Hello, Folks! In December, we had our play performance of Richard Berman’s “Super Angel and the Divine Sidekicks Battle the Government”. Two Emerson College film students came to common art to film the process of the making of the play. Last Wednesday, we had the world premiere of the documentary! The documentary was wonderfully done. It was touching to see the community reflected back to itself in an art form in which few people get to see themselves represented. When different members would come on-screen, there would be hollers and cheers from the crowd. It was a great way to honor and celebrate common art and the creativity of the community. Adam, one of the filmmakers who came for the premiere, did a Q&A with the community after the screening, which further helped members connect with the film. Continue reading
Tag Archives: visual art
Quilting
We had a great Halloween here at common art and Boston Warm. We were fortunate that Halloween fell on Friday this year, which meant that we got to have a Halloween party of sorts during Boston Warm! We watched “Nightmare before Christmas”, played some board games, and ate some candy, cookies, and popcorn! Continue reading
Let the art speak.
I first visited my internship site on Ash Wednesday a year ago. I still remember how nervous I was that day and so quietly hid among the people. Reflecting on myself this year, I have learned a lot from our community, about such things as my leadership skills, the history of its diverse cultures, cultural competence, nonverbal communication skills, and different life-stage experiences. The joy of self-growing also includes knowing so many beautiful souls here. They have welcomed me to join, even if it has taken time.
Learn, unlearn, and relearn.
February is the national Black History Month in the United States. This is a way of remembering important people and events in the history of the African diaspora. I understand so many hurt souls have been mistreated for a long time. As it is never too late to have a space for discussion of social justice, this week in common art we started a group-based art project focused on it. Using a black marker to draw a line, each person connected to the line of the next person. After creating a group image of a line, we created art to express our intention toward a social issue we cared about. ( I want to thank my professor for bringing our class the idea of the structure for this exercise.)
The Value of Giving
This weekend (February 3-4) when record-breaking cold was coming to Boston and surrounding areas, the topic of weather kept popping into every conversation at Boston Warm, common art, and Cafe Emmanuel. I noticed people reminding each other to take care of themselves and to close the windows as best as they could. My instinct told me that the deepest part of myself wanted to do something as a part of the community before the cold came.
Being in Darkness
Image by Wanyi Huang
This week at common art, I randomly drew with colored markers a cactus growing under the stars. I shared my art with S., who asked me, “Have you seen the sky at night without lights and moonlight?” He described his experiences outside the city with only the starlight singing in the sky. His experience in the starlight shower was so vivid in his brain. When my image reminded him of this joyfulness and mental stillness, he felt gratitude. They finally see the bright stars in the sky when everything is dark. Indeed, Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.”
Group Play
Playing is an essential part of everyone’s life. Children learn and develop their skills from playing; they play almost all the time. As adults, we sometimes forget the simple joy we play with. In my culture, if an adult is still playing, it somehow means that person is not mature enough. However, after leading this week’s art project, I think we can still learn something from playing and enjoy our simple joy in the community.
Bringing Myself into the Community
It is the fifth week since I joined Emmanuel Church. Time passes so fast, especially this season! Bringing art projects to Common Art and Cafe Emmanuel groups, I focused on art in nature. When I noticed all the color changes on the street, the idea of creating art with nature just leaped to my mind . So I brought some origami plants to Common Art on Wednesday.
Farewell to Our Expressive Therapy Intern, Kate Solow
Snowflakes from Common Art
