Living Art by Kirsten Broadfoot


“All creative people want to do the unexpected.” ~ Hedy Lamarr


When we say someone or something is creative, do we mean imaginative, innovative, inventive, artistic or fantastic? Creativity is about being inquisitive and open to new ideas as well as new ways of putting those ideas together. Individual artists, who are naturally inventive, are central to sustaining the creative spirit for society as a whole.


However, a larger creativity comes alive through collective art making, where the creative impulse requires interaction between the artists and audience. Such animating experiences, which often take flight from the cre- ation of familiar objects, bring people together in body, mind and spirit, and work to keep us connected.


Yielding to the Moment of Creation


“Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life.” ~ Pablo Picasso


Communal creativity exists along a continuum between spontaneity and structure, and gives birth to myriad forms that are sometimes stunning in


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their simplicity. The most poignant of these remind us of just how very hu- man we are. Take, for example, the fourth plinth (think pedestal) raised in 2009 in London’s Trafalgar Square by Antony Gormley. This piece of public perfor- mance art, entitled One and Other, encouraged anyone interested to


atop for an hour


ascend and stay the empty plinth


to get a different


view of the world. For 100 days, con- tributing individuals could do whatever they liked for the assigned hour, but the most astounding revelation for all was the ways in which life came to life before their eyes (OneAnd Other.co.uk).


Consider the inspired vision that prompted residents of Fort Collins, Colo- rado, to devise a traveling pop-up art gallery that transforms empty downtown storefronts into vibrant art spaces until tenants are found. Since 2009, The Art lab has filled Old Town with art, inno- vation, music and smiling faces. Anyone can come and create in the space, dis- play their arts and crafts or just sit, talk, brainstorm and share the good energy. This laid back, yet intimate, contribu- tion to community life ranges from plays and exhibitions to communal paintings (ArtLabFortCollins.org). Tom Borrup, a creative com- munity builder in Minneapolis, sees such everyday cultural expressions as crucial reservoirs of community spirit (CommunityAndCulture.com). He notes that festivals, recurring gatherings in parks, gardens or community centers and artistic activities of all stripes that


creativity inspires community


Credit: AArt Lab, FortCollins


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