build community and contribute to everyone’s quality of life.


Working with the Senses


“Art has been the means of keeping alive the senses of purpose…” ~ John Dewey


Artful togetherness is woven into the very fabric of community life through what often appears to be everyday utilitarian activities, such as group gar- dening, sewing, building, painting and cooking. In sharing time and space, we gain a sense of nurturing and realize ways to hold onto the distinction of a place. In the best scenarios, we honor cherished traditions and remain open to learning and reinvention by accept- ing and incorporating new ideas from unlikely places.


… Putting our hands to work


Visitors are likely to be surprised by the hive of activity they encounter in local sewing and knitting supply shops lately. Take the Yarn Shop and Fiber Place, in Bozeman, Montana, for example (BozemanYarnShop.com). The owners host monthly knit-alongs, spinning and weaving circles and knit-for-a-cause events. In New Jersey, a community of volunteers with the Blankie Depot has crafted some 147,000 blankets and other comforting goods for needful youngsters since 1999 (BlankieDepo.org). The Sew- ful Austin group in Texas, on the other hand, just gets people together to have fun and share ideas for sewing projects (Meetup.com/Sewful-Austin). Coffee shops, too, can get in on the


act. Dogleg Coffeehouse, in Bandera, Texas, (DoglegCoffeehouse.com) is the site of a free monthly art class led by local artists. They’ve sparked a growing community of folks creating new life for repurposed and re-found items. Spontaneous expression is com- monly found in open studios or houses, as groups of artists and others meet to paint, draw, sculpt or mold. Com- munity art collectives like Rock Paper Scissors, in Oakland, California, are hot spots for activities ranging from art walks and talks to writer readings. A volunteer-run organization, RPS fosters all forms of community arts, crafts and


natural awakenings September 2010 33


performances through collaborative sharing of ideas, skills and resources aimed to strengthen a sense of commu- nity (rpsCollective.org).


Other artists, like Susan Wood, of


SusieQ Art based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, move outside the studio to facilitate the co-creation of art in public spaces (SusieQArt.com). Her favorite sites include parks, science museums and natural health expos. Anyone within earshot can get a no-cost cre- ative charge by simply picking up a paintbrush to “add a dab.” To date, the largest ad hoc painting party was 115 people strong, all venturing beyond self-imposed boundaries.


… Unleashing indwelling voices


Beyond the creative command of our hands, it also feels good to unleash our bodies and expand the scope of our voices. The modern-day resurrection of drum circles, for instance, is giving new life to dance socials. Based upon one of humanity’s most ancient forms of gathering and sharing within and across communities, loosely structured drumming events around the world leave plenty of room for spontaneous jamming.


Fans view the drum as an espe- cially powerful instrument relating to the human body, as it mimicks the beat of the human heart. Waleska Sallaberry relates that their Natural Awakenings’ Drumming Circle in Puerto Rico tops


600 participants a month. (Find exist- ing drum circles by state or find out how to start one at DrumCircles. net/circlelist.html.) Another


ancient and global form of community building resides in the power of words—whether sung or spoken. We have come to understand that stories sustain our values, myths and belief systems. The National Storytell- ing Network helps locate master story- tellers in the community (StoryNet.org). We can also create a storytell- ing event of our own. Ask any informal gathering of new and old friends to each create their own six-word memoir in a round robin event and be amazed at what memories are instantly created. Enjoy checking out and sharing such six-word autobiographies at Smith Magazine (SmithMag.net). Finally, there are celebratory events at which all kinds of vibrant cre- ative forms come together in one place. In Naples, Florida, Live Art meets in various places around town for on- the-spot performance music, painting, fire-spinning, poetry, dance and body painting. It’s a constantly evolving work in progress, sometimes scheduled and sometimes spontaneous, but always full of people having fun together.


Live Art event, Naples, FL


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