By: Kevin L.D. Leaven, Master of Arts in Communication & Advocacy
Image is from a campaign of the Arts Council of the Valley supporting artists and thanking front-line health workers in Harrisonburg, VA.
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to serve as a justice facilitator for ICAD. The conversation topic focused on the various roles art plays in contributing to the overall health, development and wellbeing of our society. From my perspective, I was responsible for setting the tone of our groups’ conversation by bridging the cultural significance of art within a broad historical context.
COVID-19 has catalyzed a resounding outburst of collective grief, rage and joy. The past year has ensued a flurry of emotions and feelings which are difficult to convey with words alone. Consequently, I saw my role as a guide whose work involved helping our community process some of the complexity of our contemporary moment using art as a sense making tool.
The way I see things, art mirrors reality, expressing the complexity of life through countless creative outlets. So, in good times and in bad, artists have shared their perspectives of the world with the world. In the process, people have seen their experiences, affirmed, challenged and articulated. I brought these ideas into our groups discussion and listened intently as our group took these ideas and sparked awesome discussions about politics, and power.
The insights from our group taught me that art is also about solidarity. As our group expressed their grievances and joys there was a sense that emotions are both personal and universal at the same time. Our community members were able to bond over common values and shared feelings when reflecting on works of popular art. From murals, to songs, on social media and in print, various mediums of expression illustrated the power of art to bring people together in times of uncertainty. To me, this illustrated the power of art as a means of building solidarity which is integral for our society to heal.
Contact ICAD at ICAD@jmu.edu for more information.