Strengthening community: Forging connections through art

College of the Atlantic faculty and students help lead an afternoon of interactive workshops focused on creating positive change at Jesup Memorial Library.

Looking for a chance to learn something creative, make new friends, and enjoy the beauty of a spectacular new community space in Bar Harbor? Join eight artists for an interactive afternoon of creative expression, music, and refreshments.

The event is being organized by State Representative Gary Friedmann, in hopes of strengthening community bonds and nourishing stressed minds at a time of political chaos and national divisiveness.

“I’m excited to bring people together to celebrate the energy and passion of our island community,” Friedmann said.

After introductions, participants will select two out of ten 30-minute workshops to experience how art can help raise awareness and drive positive change.

Delve into what lies in your heart with Karin Spitfire, the author of two poetry collections and activist conceptual artist. She will use prompts to encourage participants to create community through expressions of shared humanity.

Try acting with Molly Dillon ’28, an actor studying at College of the Atlantic, with a concentration in theatre and performance. All levels of experience are welcome: your background, age, or theatre experience won’t matter.

Improvise meaningful movement with Tammy Richards, a professional actor, dancer and choreographer. She uses movement improvisation as a way to share feelings and actions related to the current political environment. Participants will create a simple gesture in response to a prompt, such as “after the 2020 election, I…”.  By sharing, expanding, and exchanging gestures with partners and the larger group, participants will build a movement story about our journeys through challenging times.

Create paper puppets of migratory animals with Melissa Ferrari, an experimental animated documentarian, and professor of interdisciplinary arts at COA. Participants will bring these simple puppets, of creatures living in the skies and waters of our community, to life through animation, using free animation software.

Write and perform a musical round with COA professor Gray Cox, a singer/songwriter. He will lead us in creating “Breath on the Waters,” to share with the larger group at the closing of the afternoon.

Experiment with visual collage with Neeraj Sebastian, the COA T.A. Cox Chair in Studio Arts. Participants will work from life and direct observation, with scissors and a limited palette, to look closely and find something new and surprising in the familiar and the everyday.

Practice beeswax candle-dipping with Liz Cutler, Founder of ArtWaves. Dipping creates a calming, welcoming space for conversation – perhaps about our layers. Participants will be invited to make two candles, one to keep and one to give away. This ancient craft helps participants discover commonalities, and the layers of our stories while offering a small gesture of connection, with time to examine what effectively brings us together to restore hope and bring warmth to fractured relationships between neighbors.

This forum will be held in the new meeting spaces of the expanded library, and will be accessible through the parking lot entrance on School Street. Registration is encouraged to reserve your space in each workshop. Please visit jesuplibrary.org/events to register, or for more information contact Gary Friedmann at [email protected] or 207-460-7362.