This being the last Friday of the month, it’s time for promoting positive news via We Are the World Blogfest. I like to think of us as ambassadors highlighting little pockets of love and light for others to celebrate as well.
Our special lead co-hosts for this month are Belinda Witzenhausen, Lynn Hallbrooks, Michelle Wallace, Sylvia McGrath, and Sylvia Stein. You can participate by signing up here, and I encourage you to check out the other bloggers participating as well.
This month I want to share about Urbano, a non-profit community art project in the Jamaica Plain area of Boston. The mission of Urbano is to foster participatory art for social change, community cohesion, and personal transformation. It is an entirely artist-run organization, and the artists mentor young people while working on community-based art projects, helping them not only express themselves creatively but also tackle social issues and encouraging development of their skills and interest in social activism.
I’ll head you off to this page where you can watch a short video about the organization, and then explore some of their past projects as well as look at their current one. Immigration Nation is a collection of 400+ suitcases telling individual stories and representing a collective American experience.
It’s precisely these kind of programs that excite me most and feel critically important in these times. I believe we need engagement; we need ways to unify our communities; we need to experience ourselves working collaboratively in community and finding creative ways to address social issues. The impact of art on our society and the encouragement of our young people to find their voices is certainly not to be dismissed as unimportant. I believe they are gems to be polished and held as precious indeed.
When Lyndon Johnson signed into existence the National Endowment of the Arts in 1965 it was with these words:
“Art is a nation’s most precious heritage. For it is in our works of art that we reveal to ourselves and to others the inner vision which guides us as a nation. And where there is no vision, the people perish.”
I believe this to be true. And we need our vision now more than ever.
Thanks Deborah, this is lovely. We have similar organisations here in SA led by artists themselves mentoring others to find a way for expression especially if such expression has been suppressed. So freeing to know that there is a way. CG Jung said something about let the hands do what the mind can’t – that’s not the exact quote by any stretch. But I know from own experience that when I work on a piece of clay, or sketch a dream, that this kind of embodiment lets the ego free at least for a while. I love Lyndon Johnson’s quote!
I was just talking with friends today Susan about the beautiful dance between mind and creativity – how each can fuel one another, and how each can step in when the other is resistant or feeling less than capable. But we need both and when we can find ways to support both we are truly expanded.
I’ve never heard of this organization, but agree with you that it’s a wonderful idea. Artistic expression is often overlooked in our society, yet without where would we be? I often think that art and food are the two areas of life that will ultimately hold the world together. Great story.
Oh, I like that – and think you may well be right – food and art! Bread and hyacinths for the soul – it’s what we all need.
This sounds like a wonderful community project, Deborah. Thanks for letting us know about the organization.
Strong creative invested communities offer us such a wonderful example of how we can navigate our world don’t they?
This is such a wonderful, colorful initiative! Thanks for sharing.
It’s always such fun to see what the WATWB community comes up with each month isn’t it?! Thanks for stopping by Damyanti.
Hi Deborah – what a special organisation working in the Boston area – they seem to be really reaching out to the local community and offering the ability to be creative with vision – and thus broadening their work base … loved reading up about Urbano … cheers Hilary
I find these collaborative projects involving diverse populations so exciting – they really demonstrate what’s possible when we unite with vision.
What an incredible initiative! Love that they’re bringing a community together through art! Thanks so much for sharing this! #WATWB
It definitely makes my heart happy Belinda. And thank you for stopping by and co-hosting WATWB – it’s a favorite part of my month.
This is a wonderful project. I hope the young people reach their goals and that the project continues to thrive for a long time. Thanks for sharing about this and for being a part of #WATWB
Yes, I hope the project continues and flourishes and inspires other communities as well. It’s a delight being part of #WATWB – thank you for co-hosting!