Building Communities in Tense Times: Fostering Connectedness Between Cultures and Generations through Community Arts

Beauregard, Caroline; Tremblay, Joël; Pomerleau, Janie; Simard, Maïté; Bourgeois-Guérin, Élise; Lyke, Claire; Rousseau, Cécile

doi:10.1002/ajcp.12411

Cited by 20 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Young people face many blockages because they hold on to certain emotions that are difficult to expose in these unstable times, and 4) Belonging to a larger whole; this is about inserting oneself into a larger whole and feeling that one belongs by creating something meaningful together. (BEAUREGARD et al, 2019). It is the result of the attention paid to oneself and others and then of the integration of oneself through artistic experience.…”

Section: Limitation and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Resilience comes under two different conceptions : 1) at an individual level, resilience is related to the ability of individuals to solve problems by overcoming them through the deployment of various coping strategies (ibid.) and 2) at a collective level, resilience, as referring to the ability of community members to adapt positively and work cohesively towards common goals in order to overcome a situation of collective suffering and cope with adversity (BEAUREGARD et al, 2019). This dynamic process varies according to contexts, variables internal to individuals and external changes in the social and political environments, and cultural spaces in which they are located.…”

Section: A Contribution To the Resilience Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The "artistic biography" with displaced youth in camps in Iraq: Presence as an indicator of entry into resilience

Buriel

Loquet

Morais

2020

REAI

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The current armed conflicts in the world, and in particular those linked to the Islamic State System (ISIS) in Iraq, constitute a major obstacle to stable benchmarks, to a collective reading of a common culture, and to a society free from the symptoms of war. Inclusive artistic interventions are often deployed with children affected by conflict as a source of resilience and empowerment. The objective of this article is to propose entry into resilience identified during the implementation of a device of an "artistic biography" activities with coaches of an NGO and young people in a camp in Iraq. The device built was a project to "paint our caravans" as a first project with the young people in a camp. Through our experience as an artist, trainer and researcher, we observe the indicators of entry into "presence" during the artistic activities. Involvement in a collective work, self-recognition by the coaches and self-recognition in the final artistic work are the three indicators of presence that we note. Individual and collective resilience processes are complex and long and subject to many obstacles. Our article invites further investigation to build evidence to develop artistic response in humanitarian emergencies.

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Section: Limitation and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: A Contribution To the Resilience Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

The "artistic biography" with displaced youth in camps in Iraq: Presence as an indicator of entry into resilience

Buriel

Loquet

Morais

2020

REAI

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“…By bringing together artists and audiences who experience different levels of access to power, political theater can help cultivate both a physical and symbolic “space of encounter” (Mayblin, Valentine, & Andersson, 2016, p. 216) in which intercultural exchange is facilitated and social distance is reduced (Sajnani, 2012). These spaces can be distinguished from “contact zones” (Pratt, 1991, p. 34) which are often used in community art projects to bring together culturally diverse groups to co‐develop an art piece (e.g., Beauregard et al, 2020; Madyaningrum & Sonn, 2011; Mohatt et al, 2013). Specifically, contact zones are defined by ongoing interactions between individuals with varying lived experiences while spaces of encounter are singular and temporary events, much like one would expect of an artist‐audience interaction at a theater performance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Community arts practices have already been applied to a range of injustices to enact change from the individual to the community and with the potential to support enduring systemic transformation. Such settings include: mental health (Faigin & Stein, 2015; Mohatt et al, 2013), migration (Baker, Sonn, & Meyer, 2020; Beauregard et al, 2020) racial profiling (Sonn, Quayle, Belanji, & Baker, 2015), lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer activism (LGTBQ; Wernick, Kulick, & Woodford, 2014), homelessness (de Oliveira, 2019), and intimate partner violence (Sajnani, 2010) to name a few. Although artistic expression can take many forms, the focus of the current research is on examining how theater can bring silenced and oppressed narratives into public awareness which, in turn, can facilitate critical reflexivity among the audiences who witness them.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Performative is Political: Using Counter‐Storytelling through Theater to Create Spaces for Implicated Witnessing

Maxwell

Sonn

2020

American J of Comm Psychol

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Performative counter‐storytelling can be a powerful experience for both the artists who create these stories and the audiences who witness them. This study examined audience responses to a counter‐narrative (entitled “AMKA”) performed by Africans in Australia which intended to present more complex, holistic, and strengths‐based representations of their communities than those currently circulated by dominant discourses. Guided by a critical whiteness lens, the study explored how 34 self‐identifying white audience members interpreted the performance and how they questioned whiteness by assuming the role of implicated witnesses. Following thematic analysis of mixed closed‐ and open‐ended post‐performance survey responses, audience members made connections between the content of AMKA and the contemporary political and cultural contexts in which it was performed and began to examine their positions of privilege and power. This study has provided evidence for the potential of political theater in creating spaces of encounter whereby responsible listening positions can be nurtured in the journey toward dismantling personal, and potentially structural, racially‐based injustices.

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“…Research also suggests that art can influence social variables that indirectly affect health, such as social support (Fancourt & Finn, 2019; Murrock & Madigan, 2008), social cohesion, solidarity, and a sense of collective self in society (Fancourt, 2017). Community art initiatives have the power to encourage connections between people, create a sense of community, foster social change, and promote inclusion and dialogue (Beauregard et al, 2020). Other studies point to the power of community-based arts initiatives for promoting personal growth, citizen participation, cultural awareness, and community development (Stein & Faigin, 2015).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring Community Art and Its Role in Promoting Health, Social Cohesion, and Community Resilience in the Aftermath of the 2015 Nepal Earthquake

Baumann

Merante

Sylvain-Holmgren³

et al. 2021

Health Promotion Practice

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A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Nepal in 2015, followed by hundreds of aftershocks that led to physical destruction, loss, and negative mental health outcomes. Yet, in the days, months, and years following the disaster, numerous forms of community art rose from the rubble, such as urban murals, spoken word poetry, public dance performances, and sacred art. This study explored the relationship between community art and health, social cohesion, and community resilience in postearthquake Nepal. We utilized photography and audio recorders to capture 19 unique artworks/projects created in the aftermath of the earthquake and conducted in-depth interviews with 19 artists and/or experts about the relationship between art and health in postdisaster contexts. The 19 postearthquake artworks/projects ranged from contemporary paintings to Buddhist ritual dance and reflected the unique combination of the traditional and contemporary necessary for salvaging and restoring Nepali heritage. Findings revealed three key themes regarding linkages between art and mental health in the context of postearthquake Nepal. First, community art offers relief and is a mechanism for coping, through the creation or observation of art. Second, community art can be used as a means of communication, both as a tool for promoting connections and conversations in the community and by communicating messages of hope. Third, community art can promote community cohesion and ultimately serve as a tool to create physical and emotional safe spaces. Overall, there is promise for initiatives that engage artists and communities in arts-based initiatives following traumatic events, such as natural disasters, which can positively affect health. Funding support and development of partnerships with grassroots artists and creators should be promoted in health and development programming, especially for risk reduction and recovery after disasters.

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Building Communities in Tense Times: Fostering Connectedness Between Cultures and Generations through Community Arts

Cited by 20 publications

References 55 publications

The "artistic biography" with displaced youth in camps in Iraq: Presence as an indicator of entry into resilience

The "artistic biography" with displaced youth in camps in Iraq: Presence as an indicator of entry into resilience

The Performative is Political: Using Counter‐Storytelling through Theater to Create Spaces for Implicated Witnessing

Exploring Community Art and Its Role in Promoting Health, Social Cohesion, and Community Resilience in the Aftermath of the 2015 Nepal Earthquake

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