What is a community? And how can you belong to one?
While those aren’t easy questions to find answers to, I’d like to invite you to Art of Belonging: A People’s Gallery and see what we find.
This collaborative community show centers the creative voices of unhoused community members in Jackson County, Oregon. The gallery’s intentions are shared in its gallery statement:
“Our unhoused friends and neighbors are members of our community who have been, and continue to be, systemically failed and whose existence is deeply criminalized. Folks on the street are regularly harassed by police and rejected by the city through cruel laws and ordinances that lack any semblance of humanity,” the statement prefaces. “This show intends to challenge negative perceptions around homelessness and support a holistic awareness and appreciation of individuals, while creating a safe and celebratory space for self-expression. Overall, the series invites the viewer to reflect on our need for community care, empathy, and curiosity. We all need community.”
Behind the Scenes
Over the course of three months, community members created pieces during drop-in sessions hosted at Rogue Retreat, The OHRA Center, and the Medford and Ashland libraries. All materials used to create these pieces were sourced through a community art supply drive hosted at Central Art, ScrappyCraft/The Artist Attic, and the Medford Library.
This show was organized by community member Maddy Tuttle and Jackson County Library Services Librarian Meghan Thompson. It was supported by Central Art, the OHSU Street Nursing Team, ScrappyCraft/The Artist Attic, The OHRA Center, Rogue Retreat, and Judi’s Midnight Diner.
Proceeds from prints, stickers, and buttons sold at the gallery will go to Judi’s Midnight Diner. Proceeds from pieces sold will go directly to the artists.
A Community Viewing
The decision to bring these pieces together into a public gallery space not only allows viewers to consider “our need for community care, empathy, and curiosity,” but invites them to participate, too.
I attended the gallery opening with a friend. As she stopped in front of pieces I may have passed by, I found myself stopping too, hoping to see what she saw. We both pointed out details the other had missed and spoke about the pieces. Together, we were able to appreciate more artwork and appreciate it more deeply than either of us would have on our own.
No viewer passes through the gallery in isolation. Even if they’re the only one in the gallery, each piece reaches out to connect with viewers through the artist’s personal experiences, perspective, and artistic choices.
Understanding Each Other
During the opening, I had the chance to speak with one of the artists that contributed to the show, Juaquin Silva. His sequential pieces incorporate poetry, color, and imagery from both life and imagination. He shared the amount of consideration that went into every detail, from the texture of the grass and which elements are three-dimensional, to what order the pieces are displayed in.
Every art piece in Art of Belonging: A People’s Gallery is like this: intentional, varied, and deeply rooted in the perspective and experience of the individuals that form this community.
Exploring the pieces teaches you something personal about each artist — the messages they want to share, and their visions for the world.
“I stopped drawing for 20 years due to hardship and alcohol problems. In my 30s, I stopped drinking and decided it was time to use the talent that I believe God gave me,” writes artist Michael Joseph Miller in his statement.
“My art is pure soul expression,” writes another artist, Val.
Glimpsing into the lives of others bring each of us closer together.
More Than Its Sum
That very sense of togetherness inspires some of the contributing artists, too.
“…we are the custodians and stewards of the spaces we shape, and I think it’s imperative we find our creative voices so we can be impactful and dynamic in our lives,” writes Zoriya Blalock.
Her piece, made of bold colors, patterns, and enticing textures, centers the face of a smiling woman.
She writes, “We will accept our challenges and find fulfillment no matter what the outcome, because we are: resilient, strong, magnanimous, generous, courageous…”
A piece by Joe Garcia was also inspired by love, family, and community.
“Driven by love for his family and community, (he) strives to break cycles that have existed for generations,” the statement for Joe’s piece reads. “His mission is not only to rebuild his own life, but to help others discover hope, opportunity, and self-worth through creativity, connection, and compassion.”
His piece is a diptych, which shows a pair of complementary artistic pieces, with colors that swirl together to become a tree.
These are just two of the pieces in Art of Belonging that showcase different elements coming together into a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. They remind us that those around us are not only part of their own communities, but our own community as well.
We Create It Together
So… What is a community? And how can you belong to one?
For me, the answers came out of The Art of Belonging. Community is all of us; community is understanding those around us; and community is a choice, one that each of us must choose to participate in.
Art of Belonging: A People’s Gallery is open for viewing through Friday, July 10th at Central Art’s gallery space in downtown Medford. It is open during Central Art’s open hours, unless a workshop is being hosted in the space.