Community Members and the Benefits of an Art Program 1

Reading Review

Community Members and the Benefits of an Art Program

Cody Thomas

ART 6933: Art Ed Beyond School Walls

Community Members and the Benefits of an Art Program 2

Abstract

Everyone wants to feel accepted, understood, and prideful. Being part of an engaging community

gives us a sense of belonging. It allows us to share our thoughts, interests, and to be surrounded

by perpetual grown of one another. We all come from different backgrounds, have endured

different life struggles and paths. One way to communicate is though art. It is a visual language

that we all can ‘speak’ our experiences through different styles and mediums. With community

art programs, we are able to build friendships, understand others, and provide a safe space with

those in the community.

Keywords: art; art education; community; community art programs

Word Count: 1,631

Community Members and the Benefits of an Art Program 3

Community Members and the Benefits of an Art Program

Main Idea

Merriam-Wester defines ‘community’ as “A unified body of individuals: such as a group

of people with common characterizes or interest living together within a larger society (Merriam-

Webster, n.d.).” It is the people that make the community. Through these communities,

individuals partake in art programs that spark new permanent or temporary relationships,

communication, understanding, acceptance, and healing. It is these characteristics that make a

community within society. Through arts engagement within a community, “A sense of belonging

is a basic need that leads people towards relationship building (Whiteland, 2019, p. 30).” Art

community programs can consist of after-school programs, art therapy programs, day camps, and

museums; they can be inside homeless shelters, prisons/detention centers, and other

organizations. Communal art programs can let migrants, at-risk teens, LGBTQ+, and veterans

with PTSD, feel as if they are finally a part of a community.

Art Programs for Migrant Women

A museum-based art program, starting Spring of 2014, for immigrant and refugee women

at the GreenHill Center for North Carolina Art welcomes women to engage in art, and

exploration through visual communication and safe space (Barrett, Anttila, Webster, &

Haseman, 2017). Webster & Haseman (2017) writes, “They (museums and art centers)

community through activities that honor cultural traditions, nurture self-esteem, and instill a

sense of agency (Barrett, Anttila, Webster, & Haseman, 2017, p.4).” Despite the LAT members

coming from different parts of the world, one way to communicate was through art visually.

Another was through English, a new language to them all. This allowed them to be members of

their new community in America (Barrett, Anttila, Webster, & Haseman, 2017). Weeks into the
Community Members and the Benefits of an Art Program 4

program with the women, one thing was apparent in all cultures: food. One project was for the

women to draw some of their favorite foods from their recipes. A cookbook was a collaborative

project that helped bond these women together and created new relationships with community

members.

Hand-painted and printed paper drawings of food as well as collages were included in the

book. Stories were written by each member about cooking with their families. The project grew

into printing the books along with culture cards that listed the recipe, their artwork, and their

stories. The cookbooks found their way in the museum gift shop and a local bookstore. The

museum held an exhibition that not only had their artwork and cookbook but also prepared each

of their dishes to share with the community (Barrett, Anttila, Webster, & Haseman, 2017).

While participating in this art community, the women engaged in everyday encounters.

They had a new routine. They could communicate to one another about more resources for one

another within the community they all shared. “Participants in activities that felt familiar acted as

a scaffold between their lives prior to displacement and their new lives (Barrett, Anttila,

Webster, & Haseman, 2017, p. 13).” They were caregivers to their families: cooked, cleaned, and

cared for the children. From their time participating in the art program, they added another

title: artist.

Murals in Juvie

The youth is the demographic the community says are the leaders of tomorrow. Art

programs are imperative to the younger generation, especially at-risk individuals. “Art can help

young people make sense of their experiences and be an effective form of communication (Heise

& Macgillivray, 2011, p. 324).” Through art programs, these ‘prisoners’ can channel their anger

in healthier ways as opposed to being disruptive and violent. (Venable, 2005).

Community Members and the Benefits of an Art Program 5

A study that consisted of 94 prisons, counting 22 “young offenders institutions (Venable,

2005, p. 50)”, concluded that participants thoroughly enjoyed the art program, had a increase of

self-respect, and built confidence (Venable, 2005). Through a successful art program in juvie,

inmates begin to understand their world and place in it. It also allows them to reconnect with

humanity (Venable, 2005). In a Vigo County Juvenile Detention Center, art education students

collaborated with the teenagers to paint a piece of artwork inside the facility. A mural was

brought to the table, and the work was started. “Murals have often been used in settings where

the benefits of collaborations with at-risk youth are particularly important (Venable, 2005, p.

51).”

As the completion of the outer space mural came to an end, the student art educators were

able to understand the juveniles on a deeper level as the majority of them had learning

disabilities, reading comprehension issues, and never having affection or praise given to them.

The inmates were able to participate on a healthy bond with adults in a healthy manner and learn

color theory, drawing techniques, as well as being able to make their own choices in constructing

the mural since they are constantly being controlled every minute of every day that they are

inside the detention center (Venable, 2005).

Doing God’s Work – Big Gay Church

Community art groups can better the lives of many individuals and their mental health,

specifically, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) community.

These community groups can also use art to catalyze social just in many ways. Unlike traditional

art such as painting, sculpture, and drawing, Big Gay Church focuses its art community on the

pedagogy of performance, known as drag, which is “used as a tool of resistance and autonomy, a

medium for collective action of critical citizens, a means of blending the personal, political, and
Community Members and the Benefits of an Art Program 6

pedagogical to achieve increased equity (Rhoades, Davenport, Wolfgang, Cosier, & Sanders,

2013, p. 356).” The church itself can also be used as an art community. Members are encouraged

to play guitars and other musical instruments with preaching. The congregation is encouraged to

share their experiences, tell their stories, and request for prayers, and words of wisdom to other

LGBTQ+ members (Rhoades, Davenport, Wolfgang, Cosier, & Sanders, 2013).

With Big Gay Church, inclusion and progressiveness for the community is still needed to

be worked on. Bullying from students, faculty, and staff inside school walls is still apparent.

“LGBTQ youth are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers (Trevor

Project, 2021).” While attending school, members of this community are non-existent and

marginalized in the curriculum. It is with the Big Gay Church that safe space was made for the

LGBTQ+ community. Artistic self-expression through the art of performance and drag in the

community brings safe space, acceptance, and pride.

Art Combats PTSD

Art expression in trauma victims of army veterans with post-traumatic stress

disorder (PTSD) began in the late 1970s (Spiegel, Malchiodi, Backos & Collie, 2006). PTSD is

an “anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or series of events

(Spiegel, Malchiodi, Backos & Collie, 2006, p. 157).” Statistics state that 30% of people in war

zones develop PTSD (Spiegel, Malchiodi, Backos & Collie, 2006). With little attention to art

therapy as a possible treatment for PTSD, art therapy results in significant changes in the

veteran's psychological and neurological mechanisms (Spiegel, Malchiodi, Backos & Collie,

2006).

Using art as a form for therapy by suggestions consist of group behavioral treatments;

with other survivors of PTSD and war, a shared traumatic material is imperative to form a
Community Members and the Benefits of an Art Program 7

relationship built on trust once again (Spiegel, Malchiodi, Backos & Collie, 2006). As art groups

formed at centers for veterans with PTSD, studies showed that visual expression could

communicate their trauma artistically rather than evoking PTSD episodes by talking about their

experiences. In a study, “art therapy was the only component among 15 standard SIPU

components, such as group therapy, anger management, community service, and journaling, that

produces the greatest results for verts with the most severe PTSD (Spiegel, Malchiodi, Backos &

Collie, 2006 p. 159).”

By engaging in an arts program for PTSD military victims, activities consist of collage,

quilting, and drawing. To express emotion, chalk and pencil is recommended due to it’s

resistance. These can be used forcefully. To express deep feelings and emotions, more fluid

materials such as watercolors, and paints are recommended (Spiegel, Malchiodi, Backos &

Collie, 2006). “Art therapy shows promise as a treatment for combat-related PTSD that can

reduce immediate symptoms, can help overcome avoidance and emotional numbing, and can

facilitate the organization and integration of traumatic memories in ways that may not be

possible with words alone (Spiegel, Malchiodi, Backos & Collie, 2006, p. 161).” A picture is

worth a thousand words. They tell a story. There is more than one meaning to a piece of work.

By allowing a veteran with PTSD to engage with an art group, relationships can be built.

Understandings can be made.

Conclusion

The four articles I read this week to discuss in the reading review evoked many feelings

and inspirations for me as a researcher and educator. I felt inspired and motivated to continue to

desire to open my pottery workshop. After reading this week’s articles, my outlook is to focus on

those stigmatic groups (as initially planned) like wounded warriors, veterans with PTSD, the
Community Members and the Benefits of an Art Program 8

LGBTQ+ community, at-risk youth/teens, and individuals with developmental disabilities. Still,

I would broaden the studio space to other mediums and articles to collaborate with these

individuals.

I also felt shocked by some of the things I have discovered from the readings; they are

also causing me to form questions and research more in-depth for understanding. First, I was

surprised to read that even in art classes, LGBTQ artists and work were not being discussed as

much and were non-accepting by many educators. I also found it interesting how the brain works

with art and PTSD. Does the brain shut off specific parts to allow others to work? This has

always interested me: how the brain works with trauma, specifically while working in pottery.
Community Members and the Benefits of an Art Program 9

References

Barrett, T., Anttila, E., Webster, P., & Haseman, B. (2017). Exploring the relational complexities

of learning ART together: A museum based art program for migrant women. International

Journal of Education & the Arts, 18(10), 1-24. Retrieved September 1, 2022, from

http://www.ijea.org/v18n10/v18n10.pdf

Heise, D., & Macgillivray, L. (2011). Implementing an art program for children in a homeless

shelter. Studies in Art Education, 52(4), 323-336. doi:10.1080/00393541.2011.11518844

M. (n.d.). Community definition & meaning. Retrieved September 4, 2022, from

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/community

Rhoades, M., Davenport, M. G., Wolfgang, C. N., Cosier, K., & Sanders, J. H. (2013). Big Gay

Church: Sermons to and for an underserved population in art education settings. Studies in

Art Education, 54(4), 349-363. doi:10.1080/00393541.2013.11518908

Spiegel, D., Malchiodi, C., Backos, A., & Collie, K. (2006). Art therapy for combat-related

PTSD: Recommendations for Research and Practice. Art Therapy, 23(4), 157-164.

doi:10.1080/07421656.2006.10129335

T. (2021, December 15). Facts about LGBTQ youth suicide. Retrieved September 4, 2022, from

https://www.thetrevorproject.org/resources/article/facts-about-lgbtq-youth-suicide/

Venable, B. B. (2005). At-risk and in-need: Reaching juvenile offenders through art. Art

Education, 58(4), 48-53. doi:10.1080/00043125.2005.11651552

Whiteland, S. R. (2019). Building relationships: Art making and empty bowls. International

Journal of Lifelong Learning in Art Education, 2, 29-41.