We Are Family: Building Connective Tissue through Community Art
On December 2nd, 2015 I gave a TEDx talk for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee about why community art has become such a passion in my life. You can read the description of my speech on the TEDx UW-Milwaukee website and watch the video there and on youtube beginning in April, 2016.
What inspired my speech was a long drive from visiting friends in rural Janesville, WI. to my hometown of Milwaukee, WI where I was originally born and have lived my adult life now for over 10 years. 7 of those years I've been practicing as a community artist, with clients ranging from arts and environmentally based non-profits; public schools, social service agencies to churches - all interested in integrating arts into a mainstream environment.
On the drive I was struck by the sudden awareness that we are all Family. That we really are family. Not in principle just because its a nice idea, but in actuality. And, that bonds created between us through shared experiences give rise to a hidden truth that says we really are connected as a human family.
We always have a choice in how we respond to our interactions with others. I explore this a little bit in my TEDx talk, by showing how using community art helps us actualize the potential in our bonding fabric by having shared experiences where we are challenged to become aware of what we have in common.
Here is what I'm proposing:
"If you are from Milwaukee you are familiar with the experience of being out somewhere on any given side of town and frequently crossing paths with other people you recognize. Is Milwaukee's smallness an obstacle to opportunity and success? Can we creatively use our overlapping circles as a strength? My radical invitation is that we see and understand ourselves as family; an organism of interdependent parts where everyone has something of value to bring to the table. How does stepping into community art as a supportive, creative framework help our attitudes shift towards each other? How does it actually build healthy connective tissue in our communities? I practice community art with organizations and people across all sectors of Milwaukee using visual art to share stories. When we become more empathetic and cooperative with each other, our organism is healthier - more responsive, wondering, seeing itself as an interdependent part of a whole. I invite you to play into this attitude, to test it out and consider where it may open doors and create new opportunities in your life." - Tia Chianti Richardson
"If you are from Milwaukee you are familiar with the experience of being out somewhere on any given side of town and frequently crossing paths with other people you recognize. Is Milwaukee's smallness an obstacle to opportunity and success? Can we creatively use our overlapping circles as a strength? My radical invitation is that we see and understand ourselves as family; an organism of interdependent parts where everyone has something of value to bring to the table. How does stepping into community art as a supportive, creative framework help our attitudes shift towards each other? How does it actually build healthy connective tissue in our communities? I practice community art with organizations and people across all sectors of Milwaukee using visual art to share stories. When we become more empathetic and cooperative with each other, our organism is healthier - more responsive, wondering, seeing itself as an interdependent part of a whole. I invite you to play into this attitude, to test it out and consider where it may open doors and create new opportunities in your life." - Tia Chianti Richardson