that A4SC promotes personal and community resilience – especially the canvasses!
Exqusite Relationships: Canvass & Writings
Started in 2013, Exquisite Relationships is an art advocacy effort that follows an old parlor game, the “exquisite corpse” from more than 100 years ago. The surreal game was played by several people, each of whom would write a phrase on a sheet of paper, fold the paper to conceal part of it, and what pass it on to the next player for his contribution. We have used this shared art approach in written and visual form, as a means to build better understanding regarding the nature and impact of trauma, where survivors find strength, and what facilitated healing. Exquisite Relationships highlights the very essence that healing happens in safe relationships.
Facebook Group: Art 4 Social Change