Residents in the Montclair area have hatched a plan to build social bridges and trust among neighbors, working together on an enjoyable art-making project.
They're launching a new, free, community-wide festival, called Seeing from the Heart. The festival matches participants into small teams, each of which then collaboratively creates an artwork. The theme is "mutual compassion, empathy, respect, and friendship across boundaries or differences."
Visual artists, art-making enthusiasts, and other interested members of the local public are invited. Sign-ups to participate in the festival are now open online, through September 30 at seeingfromtheheart.art.
Adults and seniors are matched into teams of about 4–5 adults. Parents with their kids or teens are matched into other teams, of 2–3 families.
Each team meets in person, several times during October and November at local sponsored venues, to envision and design a joint artwork inspired by the theme. Teams may create either a 3-dimensional mobile or a 2-dimensional patchwork/collage.
Between meetings, each team member exercises individual creativity, building components of the team's artwork design. Finally, each team assembles the individual components into their finished artwork.
To promote creativity and sustainable reuse, the teams will construct their artworks from interesting found materials, which the organizers have collected from attic-, garage-, or closet-clearing local residents.
Finally during December, the teams' artworks will be exhibited publicly at Montclair Art Museum and other local venues. A public opening celebration for the Seeing from the Heart exhibition will be held on December 12 at Montclair Art Museum.
The festival is initiated by Montclair Mutual Aid and co-sponsored by Montclair Art Museum and local art-loving businesses Eclectic Chic Boutique, Mellowworks, The Space, Keep Creating, and One River Montclair.
"The aim of Seeing from the Heart is to foster new conversations and connections among local residents and artists – centered around a socially meaningful, community-positive art project," said Jonathan A. Marshall, one of the festival organizers. "We believe that the arts offer effective and meaningful ways to address turbulent times."
Montclair Mutual Aid (MtcMA) fosters an ongoing, local network of people and groups, to help one another meet critical needs. MtcMA brings community members together to get to know one another, build relationships, and build trust. MtcMA organizes a community freeshare event series, monthly at Glenfield Park. MtcMA and partner organizations have also run art, music, and dance events, free distributions of food, clothing, clean water, toiletries, furniture, books, toys, and air conditioners, volunteer neighbor leaf-raking and snow-clearing, and direct giving of cash for urgent needs.
Montclair Art Museum (MAM) collects, exhibits, preserves, and interprets American and Native American art, honoring the creative accomplishments of a diverse range of artists. MAM partners with artists, scholars, community members, and institutions to ensure that its collective work reflects diverse perspectives and expertise. Through exhibitions, programs, and studio art classes, MAM cultivates creativity and personal expression, and sparks critical conversations and learning for people of all ages and abilities. MAM strives to create an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming environment that fosters open dialogue and empathy for all.
Eclectic Chic Boutique, Mellowworks, The Space, Keep Creating, and One River School of Art+Design Montclair are local businesses supporting community participation in the visual arts.
