Between the holiday season, continued pandemic, and the violent transition of leadership in our country, things have felt quite busy these last few weeks at Common Cathedral and MANNA. These events have created an ebb and flow of tension with the community as folks struggle with continued changes and emotions. As we approached Inauguration Day, many expressed deep concerns about unrest and protests in Boston and the real physical danger of having no place to go when there is violence in the streets, when one lives outside and buildings are locked.
Musings from the Margins
Holidays during the Pandemic
As the holidays have begun to arrive, there has been a sense of excitement for the season coupled with the reality of the increasing severity of the pandemic. In my time at Common Art, I hadn’t yet seen the virus impact community members so directly. Now I have begun to see community members experiencing loss, and relatives of community members being hospitalized. It felt like the virus slowly crept closer and closer to home at Common Art. This has been tough to see as folks worry about their own safety and struggle with grief. As a result, I’ve spent a lot of time with community members hearing and reading stories about their loved ones. Without the ability to see relatives for the holidays, it’s been really lovely to hear about folks’ families or friends and honor those that can’t be with us in the space.
Ask and you shall receive!
One of my favorite things about Common Art is the way that the community members co-construct the space. Community members are involved in each step of the planning and execution of the programs if they choose. They aren’t just participants they are the what makes Common Art run each Wednesday. Continue reading
Difficulty Enforcing Guidelines
Last week after Common Art, I found myself remarking in a rather ironic statement to my supervisor, the Rev. Pam Werntz, that all the action at Common Art takes place on the stage. In the back of the room is a large stage that some folks opt to sit or lie down on. I’ve noticed over the last few weeks that this tends to be a hotspot for any commotion or behavior that may need some checking in with. This was the case this past week as some tensions arose near the stage a few times throughout the day.
Setting Boundaries
Isabelle Olsson
In addition to working with Common Art, as a part of my internship I am also spending some time at the Black Seed Writer’s Group offered as a part of MANNA at St. Paul’s Cathedral. This has been such a wonderful opportunity to continue to work with many of the same community members in a different space, through their writing I get to see a different side of their creativity that often compliments their artwork. This past week, as I left the Black Seed Writer’s Group I found myself a bit stuck on the concept of negotiating boundaries. I had a few small moments throughout the day that tested my boundaries as a new member of the community and had me reflecting on what boundaries should look like. In some ways, I felt like I had foundered in a few moments where I could have set firmer boundaries. Continue reading
Engaging with the Community
Isabelle Olsson
In the last few weeks, as crisp breezes have brought way to the bright colors of falling leaves there has been a lot of change in the air especially at Common Art. While group members have continued to adjust to the altered art materials and structure due to pandemic related protocol, Common Art has also been blessed with wonderful changes including new staffing and interns! Nevertheless, with all these changes afoot I have noticed a lot of anxiety amongst group members especially about the upcoming winter and presidential election. After all, change can be quite difficult and, as a group, they have experienced quite a lot of trauma. All of these changes left me feeling inspired when it came time to bring my first activity to the group. Finding my theme in the many changing leaves I began to see each morning I came up with the idea of doing leaf rubbings with group members using various leaves I collected and colored pencils. My hope was that in creating beautiful prints of the leaves we could all take a moment to enjoy the meditative process of rubbing the leaves and appreciate the beauty in this part of something that is a change…and of course to tap into some of the group’s noticeable fall festivity!
Welcome, Isabelle!
Isabelle Olsson
This year I join Emmanuel Church as an intern from Lesley University’s Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling with a specialization in Art Therapy. As a second-year student, I have been eager to begin working in the community connecting with others.
For as long as I can remember, art has held a safe space for me to express myself, finding comfort and exhilaration with each brushstroke or sketched line. As a grade-schooler, I found art to be the most compelling subject and quickly developed a long-lasting passion in an after-school painting class. After many years exploring artistic media, I still can vividly feel the joy of creating that first painting of a yellow dog in a snowy scene. Dragging the long brush across the canvas to create the texture of snow I felt the empowerment of seeing my own creations start to come alive.
Good Enough
When I left BostonWarm today, I had the familiar feeling of shame because I “didn’t do enough.” I feel this way a lot, leaving class, leaving work, leaving internship—I consistently feel like I didn’t do enough.
Awkward Conversations
Last week I’d thought I’d made a mistake. I admitted to it in the first draft of this musing, in class, to my supervisor. I was really trying to own up to my perceived wrongdoing and showcase my newfound fondness for “learning through mistakes.” The thing is, the more people I spoke to, the more I realized that maybe it wasn’t a mistake after all; maybe it was a difficult conversation that felt like a mistake to me because of the tension and awkwardness I felt inside.
Looking into Hesitancy
Last week I pitched my idea for a drama performance during common art’s community leadership meeting, and there was indeed some interest. The initial meeting group was relatively small, but we picked up more volunteers throughout the day. I’m confident that interest will grow with time. We discussed themes for the show and decided on “life on the streets,” to be interpreted however the writer or performer desires. This theme was suggested to me by my aforementioned advisor, who’d facilitated drama-therapy performances with those experiencing homelessness in New York. To be honest, I had voiced to him my hesitancy to propose this theme. He suggested that I might want to explore my hesitancy and that it would be worthwhile looking into the theme.
It’s not always easy to take a good look inside yourself and see where your resistance exactly lies. I found that I was reluctant to bring up the subject of “life on the streets” because I didn’t want to come across as pandering or patronizing. Especially considering the privileges that I’ve been afforded, I didn’t want to suggest a performance that might exploit the suffering of others. Having investigated my motives, I came to the conclusion that exploring the theme of “life on the streets” was worthwhile, and that it would be selfish for me to refrain from proposing this theme just because it made me uncomfortable. Life on the streets is full of challenges that I would never be able to predict. It would be a disservice to deny people the chance to represent the realities of their lives.
-Amanda Ludeking