MAKING ART MAKING CHANGE
“I feel I can breathe deeply again for the first time in a very long while.”
This is just one of many poignant participant reflections on the experience of participating in the Making Art Making Change project with Baycrest@Home.
H (we’ll withhold full names for privacy) has been her husband’s primary caregiver for more than a decade since his dementia diagnosis. She is one of twelve women caregivers who came together via Zoom every Monday for eight weeks between January and March, 2022 to participate in a shared art-making class.
What she and others soon realized was the entire experience was about more than just the art; it was about connection.
“Being a part of this project has reaffirmed the fact that none of us are in this journey alone,” declared AJ. “We can transcend any differences by relating to our plights and pleasures of being caregivers. Time is precious and indeed in short supply, and self-care is a must.”
The challenges associated with being a caregiver for someone experiencing cognitive decline can be all-encompassing and, in many cases, a 24/7 responsibility. At the heart of this project is community-building and peer support.
For the participants in this project, they were reminded of the importance of taking time for themselves to be creative, to engage with others and to share their feelings.
Over the course of the 8 weeks, participants engaged in real conversation: talking, responding, experimenting, taking risks, and communicating about their work, interests, thoughts, concerns, and their role as caregivers.
Our facilitators, Elena Soní & Vanessa Barnett (and Artistic Directors behind MAMC) call it a creative self-discovery journey. Using poetry, writing, and the act of making art in a supportive, visually stimulating virtual environment, the artwork becomes a layered exploration of self, in dialogue with others:
“Certainly that accordion that we created as a group, we will cherish as a precious keepsake. Images were sent to us to create a collage to reflect our personal situation and our own voice. To write about who we are, titled ‘I Am’, to remind us that we are still intact, with precious families, accomplishments, past careers, friendships, hopes and more. It was an unprecedented experience of sharing, camaraderie and mutual support.”
– Sharon, participant
While the formal program came to an end near the end of March, the relationships, legacy and impact shared by the participants will live on long after the group’s last Zoom session.
“Some of us may well stay in touch with each other in the future and try to remain ‘arty’. We already have an invitation to look forward to in the spring, to attend a nice garden party,” says Sharon.
“My idea and intention when we began was to reclaim my love for the creative process. Participating in the creative process, it has a spiritual component that is uplifting and kind of miraculous to me. Thanks to this experience I have made a studio space for myself, and I am deeply grateful that the catalyst for having a studio has been Making Art, Making Change.”
– H, participant
Visit our Resources for more articles, caregiver webinars and discover other education tools available through Baycrest@Home.
About this Program:
Making Art Making Change is a non-profit charity committed to giving voice to social issues within communities through the use of visual arts, mixed media and storytelling. Partnering with Baycrest@Home, our program introduces participants to art-making as a way to find a visual representation of their rich experience where materials and techniques are explored as possibilities for self-expression.