Resource of the week: First Friday community art installation in Lebanon county
Self-expression through art can take on so many forms! Over the years, the survivors that have trusted us with their stories and shared their healing journeys have used our help communicate the emotion, struggle, and triumph. Art can put both the good and the terrible in a container to be absorbed and observed.
Today, in honor of some of the incredible art installation efforts of community partners like Visit Lebanon Valley, Lebanon Valley Council on the Arts, the Tamaqua Area Community Partnership, and the Tamaqua Arts Center, we dedicate our blog space to art as a form of healing and social transformation.
Art as a form of healing:
Whether it is through the haunting and beautiful demonstrations of the healing journey through SARCC installation of the clothesline project, or through poems, stories, and songs written by survivors, artistic expression can create a safe space to explore the healing process. Our counselors and advocates have partnered with local artist to host groups related to healing art and expression. Both children and adults have lent their handprints and personal messages to murals on the walls of our office. In our trauma therapy services, the TFCBT modality develops a narrative of traumatic incident and the healing process.
Here, you can see a beautiful work of art by one of our 2023 clients. This person graciously shared her artwork with us as a way of communicating the healing journey and process. Each person who looks at this work of art comments on a different part of it. For me, I’m drawn to the eyes of the child looking over the shoulder of the survivor as she works through her healing process. Many others focus on the hands inside the heart as a sign of connection. Some people look at the darkness in the background and think that it relates to the violence this person experienced. Any of these visuals can draw meaning and none of those meanings are wrong.
Art as community transformation:
Our Connected Together Community Board, in partnership with our friends at the Tamaqua Area Community Partnership, have been exploring the concept of art as “we making.” Community art installations provide the opportunity for so many voices in our community to share both what is great and what can be hard about living in the places we call home. There is no wrong answer and using art as a form of expression allows us to explore many different voices, experiences, and opportunities for growth in our community. It also creates the opportunity to celebrate the resources, culture, and history that we hold dear in our home places.
You can get involved:
On Friday, our Connected Together Community Board has partnered with visit Lebanon Valley and Lebanon Valley Council of the Arts to host a community art installation. During the first Friday art walk, visit the Lebanon Valley Council of the Arts at eighth and Cumberland Street, Lebanon. Each member of our community will have an opportunity to place their handprint on, a community that tries to capture the story of the beauty and the history of Lebanon County. All are welcome to participate and contribute to this community art project.
