The Ripple Effects of Collective Artmaking: Rehearsing More Caring Futures

“If every day I wake up and rehearse the kind of person I want to be, this is who I become. So in the everyday acts and work toward freedom, we are building more liberatory worlds all the time” (Simpson 2022).

What would a more caring community look like? How do we create that, together? And what role can collective armaking play? These were questions central to Art in a Just Recovery. 

Throughout the 8 week mural workshops, we explored these questions as we made art, shared our experiences of care - and uncare - during the pandemic, and imagined a more caring future. But we didn’t just imagine a more caring future. In many ways, we also practiced one. Together participants, Art Buddies, and the organizing team worked to co-create a space where we shared our needs, worked collaboratively to meet needs as they emerged, and cared with one another. 

The idea of practicing care through collective art making isn’t a new one. Melanie Schambach, Lead Artist of Art in a Just Recovery, described collective artmaking as “practice time,” when she explained:

We go to these containers [of collective artmaking] where we can learn about care, learn about “how do I care for myself?” Learn “how do I care for the other person?” Learn “how do I care about the whole group?” And that's practice. And then, once I go […] outside of the container situations, now I have all these tools on self-regulation, on listening, on asking somebody, “can I put my hand on your shoulder?” It's showing up to care for everybody else and so that's what I'm calling the art.”

Reflecting on Art in a Just Recovery, many of those involved saw the project as such a space, where they were able to be with each other in a more caring way and “rehearse for a future like that” (Nasra H., Organizer & Participant). Some saw the workshops as a space where they could think about social issues differently and gain a deeper understanding through conversations with those who have lived experiences different from their own. An Art Buddy described this, saying:

“To have certain topics broken down and to have everyone’s different opinions on it […] There was a lot of space for conversation about things I had been thinking about but you can only think about it from your perspective, you can talk to people about it, and you can do research… but to have a space where you have access to that many people to talk about it with and to brainstorm and troubleshoot... I think that was also really awesome. […] I think what this project did was give a really accessible working group to brainstorm through a lot of things that had been on my mind.”

raia (Rebecca Fernandes), a participant of AIJR, described what creating such a space looked like in practice, explaining the importance of “[asking] what does community care mean to you? And just asking that over and over again in different ways and hearing those responses from [others].” 

For others, the mural itself represented an alternative future, a future where communities work together and choose to believe that things “can be better,” creating a space for us to imagine things otherwise. Maeve H., a member of the organizing team, reflected on this, sharing:

“I think mostly what I see [when I look at the mural] is that it can be different. Our now and our future can look different than we are told it's going to be and that we can make decisions and actions that make changes. And that if we do that all together, then it will make that many more changes. I think it's being hopeful rather than pessimistic and doing that together. When I say hopeful I don't mean ignoring all of the shit, but I just mean it's just choosing to look at the magic that can happen within community and choosing to believe in something better than what we think is next, you know?” 

Art can also act as this embodiment or this expression of ideas and possible change. [...] For the mural to exist in a space like the Guelph Farmers Market that's so used by Guelph’s community is so cool too, because then you think about people who don't necessarily know about the project and see it and maybe just feel something, even if they don't know what the intention is and then they look into it. Just thinking about all of those ripples that the project can have I think is really cool.  

The idea of ‘ripple effects,’ was noted by other participants too. Not only did many participants feel Art in a Just Recovery provided them with a space to practice how to be in a caring community, the project also had ripple effects that would extend into their future. Pepper R., a participant of AIJR and independent artist, shared how they felt emboldened by their experience with the mural project to advocate for their needs in future community initiatives. They explained:

“The big thing I gained from working with Art in a Just Recovery, because it’s the biggest systematic project I’ve worked with, is that you can ask for things you need and it’s not terrible. At the start of the project I thought I was going to be obstinate about [asking for masking]. I thought I was going to be received as difficult because the masking thing is really important to me and I’m not quiet about that. So, the first couple of times I thought we were going to have a problem and we never really did. I really appreciated that. [...] I’ve come to expect that. That’s become a bit of a baseline for me in terms of people who are organizing events and stuff. [For example, me and a couple other people pushed for masking and clear information about masking during Guelph's pride month] [...] Art Not Shame created a safe space for me to get more comfortable about being vocal about that. It was probably my first experience, like being the person to ask for these sorts of things.”

Tracey H., another AIJR participant, explained how the workshops created a safe space for her to open up, as she learned how to centre care together with other participants and reflected on how this was continuing to blossom in her life:

“It’s almost like it got right to some of our really vulnerable parts, talking about the hard stuff that we’ve gone through. There was this safe space, brave space, to open up in and that’s really special. That doesn’t happen in a lot of spaces and it speaks to the amount of care that was centered, that the project helped us centre. And it’s continuing to blossom in my life even after this event is over.”

These experiences reflect a core belief we have at Art Not Shame in the power of collective artmaking to “actualize the worlds we want” - worlds with more care, justice, and belonging. As Michelle Peek, Art Not Shame’s Executive Director, reflected: 

“When we're creating a workshop or a project we're not just dreaming into the worlds we want to create, but we're actualizing them in these mini forms. Of course that exists in a bit of a bubble, but it also doesn’t. It is also an expression of what's possible when you center care and community and expression. Something I always carry with me is the extreme privilege and joy of being able to do this mini world-making, that I hope has this ripple effect outside of those spaces and shows us all what's possible.”

The ripple effects that the Art in a Just Recovery will have in the community of Guelph will continue to expand outward: as we share our art and stories, feel inspired to take part in other community initiatives and art projects, build on the relationships we made, share what we have learned about community care and collective artmaking, and rehearse the caring futures we strive towards.