New Beginnings
Art Project 1400:
Community Resilience (Thrivability) Building Through Art
Since the propagation of Covid-19, the world has faced an unprecedented human disaster. Millions have lost their Millions have lost their loved ones, millions have lost their jobs -the list of losses is sadly very long. In the face of the havoc which has wrecked the global community, we are realizing more and more that the world is experiencing a collective trauma. “It is fair to say that Covid-19 has been a global collective trauma.” He writes about the way Covid -19 has caused traumas that affect individual mental health, threaten community infrastructure, and social support…[2]” Dr.Jamie D. Aten argues.
In order to deal with such adverse situation, many are trying to find solutions to build community resilience.
A simple definition of resilience by Merriam-Webster defines it as the capacity to recover quickly from stress. It’s the notion of springing back into shape after being knocked down. To deal with the current crisis, we need strategies that enable us to withstand all shocks and stresses – for both individuals and societies-at-large. Recently, the French Ministry of Interior French and Ministry of Sustainable Development; defined resilience as“… a process linking a network of adaptive capacities (resources with dynamic attributes) to adapt after’ a major hardship. The report they produced empathizes that our communities have to draw on their individual, collective and institutional resources and competence to cope with, adapt to, and develop ways that enable us to face challenges and changes encountered during and after a disaster (Daly, 2009.)[1]
There are various efforts by governmental, non-governmental, national and international organizations focusing on community resilience building. One of the effective ways that community resilience can be enhanced is through the arts and artistic expression (Dr.Cathy Malchiodi.) [3] Last February (2021), Salzburg Global Seminar – The Art of Resilience: Creativity, Courage, and Renewal[4] brought together practitioners and thinkers “to explore the dynamic relationship between the arts, culture, and resilience.” At this conference people from different background such as artists and cultural leaders, as well as creative entrepreneurs, policymakers, environmentalists, urban planners, educators, anthropologists, sociologists, media experts, philanthropists, and community leaders have come to conclude that using the arts is an influential way to tackle issues such as urban upheaval and social injustice, loss of cultural heritage, and other community traumas[5].
As we see, in the face of a disaster of the magnitude the world is experiencing, resilience building can empower our community. And maybe we can actually use our communal vulnerability to go beyond resilience building and move towards thrivability- this takes us to the very core of why the Art Project 1400 was conceived.
Various projects have inspired the idea of Art Project 1400 in different parts of the world. For instance, a paper published in 2013 in Toronto, hosted by the Breuninger Foundation, Musagetes, and the J. W. McConnell Family Foundation[6] argued that the arts “permeates and shapes our cultures and constitutes a responsive and generate the field that enlivens individuals, neighborhoods, communities, institutions, and societies. Resilient cities adapt rapidly and creatively to constantly changing conditions. The world’s most dynamic cities must become more resilient and liveable.” The report indicates that this can be extended to address growing disparities between the rich and the poor, environmental challenges, migration, sectarian conflict, and economic upheaval.
There are also practical examples such as the one operationalized in the UK along the line of “arts for resilience.” l A study based on this project found that the art-based community resilience project was successful in its goal, and even short-term visual arts interventions had ” a significant impact.” on their target group[7].
Another example from the US is in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and other areas where natural disasters had occurred, which shows that a long-term effort to energize community resilience benefits from “creative placemaking” -a place where cultural and creative activities can be supported. The project called Enterprise Community Partners has found that arts, culture, and creative expression contribute to communities’ ability to withstand collective hardships[8]. The National Endowment for the Arts[10] has supported similar projects. The idea has been popular in Canada as well. [9].
Art Project 1400 seeks to use lessons from various community resilience art-based initiatives to enhance its mission beyond its initial phase. While the basis of this project is more geared towards improving and empowering the community, it may well be that in later stages of the project, we could include competitive events will be added.
For its first phase, there was no special target group other than a call for submission to women as part of celebration of the International Women’s Day- for many feminists, the well-being of the community is a top priority. During its next phases, the project will explore other ways of community thrivability. Stayed tuned for our next event.
[1] https://www.coe.int/t/dg4/majorhazards/ressources/virtuallibrary/materials/France/Etat%20de%20l’art%20F.pdf
[2] https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/arts-and-health/201203/trauma-informed-expressive-arts-therapy
[3] https://www.cathymalchiodi.com/resources/expressive-art-therapy-articles-links/
[4] The Salzburg Global program The Art of Resilience: Creativity, Courage, and Renewal is part of the multi-year Culture, Arts, and Society series. The Edward T. Cone Foundation is supporting the session. More information on the session can be found here. You can follow all the discussions on Twitter by following the hashtag #SGSculture.
[5] https://www.salzburgglobal.org/news/latest-news/article/why-is-art-important-for-resilience
[6] https://mcconnellfoundation.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/the_art_of_resilience_the_resilience_of_art.pdf
[7] https://ahrc.ukri.org/documents/project-reports-and-reviews/connected-communities/building-resilience-through-collaborative-community-arts-practice/
[8] https://www.frbsf.org/community-development/publications/community-development-investment-review/2019/november/culture-and-creativity-are-fundamental-to-resilient-communities/
[9] https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/sports-culture/arts-culture/arts-and-culture-initiatives/community-resilience
[10] https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/nea-readiness-and-resilience-convening-report.pdf