This week at Boston Warm was slower. Everyone seemed a little tired and unmotivated, which made it difficult to get them to feel engaged. On Monday, however, at the Suffolk House of Corrections program on art and spirituality, I had some positive interactions that gave me a glimpse of the small ways I could be a positive presence at my sites. Continue reading
Musings from the Margins
The Healing Power of Art
We welcome Marielle Carpentier, our art-therapy intern from Leslie University, who will post about her experiences with common art in the coming year. She writes about her first day here, September 29.
This week I had the great opportunity to lead a table at common art in doing collage. One major attraction of the day was painting pumpkins, which was also a great success. I was worried that the excitement of the pumpkins would mean that I wouldn’t be working with many people, but was happily surprised by how many people joined me. A big part of the success was thanks to artist-in-residence, Allie, for sourcing great magazines and stamps. Often with collage, interest and success can come down to what kind of images are available. I found a big reason the collage table was successful was because people could find images that they could relate to or that inspired them. Once these images are found, the excitement to create something with them begins. I found it interesting to see what inspired each person who came to my table. Some were excited by the detailed stamps, some the images of nature, and some the words in the newspapers. Even with the exciting (and very successful) pumpkin painting, I was so happy to have many people interested in engaging in collage.
Saying Goodbye
Saying goodbye is never easy to do, yet it is something that I have been preparing for over the course of the semester as I knew my time at common art would be ending. It was time to begin bringing closure in these meaningful connections that have blossomed over the last nine months. It feels as though I have been coming to common art both for years and for only days. There has been a comforting familiarity walking in and being greeted at common art by community members eager to get started. On the other hand, each week has been full of surprises as I consistently learned new things.
Painted with Love
Over the last few weeks my time at common art has began to wrap up as I prepare for the end of my internship. It feels like the past month has gone by so fast and has been filled with countless learning opportunities.
A Narrative Journey
Closing out this second part of my last post, I shall discuss here the events of Holy Week. Following the Holy Week play “The Death of Jesus Christ” there was still one big event I had to prepare for, a Stations of the Cross art exhibit at MANNA (Many Angels Needed Now and Always). This was planned as a walk-through exhibit to be held in the Sanctuary at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul on Good Friday.
Building a City in One Day
The last few weeks have been full of activity leading up to Holy Week at common cathedral and MANNA. Holy Week held many opportunities for the community to engage in creative activities, so there was a lot for me to learn. I spent the majority of my time in the last two weeks working with community members on two special projects, one of which I will discuss in this blog post. The second will be detailed in my next blog post.
For the first project, I led community members at common art in painting a large backdrop for a community member’s Easter play, which he wrote at MANNA and enacted with help from Amanda Ludeking. This was such a lovely opportunity to collaborate across the programs and to bring art and drama therapy together for the community. 
Since it was my first time painting pieces for a set, for the sake of time and in order to include more painters, I sketched out the setting of Jerusalem on large white paper ahead of time. Then community members worked together to paint the scene with newly-returned acrylic paints. I worked with the playwright and community members to pick colors for each section of the painting.
Since it was my first time painting pieces for a set, for the sake of time and in order to include more painters, I sketched out the setting of Jerusalem on large white paper ahead of time. Then community members worked together to paint the scene with newly-returned acrylic paints. I worked with the playwright and community members to pick colors for each section of the painting.Big Impact of Small Pieces
Over the last few weeks at common art we have been thoughtfully preparing as we began to increase the number of participants and the art materials we can utilize in the parish hall. This has brought much excitement and joy to the place as we are ready to bring back the beloved acrylic paints!
Spring forward!
Over the last few weeks, the changes in the weather as we usher in spring have felt in line with exciting changes at common art. While there have been some difficult transitions, many of these changes have been welcomed as we continue to evolve common art with current Covid-19 guidance. Community leaders have begun discussing ways that we can safely begin to reintroduce some of the art materials like the beloved acrylic paints or beads into the rotation. Additionally, we are once again evaluating the number of community members allowed in groups at a time and the safe distance between our seating arrangements. It’s been quite exciting to imagine the possibilities and see the collaborative process unfold between common art staff, community leaders, and interns to find creative solutions to keep evolving the programming. Additionally, more community members continue to receive their first and second doses of the vaccine.
Continuing On
Two weeks ago, for the first time, I helped to lead the morning meeting at common art. This was a really exciting opportunity to put my skills to the test and learn more about myself as a facilitator. With the Reverend Mary on vacation, artist-in-residence Allie and I came up with a plan for the morning meeting to address the month’s theme of self-control.
Vaccinations & Anniversaries
Over the past few weeks, I have found myself settling into new routines after the holidays and beginning of the New Year. Yet as we move into February, it has occurred to me that we are at the one-year mark of the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how feelings about this anniversary will arise within community members and will show up in their art and their behavior.