This project idea came from the voices of culturally diverse weavers of the ongoing intercultural weaving group, Weaving Our Way at the Dunbar Community Centre. Searching for self-reflection and self discovery, VACS has created a social space to cultivate a peer-teaching practice for learning through each other. In order to develop more generative forces around us, we need to change from the inside out, creating more inclusive communities. Visual journaling will be part of the process and a gateway for people to become open with themselves and others. While visual journaling can be very private, creating and displaying the notebooks collectively allows participants to experience how an individual thing becomes greater in the shared experience. We hope to highlight the self-discovery, creativity, and social artistry that collaborative visual journaling can foster. The notebooks will preserve the community’s soul as intimately and rawly as possible; therefore, a necessary part of the creative and generative community.
Artists-in-Residence/
Nancy Low
CZarina Lobo
Period /
October 2020 - March 2021
FREE
Drop-ins Welcome
Open to all ages and abilities
This program is partially supported by the 2020 Community Cultural Arts grant from CoV.
A Big Theme for Our Collective Artist Notebook
What does it mean to develop or rebuild resilience now? Are you shaping your life as an artist in these times of confinement? What would it look like?
Materials to gather: paper of any type including cardboard, cereal boxes, printer paper, blank books, pens, colour pencil, colour pens, needle and thread. If you need help with supplies please contact us.
1.
Monday, October 5, 2020
4:00pm - 5:30pm PDT
2.
Monday, November 2, 2020
4:00pm - 5:30pm PDT
3.
Monday, December, 7, 2020
4:00pm - 5:30pm PDT
4.
Monday, January 4, 2021
4:00pm - 5:30pm PDT
5.
Monday, February 1, 2021
4:00pm -5:30pm PDT
6.
Monday, March 1, 2021
4:00pm - 5:30pm PDT
Resources
A letter to A Participant
The making of a new body of community-engaged art work involves far more than the act of making art. It is likely to include stages of preparation and research before any artwork is made and a process of harvesting and editing afterwards; but these are much deeper and more complex tasks than one might at first imagine.
A sense of rootedness or the concept of place attachment has been in my mind for long periods of time and especially surfaced in this troubling time. In my essay, I explore the question of how place comes into being. In my discussion, I draw from my own intuitions and experiences as a public health researcher and as a social artist. The essay situates these personal accounts within a framework of ecological thinking. Initially, I did not know how to approach the subject (i.e., place) beyond the fact that my usual mediums are reflection and writing. This period of research and experimentation is often seen as a fundamental process within the creative process, but it is difficult to define. It is a process that can contribute to the emergence of insight or knowledge in new or unexpected ways; that's how the idea of creating a collaborative artist notebook came about. Artist notebook is a great way to process raw information and experiment with ideas. In journaling any journey visually, we not only relate to elements of the outside world (the subject of the place we live, the materials, the prints and so on), but we also embark on a personal journey, which in turn will reflect some aspect of our inner world.
What can we do to develop a sense of rootedness going forward? What would our role – as a global citizen and a neighbour – mean, require, demand of us right now? What stories and memories will we pass on to our future generations?
All participants are invited to submit their work of art created during this project to be part of a collaborative artist notebook supported by the CoV 2020 Cultural Arts Grants Program. But most importantly, individuals and communities come together to discuss and explore a shared interest and desire to understand a community concern, while forming relationships.
Thank you for your participation.
Fondly,
Keiko Honda, Ph.D., MPH
Executive Director
September 19, 2020
Bringing Inner Worlds and Outer Worlds Together.
Vancouver Arts Colloquium Society
A Collaborative Artist Journal
Publication expected in Spring 2021
- ON VIEW -
Artwork Submitted by Artists
