Constructing an artmaking ritual as social and spiritual practices (part 1)

The latest on this topic here: June 5, 2011


This post is meant to be first of the series on this topic.  I am just putting this out as part of my brainstorming and also to seek some input.

Each year during the first week of June, a Portland area non-profit Operation Nightwatch Portland (not to be confused with the one in Seattle) puts together an invitation-only spiritual retreat for its clients, primarily from among the low-income and street populations.  Held annually at the United Church of Christ's Camp Adams in rural Clackamas County, this retreat offers a rare opportunity for inner-city resident of Portland to get out into the nature while also focusing on spirituality.

Since 2008, I have served as an artist-in-residence for this event, responsible for facilitating and coordinating group art activities.  When I took over, this was originally more of a group craft activity and the participants created a group project that was displayed permanently at ONP's regular hospitality facility.  While this was enjoyable for some, it appeared to me that this was yet one of many activities everyone was forced into.  As I also became part of the retreat committee, I worked toward redesigning the entire retreat event to be more open-ended, less preachy (in the past this was mostly about a series of Bible studies led by an evangelical preacher), affording more free time to explore and enjoy the nature, and at the same time making the newly revamped "exploration" sessions (previously called "teachings") to be more interactive, ecumenical and participant-oriented.

In this spirit, I had also radically transformed the art program offerings at the retreat.  For one, I had created an open art studio space inside the lodge that would be open throughout the event, stocked with a wide variety of art supplies, so that those who have creative urges can work on their art without feeling pressured or feeling like they are in a boring art class and talked down at.  For 2009, I did away with the group project altogether.  Then 2010, I hoped to introduce a social element into art by creating a series of three large canvases (like a kind of tryptach) for a spontaneous and interactive "dialogue" among the participants through a mixed-media creation.  While this was originally a great idea, it failed as the project went to a completely unexpected direction: it was hardly done even on the morning of the last day, and whatever it was done already was defaced overnight by some anonymous participant who painted over the completed portions.

This led the retreat committee to have a long discussion on this year's art project.  Hence I am redesigning this both to improve the quality of the group art project and also to reinject the spiritual themes of the retreat into the social aspect of artmaking.

I am taking some hints from both shamanic practices of artmaking (as discussed by Mircea Eliade and David S. Whitley) as well as Asian traditional arts in religious practices (such as Tibetan Mandala ceremony) in directing this year's project.  At the same time, I am also interested in making this artmaking ceremony a meaningful experience that each participant can relate to, and get something out of.

(Continues.)