Can art promote well-being and social inclusion? A new research partnership between Cambrian College and Myths and Mirrors is exploring that question.
Cambrian's schools of Creative Arts and Community Services, and Cambrian R&D, the college's applied research division, have partnered with Myths and Mirrors, a community arts organization, to design and deliver an arts-based program to people living in low-income neighbourhoods throughout the City of Greater Sudbury.
Pictured are (left to right): Zoé Richard, Cambrian College; Sherry Mongeau, Cambrian College; Charles Tossell, Myths and Mirrors; Elba Espino, Cambrian College; Vivian Oystrick, Cambrian College; Patrick Carew, Myths and Mirrors; Selena Wabegijig, Myths and Mirrors; Selina Stos, Myths and Mirrors; Cora-Rae Silk, Myths and Mirrors; Michelle Brunette, Cambrian College; Mike Commito, Cambrian R&D, and front (kneeling, left to right), Asha Sutcliffe, Myths and Mirrors; Lee Wood, Cambrian College.
The project is called Creative Mirror Stones: Finding Self and Community Through Socially-Engaged Art.
It is a three-year project made possible through $421,078 in funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Canada Council for the Arts.
In this project, staff at Myths and Mirrors work with faculty and students in several Cambrian programs, including Art and Design Fundamentals, Design and Visual Arts, Graphic Design, and Social Service Worker.
"This project will bring together many levels of expertise from the academic and arts communities, all with a shared goal of engaging communities and using art to support areas of Greater Sudbury that are often not given the opportunity to express creativity or enjoy art," says Vivian Oystrick, project lead and a professor in the School of Community Services at Cambrian. "Socially engaged art practices have been recognized for their potential to contribute to social inclusion and improve health and well-being, particularly among marginalized populations."
The team will offer a series of socially engaged art sessions. Students and faculty will work with established local artists and develop their skills by co-facilitating art sessions and focusing on the creative process and technique. During art sessions, Social Service Worker students will facilitate discussions that encourage self-reflection and community connectedness. In addition to the evaluation process, knowledge sharing and dissemination will be an essential component of this project.
"Myths and Mirrors has been developing relationships with partner organizations and groups for many years," explains Cora-Rae Silk, Artistic Director of Myths and Mirrors. "These partnerships are vital to reaching diverse communities. This latest project has so much potential to help people in Greater Sudbury prosper, thrive, and truly appreciate art and the artistic process regardless of where they stand on the economic spectrum."
In the first stage of the project, participants from downtown Sudbury created a large puppet made of clay and paper mache. The puppet, a grandmother to symbolize a caring community, took more than 75 hours to create.
In the last year, Myths and Mirrors has partnered with 14 community organizations and 19 artists to engage more than 1,100 residents in community-engaged arts programming.
"This is a great project and shows just how diverse and far-reaching applied research can be," adds Mike Commito, Cambrian's director of research and development. "Applied research is not just for heavy industry and the tech sector. It is also important for the social sciences so that we can test and develop initiatives that will be the most effective for people. We are very honoured to expand our applied research capability to include this project with Myths and Mirrors, and very grateful to NSERC and the Canada Council for the Arts for their support."
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada works with universities, colleges, businesses and not-for-profit organizations to remove barriers, develop opportunities and attract new expertise to make Canada's research community thrive.
To learn more about Myths and Mirrors, visit https://mythsandmirrors.org.
To learn more about Cambrian College and its programs, visit www.cambriancollege.ca/programs.
To learn more about Cambrian R&D, visit www.cambriancollege.ca/rd.
For more information
1400 Barrydowne Road
Sudbury Ontario
Canada P3A 3V8
www.cambriancollege.ca/
