I imagine that we all can think of community arts projects in the cities or towns or we live in. You know, structures that create permanent beauty in your community, art images that highlight an issue or the memory of an activity that brought people together about a common goal through art.

For example, I remember a video I saw once where more and more musicians joined in playing a song while walking down a street. It was fleeting (except that it was put on video) and amazing and those who witnessed it or participated in it live were most likely in awe, I figured. I love that spontaneous or planned arts structures are popping up all over and bringing art to life and to our community.

When I think of creating community through the arts I am thinking it requires a few essential ingredients. There are ways  community communication or sense of belonging can be enhanced or even shaped by bringing the arts into the process…. to create what can be called community art.   Two of those ingredients are to intentionally build the group and to create the opportunity to experience and acknowledge the wonder and surprise of the “ah-ha”.

I’ll offer you a recent example. I was invited to do the “ice breaker” for the Health and Wellness conference offered once a year in the spring to the military and their families currently dealing with PTSD and who reside in the southern part of Alberta. I work for Veteran Affairs as an Occupational Therapist so it was a natural fit. This conference is a full weekend event, Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon.  The “ice-breaker”, the tradition of reducing tension and creating fun at the beginning of conferences is valued. But I would like to say I wanted to do so much more than just “break the ice”. I wanted it to be an opportunity for people to connect to what they needed, to who else was with them at the conference and to somehow feel a part of the little community that was forming that weekend.  I wanted to “kick-start” the conference with Community Art.  I hoped it would offer them an experience of connecting to their intention and to each other through the arts.

I love to sculpt with everyday materials. It is one of my passions.  When most people think of sculpting, clay is what comes to mind.  However, in this event we sculpted with boxes.  One effective  way to create community with large groups is to begin with the individual, join individuals into small groups through an activity, then create the full group connection somehow.

In this case, we were 14 tables of 6 to 8 people, a lot of us strangers to each other. We had just had dinner with our table companions. You know the drill!  I began by inviting each person to reflect individually upon the theme of  moving forward, utilizing, if they wished, a very structured writing exercise designed to get the imagination flowing. Then, each person selected just 2 words from their little writing exercise to contribute to the large group through a group out, and to their table, by writing these on labels. And then…. this is the fun part; each table was invited to choose one person to select a box that the table members would then shape and decorate using their words. They were building community by creating art at their table. The boxes were uniquely wonder-ful. The side effects were that they having fun and connecting while doing this. And, they were sharing words that represented their version or vision of moving forward, the conference theme. Then the next step was for each table to select one person whom they trusted to represent them and to bring their small table sculpture to a larger table.  These 14 people created a remarkable sculpture together representing moving forward through a ritual of adding their “sculpted box” to the other sculpted boxes. We sculpted together our intentions, worries and ideas for the weekend.

Surprisingly, we were developing community through art, embedding ideas, and building connections. A great way to begin a weekend of learning and discovery. It is such a privilege to learn more and more about the intentional use of the arts to create connections.